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persian85033
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27 Aug 2009, 5:49 pm

Now, one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, is Isaac Asimov. Reading his books, like the way his characters, and his societies that he created are, I can’t help but wonder if he had Asperger’s. Take the Spacers. What I wouldn’t give to live on a Spacer world, especially Solaria! And of course, Janov Pelorat.lolAnd his fascination with myths? How he spoke about them. I just can’t help but think whenever he talks about myths, that’s me! Kind of. I’m not into myths, but definitely into other things. I’ve always wondered how he came up with that. I’m also reading his autobiography. Some of the things he writes actually make sense!

Unfortunately he’s still a recent author.:(However, another person I know who likes his work, says they also may have it, too.



Aoi
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27 Aug 2009, 5:54 pm

I've read about 50 of Asimov's books, plus a number of books in which he's mentioned or described in detail. I haven't come across anything that made me think he has AS, though his scifi stories include lots of things that would appeal to Aspies.

So interesting idea that Asimov may have had AS.



Ambivalence
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27 Aug 2009, 7:30 pm

persian85033 wrote:
Take the Spacers. What I wouldn’t give to live on a Spacer world, especially Solaria!


Hehe, seconded. Fallom and the Far Star were always my favourite characters from the Foundation series. :wink:


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persian85033
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28 Aug 2009, 2:15 pm

I've read that he wrote so many books in just about all the dewey decimal system cause he was obsessed with order. :?

Ooooohhhhh, Fallom. Trevize was right in trusting her, I mean it. I've always thought the Solarians did become 'aliens', and they were the threat he was talking about that they wasn't among them yet, as psychohistory is really kind of useless with them. And its merging with Daneel...I've always thought it would make Galaxia, but with a million Solarias.

They're not normal, but they're right. Just what is freedom than to do what you like? And it would be so good to not be afraid for once. Or have to worry about people.



bhetti
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28 Aug 2009, 4:26 pm

I loved reading Asimov when I was a teenager. my mother used to put me down for liking his books. I'm not sure why.



persian85033
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28 Aug 2009, 7:04 pm

Mine always does because she doesn't like books, period. She literally hates them. And of course, because instead of becoming a 'person' and trying to save my sanity, I was wasting time and losing touch with reality the more I read those books. Well, any books, really.



misslottie
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29 Aug 2009, 6:31 am

i read nothing but old sci fi for 4 years in the early 90s, and he one of only a few to have really stuck in my head.

i was thinking about him this morning, as when talking about a.s i have a really annoying habit of saying '1/ we'- a la- 'i, we, gaia'.

:D



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29 Aug 2009, 6:44 am

misslottie wrote:
i read nothing but old sci fi for 4 years in the early 90s, and he one of only a few to have really stuck in my head.


Perhaps it was because he was a scientist. He was a PhD biochemist.

I liked the sci fi authors of the Old School. Asimov, Heinlein, Sturgeon, Del Ray, Anderson and such like.

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29 Aug 2009, 10:44 am

I don't think much of Asimov's writing style (these days; as I child when I first read them I didn't have much appreciation, and the historical allegory in the Foundation series didn't make me want to strangle him), or indeed of his storytelling - but I like his ideas. I think he was at his best when he's just using a short story to convey a puzzle or idea to the reader - like in all the robot and detective ones, and didn't do so well when he tried to make a conventional novel out of them.

There's one of his detective ones, I forget the name (edit - The Obvious Factor) , that's a favourite of mine. A guy presents an extraordinary case with a string of progressively more incredible facts (including a fortuitous lightning strike, if I remember it right) that seem to defy all logical explanation - won't spoil it but I love the solution to that one. :wink:

Heh. It's been that long since I read the Black Widowers stories (like, fifteen years :) ) I may not remember the plots, I'll have to find 'em again. It's funny, I know I'd remember the robot ones even now, but not necessarily the mystery ones. It's a mystery. :D


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oppositedirection
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02 Sep 2009, 1:20 pm

Anyone ever read his short story, The Final Question.

Mind blowing to be honest. Here it is, give it a read since it is brief: http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html



persian85033
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02 Sep 2009, 3:01 pm

Yeah. I have. I like that he or it finally has the answer when the universe it dead. No one was there who wanted to know.

Anyone read his robot, empire, or extended foundation novels.



PlatedDrake
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02 Sep 2009, 7:30 pm

Yes, i have read the Robot, Foundation, and Foundation prequels. I actually didnt really get into Asimov until 9th grade or so, first novel I read was "The Caves of Steel." While I dont often get some of the stuff NTs do (as a result of my AS), i did enjoy the scenery and technology displayed in the series, plus the concept of the 3 Laws is brilliant (One that we will hopefully use in the future in case AIs are created).



schleppenheimer
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02 Sep 2009, 8:31 pm

This is a pretty interesting topic.

My father, I am fairly sure, is an undiagnosed Aspie. He has ALL the traits and characteristics. And one of the ONLY authors that he read regularly was Asimov.

Possibly THE best joke my father ever told, and I have to wonder if even this joke was told purely by accident, is that one night, when asked why he was quitting watching tv and retiring to his bedroom, he replied "I'm going to read my ASIMOV!" (Get it, I'm going to read my ass-im-off?) . . . . well, we thought it was funny . . . .



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02 Sep 2009, 11:09 pm

Back when I read a lot of sci-fi I read his Foundation trilogy. Found it fascinating. I always thought he was a bit pompous, though. He once said he had five typewriters with five different stories on them which he wrote simultaneously.


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03 Sep 2009, 10:56 am

I love Asimov, though I am not an expert on his work having only read a small portion of it. I am currently reading his historical interpretation of the bible, part II - A Guide to The New Testament. Part I being his Guide to the OWow! His research into the bible and its authors is so extensive it totally makes reading the bible a whole new and wonderful experience for me. I also have his history of the world. I love his
'How did we find out about" books. What a genius he is. His mind is as infinite as the universe.

It also seems very strange how I am attracted to certain authors and then find out later that they are or may have been on the Autism spectrum. And I have gravitated to their work long before I knew anything about autism. Does this happen to anyone else?

A little research:

A Graph of Asimov's Book Publications
It took nineteen years for Asimov to publish his first 100 books, ten years to publish the next 100, and only five years to bring the total up to 300. Thanks to Tony Neilson ([email protected]), here is a graph of the number of books Asimov published each year throughout his career:

Image



persian85033
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03 Sep 2009, 1:59 pm

Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Back when I read a lot of sci-fi I read his Foundation trilogy. Found it fascinating. I always thought he was a bit pompous, though. He once said he had five typewriters with five different stories on them which he wrote simultaneously.


I write about at least three stories at one time.

I've read mostly his science fiction, but it's my goal to ultimately collect all his works.

And I've decided to try to write a story kind of like Cosmic Corkstrew. I got some background on it reading his autobiography. Sounds like the idea was great. I'd have loved to read it. It's quite a pity he died when he did. We never had the sequel to Foundation and Earth. :(

I am currently writing something which will eventually be Daneel's biography, throughout the Foundation series. Might also cover what happened to the Pacific Project.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/588795/persian85033

I will post the new story this Fri.