The Martian Way and Other Stories

by Lacey Kat
(Copyright by Author - All rights reserved)

“The Martian Way and Other Stories,” was the fourteenth book that Isaac Asimov published, and the first collection of short stories Asimov did that did not have a theme. “I, Robot,” consisted of nine connected stories; and the “Foundation” books consisted of nine connected stories. However, by 1955, Asimov had no more “connected” stories in his, at that time, fledgling portfolio.
Evidently, according to the author, putting out random collections of your work was, what we would call today, “box office poison.” These books seldom sold and were the first sign that your carrier as a writer was on the skids (who would have thought). However, having a thrust for being published, and a good relationship with editors, Asimov pitched the idea to then editor of Doubleday’s new science-fiction program, Walter I. Bradbury (referred to, in Asimov’s biographies, simply as “Brad”). To Asimov’s surprise “Brad” liked the idea and so “The Martian Way and Other Stories” came to print.

A slim work, only about 176 pages, it contains four “novelettes.” These are shorter than your standard novel but longer than a “short” story. They were written between 1952 and 1954 and originally published in “Galaxy,” “Space Science Fiction,” and “Astounding.” These were among the plethora of SF pulp and glossy magazines that filled the racks in the dawn of the “Atomic Age.”

The first story is called, of course, “The Martian Way.” Unfortunately, this being still early in Isaac’s career, he had not begun the habit of introducing his works. Later, of course, he thrilled in the habit of adding light to the works presented. Here the reading public will be in the dark. Unless, of course, you read my reviews.

“The Martian Way” was written in 1952 at the height of what would later be called “McCarthyism."
Then Senator Joseph “Tail-gunner Joe” McCarthy was stomping all across the United States rooting out Communism (a.k.a. “The Red Menace”). His simple-minded “patriotism” sickened the young Isaac Asimov and while McCarthy did not affect him directly, he knew it was only a matter of time before SF authors were rounded up and paraded before the “House un-American Activities Committee.”   So Asimov decided to fight back the only way he knew how, with an SF story. A story that deals with Martian colonists, with a problem, who were victimized by a “McCarthy-style” politician back on earth. Rather than bend to the will of narrow-minded “patriots,” they find a better solution to their problem and at the same time shame them into silence and reduce them to ridicule. He did it in 18,000 words.  The November 1952 issue of “Galaxy” featured “The Martian Way,” on the cover, with Isaac’s name misspelled. He sat back and waited for the mail he was sure his story would elicit, denouncing him or supporting him, but it never came. The story was so subtle that no one got the satire.  Still the story is a good one and has stood the test of time. Faced with a shortage of water, used not only for personal necessity but also for propulsion of spacecraft, the Mars colonists, shunned from the earth, turn to space to satisfy their needs. In an exciting and imaginative story, one that could happen in my lifetime, "The Martian Way” is used to solve the problem, for good.

The next story in the collection is called “Youth.” It deals with the simple question of what would happen if the first alien explorers were found by youngsters who, not recognizing their find, decided to keep the creatures as “pets”?  “Youth is a 10,000-word novelette that first appeared in the May 1952 issue of “Space Science Fiction,” edited by Lester del Rey. Though a sizable work, Asimov wrote it in only ten days, and that is all he had to say about it. The impetus for the story is lost with the author, as are any anecdotes about its creation. It is a very clever story, and without spoiling the ending, let me just say that Asimov was never credited for that episode of the “Twilight Zone.”

“The Deep” is an unusual story for Asimov for it deals with a totally alien world and culture. In his later writings, only humanoid characters would populate the Asimov universe. In these earlier times, Isaac explored the possibility of other life forms and other ways of life.  The story centers on a planet that orbits a slowly dying sun. The civilization, unable to move to another planet, is forced to dig toward the only source of energy left, the molten core. As that too slowly cools, the society makes one final effort at survival.   It is interesting on several levels. First, it is a product of its time, December of 1952. The technological references, while SF, are clearly pre-transistor. Second, Asimov invents a society were even “mother love” is considered obscene. At a time when “soulless Communism” was the threat and “mom and apple pie” were American virtues, no editor would dare risk his magazine’s reputation on such a radical story idea. As a matter of fact Tony Boucher of “Fantasy and Science Fiction,” did reject it. However “Galaxy” bought and ran it. Today the idea seems tame, but back then it was a different world.

