Isaac Asimov - End of Eternity, The - 9

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End of Eternity, The

I believe that this was the first science fiction novel that I ever read, some 34 years ago. I loved it at the time, and while I have remembered only a few of the basic plot details, my vague but very positive memories of the book have left it high on my list of all time science fiction favorites.

So, one of my reading resolutions for 2010 is to dedicate a decent portion of my reading time to going back and revisiting old favorites, and I decided somewhat reluctantly to give this one a try. I say somewhat reluctantly because the last couple of Asimov novels I have read have left me disappointed (especially The Robots of Dawn, which I found almost comically bad). And on some level I felt that it might be better to preserve a distant but very fond memory than find out that, to a more mature reader, the book no longer had much to offer.

I am happy to report that I still like this book a lot. It features clever ideas, a fast pace, and the puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle plotting that Asimov always seems to do well. I found the characters more believable than I often find in this author’s books. There was even a surprisingly large amount of irrational behavior (engineering and scientific bents notwithstanding). And the token female Noys proves much more than the simple lust object that she first appears (I can’t say more than that without getting into spoiler territory). The ending offers a big surprise which is really quite affirming.

After this, I think maybe I will retackle the original Foundation Trilogy, too.


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