Conference noted::sf

  A must-read for Asimov is "The Gods Themselves".

tlh

I've been reading Azimov's adult fiction (as opposed to the stuff he wrote
under a pen-name which I can't remember) from the 50's a lot the past couple
of years. I consider it fair to very good, and worth reading 'em all just to
make sure I haven't missed any. Get any one of the paperback copies like
The Gods Themselves and look at the list of his paperbacks inside. They're
in order, and cover his Trantor "future history" for the most part. Also,
in the 4th book of the Foundation series is a list of most of the related
stuff.

I've recently read, and liked,
	The Caves of Steel	(more action than most Azimov, but still not a lot)
	Pebble in the Sky	(one of the first and OK but not super)
	The Currents of Space	(also one of the first and not quite as good as
				Pebble)
	The End of Eternity	(Probably The Ultimate among time travel books;
				his characterizations are well planned and fit
				the story but make for a book that starts slowly)

	The Compleat Robot	(Anthology of ALL the robot stories, very good)

Regards,
Woody

	The fourth of the Foundation set, Foundation's Edge, I found to be
very good.  There are some interesting twists, and even after 30 years
Asimov manages to stay pretty much in line with the first three.

Please, folks, it's As\imov, not Assimov or Azimov.

Just about anything by Asimov is first rate (he's one of my favorites).

As for other "Future Histories", well, I don't really have the time right
now to list a number of the better ones (I'll try to do it within the
next couple of days). For the nonce, I'll mention Robert Heinlein, Poul
Anderson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle as having some of the better
ones.

--- jerry

Back to the Good Doctor (Asimov).

Everything suggested so far is excellent.  Two of my favorites that have
thus far gone unmentioned are his NIGHTFALL AND OTHER STORIES and EARTH IS
ROOM ENOUGH.

The former contains the classic Hugo award-winning short story "Nightfall,"
along with the satirical "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (originally
"Playboy and the Slime God") and many other first-rate stories.  The latter
contains "The Dead Past," which still haunts me ten years after I first read
it.

					  -  o
					 - -/-->
					-  @~\_

					Roger

"If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men
believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the
city of God?"

	-- Emerson

Roger -- *tsk* *tsk*!

"Nightfall" did not win the Hugo. It was written in 1940, well before the
Hugos had become an annual award.

As far as I know, it never won any official prize; however, in the mid 60's,
the Science Fiction Writer's Association (SFWA -- those wonderful folks who 
bring you the Nebula Awards) voted on their favorite short stories from the 
pre-Nebula period. The winner, by a wide margin, was "Nightfall".

As much as I enjoy Asimov's fiction, I find his non-fiction even more 
enjoyable.  I've read over 1/3 of his total output -- that's over 100 books!

I recommend all of it.

					andrew

	ANOTHER INTRESTING THING ABOUT ASIMOV IS THAT , LIKE HEINLIEN ,
HE TIES ALL (OR AT LEAST MOST) OF HIS SCIENCE FICTION WORKS TOGEATHER 
UNDER ONE HISTORY FOR INSTANCE, IN ONE OF THE FOUNDATION TETROLOGY, I CAN'T
QUITE REMEMBER WHICH, ONE CHARACTER IS DISCUSSING (ANCIENT) HISTORY WITH 
ANOTHER. IN ANY CASE THEY GET ON TO THE LINES OF WHERE THE HUMAN RACE 
ORIGINATED. IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF PAGES AT LEAST FOUR PLOT LINES OF ASIMOV
NOVELS WERE MENTIONED, ALL REFERING TO DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS IN THE HISTORY
OF THE HUMAN RACE. I DESTINCTLY REMEMBER (THE END OF) ETERNITY BEIMG MENTIONED
, ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T READ THE SERIES FOR A FEW YEARS.

						, 


							 JASON PITERAK

	The best author for "universes", or differing stories,
	within common realities was/is Larry Niven (ONE of my
	favorites). 

	John

I would also include among great "universe" creators, the late Cordwainer
Smith, who created the Instrumentality of Mankind.  I've read, and found to be
excellent:

THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF MANKIND (short stories)
NORSTRILLA
QUEST FOR THREE WORLDS
THE BEST OF CORDWAINER SMITH (short stories)

These books span a 14,000 year history of mankind.

Steve

In re .6:

Andrew, I abase myself in the appropriate fashion.  I knew it was an
"all-time" award, but remembered it incorrectly as a Hugo.  A quick check of
HUGOS.TXT reveals my mistake.

"My mind is going.  I can feel it...."

					  -  o
					 - -/-->
					-  @~\_

					Roger

	What is Hugos.txt, a list of Hugo winners ? If so, is it possible 
to access that file, or get a copy ??

Mike