Tag: Isaac Asimov

Terror at 10^6 feet: Twilight, Asimov, and the Simpsons.

On By emperorpondersIn English, UncategorizedLeave a comment

 

That’s from the Terror at 5 1/2 Feet, from The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror IV. It’s known that that story is based on The Twilights Zone’s Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, although there the gremlin looks a bit different.

PubTThou01.jpg

But I was looking for non-awful sci-fi short stories (pre-decline Hugo short story nominees, to be precise) and came across this old Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine cover. It could be a coincidence, but I wonder if this inspired them to some degree when they designed the gremlin:

asimov gremlins

 

gremlin3

Asimov’s Adventure editorials IV: Hollywood, movies, and pew-pew sci-fi.

On By emperorpondersIn English, sci-fi1 Comment

This is the editorial of the last issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Adventure Magazine, a short-lived magazine from late 1978 to late 1979. I guess he had no idea the magazine was going to be canceled since the subject of this editorial —even if interesting— is probably not about what one would write for a final issue.

Anyway, I liked his comment on how destroying a spaceship in words is as easy as doing anything else in words. That’s something many people who write as if they were filming a movie (or a video game) usually forget.

You can read the other editorials here: first, second, and third.

Continue reading “Asimov’s Adventure editorials IV: Hollywood, movies, and pew-pew sci-fi.” →

Asimov’s Adventure editorials III: on mythology, sword & sorcery, and economists.

On By emperorpondersIn English, sci-fi, writing2 Comments

This is the third editorial [first and second] of Asimov’s Science Fiction Adventure Magazine, a short-lived magazine with only four issues (from late 1978 to late 1979,) where the famous writer explained his understanding of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and their place in the current scientific era.

His thesis is that there is an important abyss between the pre and post scientific understanding of the world, especially concerning the problem of how to manipulate the universe or to make it work for us. He isn’t wrong, though, but I’d really like to know what was his opinion about writers like Jack Vance, who were aware of that pre and post scientific chasm but consciously played around it to undermine it and mix the different worldviews. Unfortunately, I have never come across any suggestion that Asimov knew or cared about Vance.

Continue reading “Asimov’s Adventure editorials III: on mythology, sword & sorcery, and economists.” →

“Asimov’s adventure” editorials II

On By emperorpondersIn English, sci-fi3 Comments

When reading Asimov’s editorials on adventure I got the impression that he probably would have wanted to write more of them, perhaps thinking the magazine was going to last longer. A certain idea or thesis seemed to be developing on those pages, one about the place of adventure in literature, its relationship with science fiction, and so on, but sadly we’ll never know if it had a conclusion.

Continue reading ““Asimov’s adventure” editorials II” →

Isaac Asimov on adventure, pulp, and Shakespeare.

On By emperorpondersIn English, fantasy, History, sci-fi6 Comments

Besides sporting imposing sideburns and writing a few books, Isaac Asimov also lent his name to various magazines and products. One of them, mostly unknown compared to the more familiar Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine, was Asimov’s Adventure Science Fiction Magazine. Unfortunately, it was a short-lived publication, with only four issues between late 1978 and late 1979.

Continue reading “Isaac Asimov on adventure, pulp, and Shakespeare.” →