It is tempting to say that [Asimov on science fiction] has been assembled by a robot, but accuracy—and the state-of-the-art—blames the more prosaic computer printout. Asimov has scrutinized his prodigious output of over 200 volumes on diverse subjects, and culled from them these 55 pieces on science fiction. His incentive is a sense of the historical occasion. Rather surprisingly, Asimov has never exclusively devoted a volume to the subject. Sadly, this effort is, for the most part, mechanical and superficial. More than half of these pieces originated from Asimov's own magazine and were editorials. They convey an artificial jocularity that makes for oppressive reading after a while. This is a pity, since Asimov remains a major force in the genre, and his contribution deserves more than this bland tinkering over familiar ground. Half a dozen pieces stand out in the collection, among them a wonderfully perceptive essay on...