Review of The Stars, Like Dust

Half a century before, the Nebular Kingdoms had been conquered by the cruel and domineering Tyranni, the war lords of Tyrann.

Now Biron Farrill’s father had disappeared and Biron himself was marked for murder. He knew that his enemies were backed by the Tyranni. And that they were responsible.

But why had he and his father been singled out for destruction?

The answer takes him through the cosmic reaches of the galaxies. It becomes a quest for the “Rebellion World”—the hidden planet that shelters a conspiracy against the Tyranni and holds the only hope of peace for man’s future.

The quest is a dangerous one.

The stakes are either the end of the Tyranni…or the end of Biron Farril.

Asimov considered this his worst novel, and one is forced to agree. It is one of the few books I own by Asimov which I do not particularly enjoy rereading.

The main flaw with the book is the inclusion of the silly search for a mysterious document from Earth’s past which will utterly revolutionize the Galaxy. The document, in the end, turns out to be the Constitution of the United States. This subplot was added to the book at the insistence of Horace Gold, who was scheduled to serialize the novel in Galaxy. Asimov wanted to remove it from the hardcover publication, but his editor at Doubleday, Walter Bradbury, objected. As a result, Asimov lost all real interest in what was probably not one of his better stories to begin with and finished it mostly to get it out of the way, and his disinterest shows. (As he points out, the idea that the Constitution should be amenable to governing large portions of the Galaxy seems ridiculous—particularly after the 2000 Presidential election and its exercise in the vagaries of the Electoral College.)

The second main problem with the book is the extent to which the main characters are unattractive. Our hero, Biron Farril, starts out as a rather stupid and easily duped young fop and ends up as a harsh Machiavellian who is willing to hurt the woman he loves in order to further his aims. Indeed, most of the characters in the book are more than willing to betray one another to further their own ends, good guy and bad guy alike. The book does have some memorable characters, such as the villain, Simok Aratap, who is more honorable than most of the heros. And the uncle of Farril’s love interest (herself the unutterably insipid Artemesia), one Gillbret, is rather fun and revealed to be the inventor of the visisonor which the Mule would later find so useful.

For me, a sure sign of this novel’s lower quality is the fact that I really don’t remember it well. I’ve read it at least a half a dozen times, but as of the moment I sat down to reread it in 1995, I would not have been able to describe any details of the plot—or, for that matter, many of the main plot points. Vague impressions, yes, but no details. Certainly I could not have named any of the major characters (who are, in any event, utterly forgettable with one or two exceptions). Granted, it all came back to me as I reread it—but it was largely gone again by the time I reread it next in 2001.

No Asimov book is a total loss, of course, and this one does have its moments, but they are few and far enough between. It remains Asimov’s weakest science fiction novel.

One note: The book is the earliest, chronologically, of the "Empire" novels. It is set about a thousand years after the nuclear wars that left the Earth radioactive (a point "ret-conned" by Robots and Empire), and there is no mention of Trantor.

Books By title By date By rating By category By series Stories By title By date By rating By category By series	The Stars, Like Dust
	Book 3	1951	Science Fiction Novel

	I, Robot <<<
	>>> Foundation

	Publisher’s blurb The “Rebellion World” was man’s last outpost for survival… Half a century before, the Nebular Kingdoms had been conquered by the cruel and domineering Tyranni, the war lords of Tyrann. Now Biron Farrill’s father had disappeared and Biron himself was marked for murder. He knew that his enemies were backed by the Tyranni. And that they were responsible. But why had he and his father been singled out for destruction? The answer takes him through the cosmic reaches of the galaxies. It becomes a quest for the “Rebellion World”—the hidden planet that shelters a conspiracy against the Tyranni and holds the only hope of peace for man’s future. The quest is a dangerous one. The stakes are either the end of the Tyranni…or the end of Biron Farril. Review Well, let’s get this one out of the way. Asimov considered this his worst novel, and one is forced to agree. It is one of the few books I own by Asimov which I do not particularly enjoy rereading. The main flaw with the book is the inclusion of the silly search for a mysterious document from Earth’s past which will utterly revolutionize the Galaxy. The document, in the end, turns out to be the Constitution of the United States. This subplot was added to the book at the insistence of Horace Gold, who was scheduled to serialize the novel in Galaxy. Asimov wanted to remove it from the hardcover publication, but his editor at Doubleday, Walter Bradbury, objected. As a result, Asimov lost all real interest in what was probably not one of his better stories to begin with and finished it mostly to get it out of the way, and his disinterest shows. (As he points out, the idea that the Constitution should be amenable to governing large portions of the Galaxy seems ridiculous—particularly after the 2000 Presidential election and its exercise in the vagaries of the Electoral College.) The second main problem with the book is the extent to which the main characters are unattractive. Our hero, Biron Farril, starts out as a rather stupid and easily duped young fop and ends up as a harsh Machiavellian who is willing to hurt the woman he loves in order to further his aims. Indeed, most of the characters in the book are more than willing to betray one another to further their own ends, good guy and bad guy alike. The book does have some memorable characters, such as the villain, Simok Aratap, who is more honorable than most of the heros. And the uncle of Farril’s love interest (herself the unutterably insipid Artemesia), one Gillbret, is rather fun and revealed to be the inventor of the visisonor which the Mule would later find so useful. For me, a sure sign of this novel’s lower quality is the fact that I really don’t remember it well. I’ve read it at least a half a dozen times, but as of the moment I sat down to reread it in 1995, I would not have been able to describe any details of the plot—or, for that matter, many of the main plot points. Vague impressions, yes, but no details. Certainly I could not have named any of the major characters (who are, in any event, utterly forgettable with one or two exceptions). Granted, it all came back to me as I reread it—but it was largely gone again by the time I reread it next in 2001. No Asimov book is a total loss, of course, and this one does have its moments, but they are few and far enough between. It remains Asimov’s weakest science fiction novel. One note: The book is the earliest, chronologically, of the "Empire" novels. It is set about a thousand years after the nuclear wars that left the Earth radioactive (a point "ret-conned" by Robots and Empire), and there is no mention of Trantor.

	Review copyright © 1995–2002 by John H. Jenkins. All rights reserved. Last updated: JHJ