閱讀艾薩剋·艾西莫夫 Isaac Asimov在小说之家的作品!!! |
「基地」、「我,機器人」 等係列是艾西莫夫最膾炙人口的代表作。這些看似各自獨立的故事,相互貫串起來,竟是一部俯仰兩萬年的長篇史詩!艾西莫夫特意將科幻場景巨幅拉大,在全銀河的背景下架構他獨有的科幻世界、藉由銀河帝國的興亡史來討論人性與政冶、經濟、軍事等文明要素産生的互動影響。這種宏觀視野使他的作品處處閃動著關懷人類未來的筆觸,超越一般科幻作品的局限。
艾西莫夫不僅是哥倫比亞大學的化學博士,更是世聞名的全能作傢,一生著述多達百七十餘本,內容廣及科學類的數理化、天文、生物、醫學,還旁涉人文類的文學、宗教、史地等。如此淵博的學識使他的筆下世界具備了奇幻的想像與高度的預言性。在他剛開始寫機器人小說時,機器人學未發展出來;等到這門科技發展得相當有成果時,幾乎每一本有關機器人學發展史的書籍都提到他、他的小說與他發明的「機器人三定律」。這定律幾乎成了以後科幻作傢創作有關機器人的作品時必須遵循的法則。
艾西莫夫以真確的物質科學及人文現象演繹出他的科幻世界,又雜進偵探與推理的小說技法,使得他的作品情節生動,扣人心弦,讓人不忍釋捲。
Isaac Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He penned numerous short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time, an accolade that many still find persuasive. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.
The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as numerous works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare's works and, of course, chemistry subjects.
Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, and one Isaac Asimov literary award are named in his honor.