“Sucker Bait” is the final story in the collection and its history sheds some light on the publishing world of that time.  It was, at that time, not unusual for a publishing house to call some of its writers in and present them with a project. They would give the diverse authors the same set of facts, and then ask them each to write their own story, based on those facts. For example once, in 1957, Larry Shaw, of “Infinity,” called in Asimov, Harlan Ellison, and Randall Garrett, to his office and gave them the title, “Blank.” Each author was to write a story with that title. These stories were collected and published in his magazine, with the appropriate ad campaign.  In 1953, Twayne Press had the idea of producing what it called “Twayne Triplets” (I am sure only for the love alliteration). The idea was to create a planet with a particular astronomical or chemical situation, and then have three different authors write three different stories all based on that planet as background. Asimov loved the idea but was afraid that the other two authors might not live up to their end of the deal and he might be stuck with an unused story (sacrilege to a professional writer). Asimov (who may have know more than he let on) secured the serial rights to his story, as a hedge against trouble. It paid off for one of the authors pulled out of the contract and Twayne Press folded.  “Sucker Bait” was the result of this ill-fated venture, and it deals with a teenage human computer who is on a ship sent to investigate what happened to a space colony over a hundred years ago. The theme of the story, as the crew sets out to solve the mystery, is that a genius is useless if he cannot see beyond his own training. This would be a theme the Renaissance Asimov would visit a number of times. Each member of the science party is an unquestioned authority in his own field, but it is up to an unstable “Nummonic” to put all of the pieces together.

“The Martian Way, and Other Stories,” is well worth the time of any reader. As science fiction, it
explores different worlds, cultures, and adventures. As the early work of Asimov, it adds insight into his early career and ideas he would come back to again and again, and as mystery and adventure, it never lets the reader down.

Although this book was first published in 1955 it is still available, new, from Amazon.com for under $16.00.

The Kite that Won the Revolution

by Lacey Kat
(Copyright by the Author - all rights reserved)

(Known for his science fiction, Issac Asimov's actual literary output covered a vast array of topics.  In this review I will be looking at one of the good Doctor's historical output.) 


On June 27th, of 1962, Isaac Asimov was having lunch with Austin Olney. Austin was the head of the Juvenile Division of Houghton Mifflin Company. This was a publishing firm based in Boston. Austin and Isaac had been friends and professional associates since 1957 and it was not uncommon for Asimov to have lunch with people who might buy his work.

On this date, Austin had an idea for a new project for Isaac. Houghton Mifflin was busy putting out a series of juvenile books that dealt with American history. They were being edited by Sterling North who, at that time, was a book reviewer for the New York Post (and no stranger to Asimov, the writer of books). Mr. Olney wanted Isaac to do one of the series. After some thought Isaac suggested a book on Benjamin Franklin, with a strong look at his scientific discoveries. Austin agreed and that book became “The Kite That Won the Revolution.”

Asimov started writing the book in December of 1962 and finished it by the end of the year. On January 15 Isaac received a badly edited manuscript back from the series editor, the aforementioned Sterling North. Isaac understood the need to sometimes edit any work, or even any one of his. However, because of some past bad experiences with over-enthusiastic editors (who may not have understood the subject or point of Asimov’s current project), The good Doctor preferred to do the editing himself. If the editor or publisher did not like this, Asimov felt they did not have to buy his work. If a story was to be judged, Asimov wanted it to be judged on his work, not another’s editing.

Asimov went to Austin Olney and told him that while North’s series was good, his editing made “The Kite,” no longer a work of Asimov. As such he wanted the manuscript back. Austin came up with a better idea. Houghton Mifflin would publish the book as tomb unto itself, and not part of North’s series. This satisfied Asimov, it satisfied Austin, and it satisfied Houghton Mifflin. The only person it did not satisfy was Sterling North who called Asimov and screamed at him in a rather “high-pitched voice.”

You cannot please everyone, and you can seldom please editors.

“The Kite that Won the Revolution,” was published in 1963 and it did only moderately well as an independent book. It may have done better as part of the North series, but Asimov was pleased that he stuck by his principles and produced a work that was his own.

It is unfortunate that “The Kite,” did not do well and has been all but lost in the dustbins of publishing history. Let me tell you about the book and see if you agree with me.

“The Kite,” referred to in the title of this small but enlightening work, is the famous one flown by Ben Franklin. “The Revolution,” that it won was, of course, the American Revolution of 1776. It is here that Asimov begins his tale. He starts with the beginning of the fighting, in Concord, Massachusetts, in April of 1775. Asimov then moves to the battle of Bunker Hill, in June of the same year. This was the first important battle for the “colonists/ soon to be independents, because, although they lost, they put up a good fight against a better equipped, better trained, professional army. Asimov continues to relate the American’s valiant, though often un-victorious, efforts until the arrival of the French in 1778.

It is at this point that Asimov departs from his history lesson to teach a little about history. To do ventures to explain, rather well, how seemingly unrelated events connect to form our modern world. This was a device used most effectively twenty years later by the Science Editor of the BBC, James Burke, in his series for television, “Connections.”

Let me explain.

Asimov leaves the battlefield and the American Revolution with several questions hanging in the air. The main one was why the French, who were in no position, either financially or philosophically, to support the Americans, never the less did so. To answer that, the good Doctor first takes the young reader back forty or fifty million years, to a forest of pine trees on the northern coast of Europe. These trees produced enormous amounts of sap that hardened with contact with the air. This resin, (from the Greek word meaning “to flow”) hardened and was buried under the soil and the Baltic Sea. The resin took on a reddish-yellow color and became known as “amber.” Amber (or Bernstein in German) became prized for its color and ease in shaping into works of art. In 600 B.C.E., the Greek philosopher Tales found that by rubbing amber it would attract pieces of fluff, just like some rocks would attract pieces of iron. He wrote about this in his journals and decided that rocks that attract must have “souls.”

