(edited by) Isaac Asimov - Before The Golden Age 1
Isaac Asimov collects some of his favourite stories from before the ‘Golden Age’, which apparently began in 1938 when John Campbell became editor of Astounding Science Fiction.
While I’m always interested in science fiction, and especially anything Isaac Asimov has to say about it, I found it difficult to enjoy any of the stories presented here. They are littered with scientific inaccuracies, the writing style grates, and often the content is just uninspired. In his own notes which accompany each example, Asimov readily acknowledges all this, yet says that (for whatever reason) they hold sentimental value to him and therefore merit inclusion. In this way it is a very self-indulgant collection.
Originally published as one huge book, it has since been republished as four smaller volumes. Having read the first I can’t say I’m inspired to read the other three.
Tags: books, Isaac Asimov, scifi
