Psychohistorical Crisis
Encyclopedia
Psychohistorical Crisis is a science fiction
novel
by Donald Kingsbury
, published by Tor Books
in 2001. An expansion of his 1995 novella
"Historical Crisis", it is a re-imagining of the world of Isaac Asimov
's Foundation trilogy, set after the establishment of the Second Empire.
Review by Peter Cannon, ASSOCIATE EDITOR and Jeff Zaleski, FORECASTS EDITOR....
"Admirers of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, possibly the greatest SF series ever, will be drawn to this oddly titled sequel from the author of the Hugo-nominated Courtship Rite (1982), but they shouldn't get their hopes too high. No one, including Asimov himself in his belated efforts to further milk his cash cow, has succeeded in capturing the breadth, excitement and imaginative scope of the original. Canadian Kingsbury, too, falls short. Nearly as long as the entire Asimov trilogy, this continuation suffers from long-windedness and a surfeit of italics. The author, though, does create a convincing and fresh simulacrum of the world of the 761st century. For a crime he can't remember, Eron Osa, a 30-year-old psychohistorian, must give up his fam, that is, his personal familiar, a device plugged into his brain that immeasurably enhances all aspects of his life, particularly his power to absorb and resolve problems. Members of the Second Galactic Empire populate the Milky Way galaxy of a million worlds, in which the only "aliens" are genetically engineered talking dogs. Some people, not much different from today's humans, behave admirably, while others are addicted to power and war. Women play only peripheral roles in a male-dominated universe. For all its ambitions, this work lacks the great storytelling qualities of Asimov's trilogy and captures only some of its ambience."
Psychohistorical Crisis was the 2002
winner of the Prometheus Award
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Donald Kingsbury
Donald Kingsbury
Donald MacDonald Kingsbury is an American–Canadian science fiction author. Kingsbury taught mathematics at McGill University, Montreal, from 1956 until his retirement in 1986.- Books :...
, published by Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
in 2001. An expansion of his 1995 novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
"Historical Crisis", it is a re-imagining of the world of Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Foundation trilogy, set after the establishment of the Second Empire.
Review by Peter Cannon, ASSOCIATE EDITOR and Jeff Zaleski, FORECASTS EDITOR....
"Admirers of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, possibly the greatest SF series ever, will be drawn to this oddly titled sequel from the author of the Hugo-nominated Courtship Rite (1982), but they shouldn't get their hopes too high. No one, including Asimov himself in his belated efforts to further milk his cash cow, has succeeded in capturing the breadth, excitement and imaginative scope of the original. Canadian Kingsbury, too, falls short. Nearly as long as the entire Asimov trilogy, this continuation suffers from long-windedness and a surfeit of italics. The author, though, does create a convincing and fresh simulacrum of the world of the 761st century. For a crime he can't remember, Eron Osa, a 30-year-old psychohistorian, must give up his fam, that is, his personal familiar, a device plugged into his brain that immeasurably enhances all aspects of his life, particularly his power to absorb and resolve problems. Members of the Second Galactic Empire populate the Milky Way galaxy of a million worlds, in which the only "aliens" are genetically engineered talking dogs. Some people, not much different from today's humans, behave admirably, while others are addicted to power and war. Women play only peripheral roles in a male-dominated universe. For all its ambitions, this work lacks the great storytelling qualities of Asimov's trilogy and captures only some of its ambience."
Psychohistorical Crisis was the 2002
2002 in literature
The year 2002 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 16: Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested and jailed poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and fired a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem The Corrupt on Earth that criticized the state's Islamic...
winner of the Prometheus Award
Prometheus Award
The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society, which also publishes a quarterly journal Prometheus. L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newly founded Libertarian Futurist...
.