Yeah, he’s the hardest to pin down of the 20th century masters of sci fi. LeGuinn wears her heart on her sleeve and while she explores ideas, she has a consistent direction. Herbert demands critical thinking (if the entire book is Paul terrified of the evil of him leading the jihad, what does it mean when he leads the jihad at the end). Asimov is out there exploring ideas, but you can figure him out (it’s been a long time since I’ve read him). And Clarke is pretty consistent in his distrust of those who desire power.
Asimov’s writing is nothing but him fleshing out exactly what he thinks through copious interpersonal dialogue lol that’s what I love about him but it also makes things a bit dry since it detracts from the awesome worldbuilding he does in the background.
Yeah, he’s the hardest to pin down of the 20th century masters of sci fi. LeGuinn wears her heart on her sleeve and while she explores ideas, she has a consistent direction. Herbert demands critical thinking (if the entire book is Paul terrified of the evil of him leading the jihad, what does it mean when he leads the jihad at the end). Asimov is out there exploring ideas, but you can figure him out (it’s been a long time since I’ve read him). And Clarke is pretty consistent in his distrust of those who desire power.
Asimov’s writing is nothing but him fleshing out exactly what he thinks through copious interpersonal dialogue lol that’s what I love about him but it also makes things a bit dry since it detracts from the awesome worldbuilding he does in the background.