''Asimov's Mysteries'', published in 1968, is a collection of 14

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

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 unive ...

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 "Marooned off Vesta" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was the third story he wrote, and the first to be published. Written in July 1938 when Asimov was 18, it was rejected by '' Astounding Science Fiction'' i ...

", 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 avo ...

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 i ...

. 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 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

never extended to Lestrade in demonstrating the former's ability to solve a case for himself without Urth's assistance.

* "

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" (1955), a Wendell Urth story * " What's in a Name?" (1956) * "

The Dying Night "The Dying Night" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the July 1956 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', and was reprinted in the collections ''Nine Tomorrows'' (1959), ' ...

" (1956), novelette, a Wendell Urth story * " Pâté de Foie Gras" (1956) * "

The Dust of Death "The Dust of Death" is a science fiction/mystery short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in the January 1957 issue of ''Venture Science Fiction Magazine'' and reprinted in the 1968 collection ''Asimov's Mysteries''. Plot ...

" (1957) * "

A Loint of Paw "A Loint of Paw" is a vignette by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in August 1957. It was reprinted in the 1968 collection'' Asimov's Mysteries ''and the 1986 collection '' The Best Sci ...

" (1957) * "

I'm in Marsport Without Hilda "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the November 1957 issue of ''Venture Science Fiction Magazine'', and was reprinted in the collection '' Nine Tomorrows'' ...

" (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 ''Nine Tomorrows'' is a collection of nine short stories and two pieces of comic verse by American writer Isaac Asimov. The pieces were all originally published in magazines between 1956 and 1958, with the exception of the closing poem, "Rejection ...

'' * "

" (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 ''Star Light'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Hal Clement. It is the sequel to one of Clement's earlier books, ''Mission of Gravity''. The novel was serialized in four parts in '' Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact Magazine'' fro ...

" (1962) * " The Key" (1966), novelette, a Wendell Urth story * "

The Billiard Ball "The Billiard Ball" is a science fiction short story by American author Isaac Asimov, written in September 1966 and first published in the March 1967 issue of '' If''. It appeared in Asimov's 1968 collection ''Asimov's Mysteries'', in his 1973 coll ...

" (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 {{1960s-mystery-story-collection-stub

Contents

Reception

References

Sources

External links