The Gods Themselves

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Only a few know the terrifying truth - an outcast Earth scientist, a rebellious alien inhabitant of a dying planet, a lunar-born human intuitionist who senses the imminent annihilation of the Sun... They know the truth - but who will listen? They have foreseen the cost of abundant energy - but who will believe?These few beings, human and alien, hold the key to the Earth's survival.

©1980 Isaac Asimov (P)2014 Random House Audio

Drags at times but some interesting parts too.

It took several attempts to get through this one. It drags on at times. Normally Scott Brick does a fine job reading but on this one he speaks as though every word is dramatic, there's no excitement and no difference between the characters. Some interesting concepts were advanced in the book though.

Nifty

I like Asimov. I like this novel. The classic scientist guys vying for power is always fun to watch and there are good scientific-reveal-plot-twists as usual. I wish there was a more robust wrap up with the parauniverse though.
I don't think this is as good as his robot books (but really, what could compare).

Good Concept, Mediocre Execution

I love Asimov. The Foundation books are incredible, and this book hints at the grandiose scale which makes those books so great, but I feel it's relatively short length causes it to miss the mark. Everything felt too easily solved. The imagining of the parallel universe was strange at first, but eventually quite compelling. So compelling relative to the rest of the story (especially the rather prurient and frankly gross relationship between Denison, the older earth professor, and Selene, the younger moon woman, which seems to be a personal fantasy of Asimov's, made clear especially if you have read Foundation and Earth and know of the relationship between Janov, an old professor, and Bliss, a lithe, young, sexually ambitious woman from a planet of collective consciousness) was the imagining of the parallel universe that the book's most major fault is never returning to it to see how the "paramen" react to the changes made by Denison and Selene. If you're a big Asimov fan, give this a try, but think of it more as a short story than a novel to avoid being disappointed.

loved it, so clever

only problem was, it was so clever that I remembered it all from the last time I read it, two decades ago

Wow

This book is amazing! Plot is simple but so rich it will make you think for weeks! Great find

middle section meh

For the middle third of the book I almost switched to another audiobook intending to never come back, but for one reason or another kept listening. Asimov was constructing a whole other universe that was hard to relate to and appreciate much. By the end of that third I caught on it was decent, but that portion really could've been cut entirely for the better. Otherwise, classic and awesome Asimov storytelling.

One plot from 3 perspectives - love it

the way the story was written to describe the conflict from 3 perspectives, 2 separate human civilizations and a third conceptual civilization, none of which communicate about the conflict directly but still affect each other is brilliant. another great sci-fi however I feel thurs is unique even among other asimov books

Almost Didn't Make It Through

I approached this book with absolutely no knowledge of the story, or the way it was laid out, in terms of the three books. I was very absorbed by the first book, "Against Stupidity...", the story of two universes that find a way to share a technology that apparently provides infinite free clean energy for the entire Earth and, presumably, similar benefits for the other universe. I was getting very involved with the intrigue of that first book when, all of a sudden it ended, and book 2, "...The Gods Themselves", began. Not having a clue where this book was going, the change totally threw me. It was a completely different story with seemingly no connection whatsoever with the first book. I actually thought for a while, that a completely different novel had been accidentally appended to the audiobook!

This different story seemed to go on and on and on, seemingly with no end, and absolutely no apparent connection with the first book. It started getting so monotonous and repetitive that I just about gave up. So I decided to read some of the positive reviews to see what I could possibly be missing. The reviews convinced me to persevere and, I've got to say, this is definitely one of those times when the positive reviews got it right. The second book finally connected with the first book wonderfully, and I became just as transfixed with the second part as I had been with the first.

The third book, "...Contend in Vain?", wasn't as strong as the first two, but it certainly resolved the entire book very satisfactorily.

While not one of Asimov's best - that would arguably have to be "The End of Eternity" - I am so glad I decided to get through the difficult part, because it became very rewarding and enjoyable. Narrator Scott Brick, as usual, is masterful.

classic sci-fi

3.5 stars. This is definitely what I would consider "hard sci-fi" and is for the physics minded reader. It is split into 3 parts which were apparently released as novellas. The first part takes place on Earth where scientists discover the possibility of a parallel universe where physics doesn't follow the same rules. The second part takes us into that para-universe. The third part takes place in the near future on the moon where there has been colonization. Liked the first part, loved the second, and got a bit bored with the characters in the third.

As a classic, it holds its own and doesn't feel too dated. Great science and concept but I was disappointed that the characters seemed a bit one dimensional

Asimov at his Best—but only for a part of the book.

The middle section of The Gods Themselves shows an Asimov who can deal subtly with gender issues and depict fully-formed character. THe other sections have one dimensional characters and a juvenile attitude toward sex, but advance a good story. The performance, however, is uniformly excellent.