From here Asimov projects us to the 1500s and an Englishman by the name of William Gilbert. He was playing with the new invention, the compass. He found that when you rubbed amber it would attract the needle of a compass just like the “magnetic” force of a lodestone (natural magnet). Because the Latin name for amber was electrum, things that would attract when rubbed were called “vis electrica” or “the force of amber.” From this, we get the term “electricity.” Get the connection?

Asimov then details the discoveries of electricity from the 1500s to 1706 in his usual lively style. By the sixth chapter, he is ready to introduce us to the subject of his book, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was the only important scientist that the American colonies produced in their 169 from Jamestown to 1776. While singular in nature, however, Asimov shows how he was more than responsible for the French intervention in the American Revolution, and the final defeat of the British and the establishment of both the United States and of Canada.

“The Kite,” in the title is the kite Franklin flew to prove that the lightning in the sky was the same electricity that would be scientists had been producing by rubbing amber here on earth. For this, he became a respected scientist from a less than respected area of the new world. The other scientific accomplishments, along with his well-developed personal style, made him a revered and admired man in most of Europe. It was this respect that lead the French to help America, even though the principals of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” were not the principals of the French monarchy. All this is detailed in the rest of the book.

The only problem that I had with this intriguing history lesson is that it is indeed a “juvenile” book. The jacket says for ages eleven and up. However, I found that even a child in the fourth grade would have no trouble and that anyone over the age of fourteen would find this a quick read.

I found this interesting because while Asimov wrote a number of “juvenile” books, many reviewed in this section; he never seemed to talk down to his audience. His “Lucky Starr” stories and his books on chemistry and astronomy were always accessible to any reader. This book, however, is overly juvenile for most adults and that is too bad. It contains a wealth of information on the development of science in the “Age of Reason,” and most textbooks seldom approach this subject. I had no problem reading “The Kite,” because I was familiar with the author, however, older students and most adults would find it too elementary to hold their interest. Perhaps Isaac should have written an edition for the older members of his audience.

That said I can still recommend this book to anyone who can find it. The catalog number is “B Fr” in the Juvenile section of the library. You may have it in yours, and I would suggest making an effort to find out. An adult can finish it in one sitting, and a child in a couple of nights. It will educate both readers.

A small postscript;

Asimov was a big fan of Ben Franklin’s, and in 1974 he wrote several fantasy stories involving conversations between Isaac and Ben (The Dream; Benjamin’s Dream; Benjamin’s Bicentennial Blast) for the “Saturday Evening Post.  Later he used Franklin in his book “Norby and the Queen’s Necklace.” 

50 Short Science Fiction Tales

by Lacey Kat
(Copyright by the Author - All Rights Reserved)

"50 Short Science Fiction Tales" is a collection of short-short stories, edited by Asimov, from a wide selection of good and great science fiction authors of the late forties and fifties. (1940s and 50s, in case this review survives that long). Each tale is approximately a thousand words (four to five pages), with minor exceptions, and meets the challenge of creating an alien world, establishing characters, and getting to the punch, all in the same amount of space most stories use to describe the weather. In our hectic world, these "bite-size" bits of sci-fi are a welcome diversion while waiting in line, or for your next appointment.

This was Isaac Asimov's second anthology, published in 1963, and followed his successful "The Hugo Winners" in ‘62. He was aided in his selection of tales by Groff Conklin, who became a personal friend of the good doctor, and was noted for his evaluation of the merits of science fiction as well as his science and technical writings. A chain smoker, he died in 1968.

The only problem with this clever little collection, from an Asimov's fan point of view, is the lack of Asimov. Other than the introduction, he is nowhere to be found. This still being in his developmental period, Asimov had not yet come of the habit of opening and/or closing each piece with his usual observations. In this case that is a bigger than normal loss as this collection has many authors that may have been forgotten over the span of fifty years. Also, while these were all written considerably before my time, some in publications no longer available, some of the stories seem very familiar. It would be interesting to know if they were dramatized on TV or the ideas for later films. Asimov recognized the importance of historical context, and in his later anthologies, he included extensive wordage in the form of introductions, forewords, and afterwords. That is why I look for his name on the cover, and I am sure many fans feel the same way.

A quick footnote: In his autobiography, "I. Asimov," Isaac said that he recognized the need for introductions after his first anthology, and "never again" did he let collections lie there without a single editorial word from him. Apparently, he forgot about "50 Short Science Fiction Tales."

Published in 1963 by Macmillian Publishing Company, it was reprinted by Scribner Paperback in 1997 and is generally available.