# Recommend a short story by Isaac Asimov **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539 "2003-05-06T22:57:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/21 "2003-05-07T17:29:46Z")
_Death of a Foy_. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/22 "2003-05-07T17:36:45Z")
**newdadmarc** , **The Complete Robot** contains all the stories from **I, Robot** plus any other random robot stories he wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/23 "2003-05-07T20:23:32Z")
“In a good cause-” was pretty good. I happen to have a copy of “Nightfall and other stories” right here and you should run right out and get one for yourself. (this has been a public service announcement brought to you by me) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/24 "2003-05-07T20:40:39Z")
Just wanted to say that the full-length novelizations of “Nightfall” and “The Bicentennial Man” absolutely sucked. Anyone else feel the same way? ---
**Author:** ![jeanster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@jeanster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeanster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/25 "2003-05-07T20:52:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*My advice: just read that whole “Complete Robot” book. It’s great, and it only takes 10 minutes to read a story. > > Especially the stuff about the building-sized computers. Hee. \*\* I’ll do that, since this book isn’t due back until May 27th. Finished reading “A Boy’s Best Friend” which appears to be the shortest story in the book. I also read “Liar!” and “Lenny”. I’m currently in the middle of reading “Galley Slave”. On my next trip to the public library I’ll check out “Nightfall” and “The Ugly Little Boy”. Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/26 "2003-05-08T02:01:23Z")
Asimov was my favorite author in my teen years (1980s). I read just about every book of his in my high school library. I especially liked his robot stories and science nonfiction. I even wrote him a letter and got a personal response. Anyway, my vote goes with “The Last Question” for best Asimov short story. “The Bicentenial Man” gets my vote for best Asimov novelette. ---
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/27 "2003-05-08T06:54:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MusicJunkie \* > \*\*That Thou Art Mindful of Him > > Which one is this? \*\* Robot makers have a worry about people accepting the robotic aid in human form. Two non public-released robots, George 9 and George 10 are asked to perform a logical tour-de-force to solve the problem, …with strange and eerie results. ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/28 "2003-05-08T11:41:02Z")
How about Asimov’s ultra-short story **Silly Asses**? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/29 "2003-05-08T12:38:36Z")
I’ve always kind of liked **Spell my Name with an “S”**. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/30 "2003-05-08T13:17:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Just wanted to say that the full-length novelizations of “Nightfall” and “The Bicentennial Man” absolutely sucked. Anyone else feel the same way? \*\* Yup. But I feel the same way about all of Asimov’s full-length novels. He just couldn’t do realistic characterisation. Consequently shallow, cliched characters who all sounded much alike. He also apparently thought that because he had more pages to fill he could afford to spell things out to the reader in labourious fashion, then repeat just in case they didn’t catch it the first time. Consequently really boring and verbose conversations where smart character A explained everything twice to really dim, slow on the uptake character B. But you can’t take away what he achieved in short stories. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/31 "2003-05-08T16:33:54Z")
Boy, so many people here sharing their recommendation on Asimov stories that NO ONE has read the OP, apparently: > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jeanster_ > \*\*You can find the story in “The Complete Robot” by Isaac Asimov. I borrowed this copy from my local public library. > > I’m trying to decide which story of his to read next by going down the table of contents.\*\* **jeanster** is looking for recommendations for stories in _The Complete Robot_, not in general. Not that the mentioned stories aren’t good, they just aren’t in the book s/he borrowed from the library. Sheesh… ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/32 "2003-05-08T19:52:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > Yup. But I feel the same way about all of Asimov’s full-length novels. > > He just couldn’t do realistic characterisation. Consequently shallow, cliched characters who all sounded much alike. I think he got better in his later novels, but I agree for the most part. Still, nobody reads Asimov for the banter and wordplay. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/33 "2003-05-08T21:01:26Z")
Quoth **MusicJunkie** : > [@](#): > > The Bicentennial Man (one of his three favorite stories. I cried when I read this for the first time) Only the first time? I cry _every_ single time I read it. To my taste, it’s the best SF novellete by any author, not just Asimov. Does _The Complete Robot_ also contain the first two Lije Bailey mysteries? Because they’re good, too (though not short stories: Each is a full novel). ---
**Author:** ![jeanster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@jeanster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeanster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/34 "2003-05-09T01:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Quoth **MusicJunkie** :Only the first time? I cry _every_ single time I read it. To my taste, it’s the best SF novellete by any author, not just Asimov. > > Does _The Complete Robot_ also contain the first two Lije Bailey mysteries? Because they’re good, too (though not short stories: Each is a full novel). \*\* From looking at the table of contents, it doesn’t look like it contains any Lije Bailey mysteries; only short stories. But I’ll keep Lije Bailey in mind for future reading. Thanks. Thanks again to everyone in this thread who recommended stories (both short stories and novels). I appreciate you taking the time to do this. I plan to read all of ‘The Complete Robot’ in time to return it to the library by May 27th. That’s when I’ll check out the other books with the stories you recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Petey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@Petey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petey)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/35 "2003-05-09T13:52:26Z")
> [@](#): > > From looking at the table of contents, it doesn’t look like it contains any Lije Bailey mysteries; only short stories. But I’ll keep Lije Bailey in mind for future reading. Thanks. _The Complete Robot_ has “Mirror Image”, a Baley/Daneel short story that takes place between _The Naked Sun_ and _The Robots of Dawn_ ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/36 "2003-05-11T04:26:38Z")
No, no no! You’re all thinking of Asimov as a Science Fiction author. He also wrote some of the wittiest mysteries ever. “Asimov’s Mysteries” collects a number of them, but one stands out in my mind for having an exteremly clever “outwitting the perfect criminal” ending: “The Singing Bell” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539/37 "2003-05-11T04:39:19Z")
Just to add on to what **digs** said, I’ve always quite liked the \*_black Widow_ stories. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-short-story-by-isaac-asimov/173539.md?page=1)