This time the king returns on the shield – a review of the book “Pebble in the sky” by Isaac Asimov

Cons right from the start

I was a bit disappointed by the cover itself, although of course the layout and graphics correspond to its predecessors. However, each one had something characteristic for itself – for example, a different color of the title letters and the author’s name. While waiting for the Pebble, I wondered what color the embellished cover would be embellished with this time ( the stars were green, the currents were blue). It turned out that the sequel practically does not differ in color from its predecessors . As if it did not present anything new, nothing worth attention. This was the first drawback for me. Staying with the technical issues, I found a few typos in the book, which was not the case in previous editions. Later, the disadvantages were in the content itself.

Dud

The novel begins, as always with Asimov, quite interesting. We re-experience the fate of heroes unrelated to the previous parts. The author once again spins a completely new story … Well, not really. The content contains the familiar Empire Currents readers and its heart – the planet Trantor. So, however, the spatial envelope is reflected, while the Stars with the Currentsnothing at all. Thus, an almost entirely new story centers around humanity’s home planet. In mysterious circumstances, the Earthling of our time is transported hundreds of years into the future. Just like that. As a result of some experiment. Asimov spares no details about him. We don’t know who was behind him or why. Pouf! Has become. No explanation whatsoever. We don’t learn anything about the experiment until the very end of the novel, which is a pity. This is not what I expected from an author like Lem.

Wasted potential

Next, we follow the hero’s actions in a completely new environment. We read how he tries to find himself in the situation and place he got to. Along the way, he meets colorless and characterless figures with one exception. The protagonist is hard to like and all heroes are of a lower sort, which makes the dialogues or stories of the side characters quite boring. Even tiring in places. The reader waits for the action, which in this novel is like a medicine, to begin. It all gives the impression that the author did not quite have an idea for this novel. Having stopped reading, it is hard to come back to it.

Positive Pros

The interesting thing is, unfortunately, only at the very end of the story, when Asimov returns in his old, good style, where it’s actually hard to break away from even a less sketched story. The galaxy of insignificant characters tightens to four heroes in the center of the action. Only then can you enjoy reading comparable to the previous parts. However, the author must be given the fact that despite the above drawbacks, Kamyk is characterized by the already known high linguistic register, with sophisticated and interesting vocabulary. And the very leading through the story is richly interwoven with scientific arguments. The strictly linguistic layer is the only one that remains at a high level. The positives also include the font and paper. It is also worth noting that the book does not close when placed flat.

And only until

The whole story looks rather thin, even weak compared to Asimov’s previous achievements. The idea for the main events is the weakest in my opinion. The author had to rely on supernatural elements that resulted from the hero’s extremely rapid development, thanks to which the assumption lost its credibility. It is as if a book was created by force.