''Asimov's Mysteries'', published in 1968, is a collection of 14
short stories by American writer
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
, almost all of them
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
mysteries (although, as Asimov admits in the introduction, some are only borderline). The stories were all originally published in magazines between 1954 and 1967, except for "
Marooned off Vesta", Asimov's first published story, which first appeared in 1939.
Four stories in the collection feature the character of Wendell Urth, who is a leading extra-terrologist (an expert on alien worlds and life originating on them). Urth is eccentric in that he has a
phobia
A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avoi ...
of all mechanical forms of transport (an exaggeration of Asimov's own aversion to flying). Physically Urth resembles
Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener (November 26, 1894 – March 18, 1964) was an American mathematician and philosopher. He was a professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A child prodigy, Wiener later became an early researcher ...
.
Urth appears in the stories when he is consulted by an agent of the Terrestrial Bureau of Investigation, H. Seton Davenport, in cases which have him baffled – a parallel with the way in which Inspector Lestrade consults
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
. In a fifth story in the collection, "The Dust of Death", Asimov shows Davenport a generosity that
Conan Doyle never extended to Lestrade in demonstrating the former's ability to solve a case for himself without Urth's assistance.
Contents
* "
The Singing Bell
"The Singing Bell" is a science fiction mystery short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, which first appeared in the January 1955 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' and was reprinted in the 1968 collection ''Asimov's My ...
" (1955), a Wendell Urth story
* "
The Talking Stone
"The Talking Stone" is a science fiction mystery short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, which first appeared in the October 1955 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' and was reprinted in the 1968 collection ''Asimov's ...
" (1955), a Wendell Urth story
* "
What's in a Name?" (1956)
* "
The Dying Night" (1956), novelette, a Wendell Urth story
* "
Pâté de Foie Gras" (1956)
* "
The Dust of Death" (1957)
* "
A Loint of Paw" (1957)
* "
I'm in Marsport Without Hilda" (1957), a
bowdlerized
Expurgation, also known as bowdlerization, is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media.
The term ''bowdlerization'' is a pejorative term for the practi ...
version of this story appeared in the collection ''
Nine Tomorrows''
* "
Marooned off Vesta" (1939)
* "
Anniversary
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...
" (1959), a Multivac story and a sequel to "Marooned off Vesta"
* "
Obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
" (1959)
* "
Star Light" (1962)
* "
The Key" (1966), novelette, a Wendell Urth story
* "
The Billiard Ball" (1967), novelette
Reception
Criticizing the Urth stories as "rather contrived and not particularly entertaining",
Algis Budrys
Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...
said that the collection was "a poor book because it is a book about clevernesses, and clevernesses are not Isaac's long suit".
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
1968 short story collections
Science fiction short story collections by Isaac Asimov
Mystery short story collections by Isaac Asimov
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