On 07/04/2024 15:48, James Nicoll wrote:
Asimov's Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
An assortment of (mostly) science fiction mysteries from Isaac Asimov.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/murderer
This is one of the first Asimov books I read - maybe *the* first. I have extremely fond memories of it but maybe most of all of the author
commentary. I think I'd recommend the book unreservedly on that basis
alone. (to anyone who actually likes science-fiction from that era at least)
As you point out the stories themselves range from meh/cringe to
good/competent so on their own I don't think I'd recommend them to
anyone but an Asimov completionist, or a science-fiction-obsessed child.
But the commentary I feel elevates the whole thing. You get glimpses of
the larger context of SF in the era, the process of writing, etc, that's
all great. But (in my memories, haven't read it in ages) the way the
whole conceit of the book is "can one write science-fiction mysteries
and how" gives it a conceptual unity that justifies everything in it.
In a way it maybe makes it a meta-mystery book, presenting and
methodically solving the mystery of "how could one write a
science-fiction mystery" !
(again, all the caveats for how long ago I read it. I'm actually curious whether what I wrote is accurate to the collection or whether my memory distilled it into something more coherent and well-constructed than it
was or was intended)
"Asimov doesn’t say exactly WHO claimed that SF mysteries were
impossible. In the absence of info, I will do as I usually do and blame
John Campbell. He was, after all, responsible for many odd pronunciamentos."
That's funny because I recently discussed this online and I remembered
it being John Campbell, but then I looked it up and he wasn't mentioned
at all. I also didn't get the vibe it was him from the description, it
really came across as a casual encounter. But I love how our minds so
easily went to the same place.
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