Isaac Asimov

I’ve read more books by Isaac Asimov than by any other author. Of course, I haven’t even come close to reading all of his books!

He’s the first author to make me fall in love with science fiction as a genre. As such, he’s one of my earliest heroes. While I haven’t read any of his books in a very long time, I am forever grateful for his impact on my life.

I don’t remember the order in which I read his books. Instead, I’ll list the ones that made the biggest impression on me.

• Foundation
• Foundation and Empire
• Second Foundation
• The Gods Themselves
• The Stars, Like Dust
• The Currents of Space
• Pebble in the Sky
• The Caves of Steel
• The Naked Sun
• The Robots of Dawn
• I, Robot
• The End of Eternity
• Foundation’s Edge
• The Winds of Change and Other Stories

Any discussion of Isaac Asimov would be incomplete without at least mentioning some of the movies made from his books.

Nightfall is a horrific B-movie that I struggled to complete. Isaac Asimov’s story is fantastic. The screenplay did not do it justice. The film’s one saving grace is that it is yet another chance for Roger Corman to develop talent in the film industry. (I’ll write more about this later!)

I, Robot is a fun movie featuring Will Smith. While it does feature the Three Rules of Robotics, it doesn’t have much else in common with the collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov. I would LOVE to see a movie based on the screenplay, I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, by Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. (In fact, that’s on the shortlist of existing screenplays that I would like to direct.)

Bicentennial Man is a lovely movie directed by Chris Columbus and starring Robin Williams. It does an admirable job of adapting and celebrating the source material.

Foundation is a series loosely based on Asimov’s Foundation books. While I like the first two seasons a lot, I’m not a huge fan. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a great way to adapt these books to the screen. Still, I appreciate the efforts made and look forward to watching Season 3.

Thanks, Isaac Asimov, for your continued inspiration!