sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

Nemesis
  • Rated 0 stars
Read Nemesis

Nemesis (1989) (edit title/settings)

by Isaac Asimov (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

In the twenty-third century, pioneers have escaped the crowded Earth for life in self-sustaining orbital colonies. One of the colonies, Rotor, has broken away from the solar system to create its own renegade utopia around an unknown red star two light-years from Earth: a star named... read more

Summary edit see section history

The demands of the plot required Asimov to hypothesize a planetary system about a star named Nemesis. At the time of the writing, the name Nemesis was given to a theoretical companion to Earth's sun which could provide a mechanism for periodic disturbances of comets in the Oort cloud, which... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The demands of the plot required Asimov to hypothesize a planetary system about a star named Nemesis. At the time of the writing, the name Nemesis was given to a theoretical companion to Earth's sun which could provide a mechanism for periodic disturbances of comets in the Oort cloud, which would then fall inwards causing mass extinctions. The red dwarf star in the book turns out not to be this companion; it is simply passing through the solar system.

The novel is set in an era in which interstellar travel is in the process of being discovered and perfected. Before the novel's opening, "hyper-assistance", a technology allowing travel at a little slower than the speed of light, is used to move a reclusive space station colony called Rotor from the vicinity of Earth to the newly discovered red dwarf, Nemesis. There, it takes up orbit around the semi-habitable moon, Erythro, named for the red light that falls on it.

It is eventually discovered that the bacterial life on Erythro forms a collective organism which possesses a form of consciousness and telepathy (a concept similar to the Gaia of Asimov's Foundation series). While the colonists argue over the direction of future colonization — down to Erythro, or up to the asteroid belts of Nemesis system — events catch up to them. Back on Earth superluminal flight is perfected, ending Rotor Colony's isolation and opening the galaxy to human exploration.

The story also relates the breakup and reunion of a family (the mother, the discoverer of Nemesis, and the daughter were separated from the Earthbound father when the colony departed; the father becomes part of the hyperjump research project as a result); the startling discovery that the bacterial inhabitants of Erythro, collectively, constitute a sentient and telepathic organism; and the discovery and resolution of a massive crisis: Nemesis' trajectory threatens to gravitationally destabilize the solar system.

Interestingly, the planetary system in the book included a Jovian planet named Megas in a very short-period orbit about its primary star. (Erythro is a moon of Megas.) This was a radical idea in 1989, but was vindicated with the discovery of the first extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star (51 Pegasi) in 1995, dubbed "Bellerophon".

(Source: Wikipedia)

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Marlene Insigna Fisher: Fifteen year old daughter of Eugenia and Crile.
  • Eugenia Insigna: Rotorian Chief Astronomer and Marlene's mother.
  • Crile Fisher: Earthborn and Marlene's father.
  • Janus Pitt: Rotor's most senior political leader who is determined to keep Rotor free from Earth's contaminating influence.
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “No. I’m not that foolish. I want to call it Nemesis.”
    Eugenia Insigna

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Nemesis: The dwarf star to which the interstellar team of Rotor travels.
  • Megas: A Jovian type planet orbiting Nemesis... Erythro orbits Megas.
  • Erythro: A earth like moon orbiting Megas.

Organizations edit see section history

  • Rotor Colony: The group of Earth Colonists who are looking to colonize Erythro.

First Sentence edit see section history

Marlene had last seen the Solar System when she was a little over one year old.

Table of Contents edit see section history

ONE: MARLENE
TWO: NEMESIS
THREE: MOTHER
FOUR: FATHER
FIVE: GIFT
SIX: APPROACH
SEVEN: DESTRUCTION?
EIGHT: AGENT
NINE: ERYTHRO
TEN: PERSUASION
ELEVEN: ORBIT
TWELVE: ANGER
THIRTEEN: DOME
FOURTEEN: FISHING
FIFTEEN: PLAGUE
SIXTEEN: HYPERSPACE
SEVENTEEN: SAFE?
EIGHTEEN: SUPERLUMINAL
NINETEEN: REMAINING
TWENTY: PROOF
TWENTY-ONE: BRAINSCAN
TWENTY-TWO: ASTEROID
TWENTY-THREE: AIRFLIGHT
TWENTY-FOUR: DETECTOR
TWENTY-FIVE: SURFACE
TWENTY-SIX: PLANET
TWENTY-SEVEN: LIFE
TWENTY-EIGHT: TAKEOFF
TWENTY-NINE: ENEMY
THIRTY: TRANSITION
THIRTY-ONE: NAME
THIRTY-TWO: LOST
THIRTY-THREE: MIND
THIRTY-FOUR: CLOSE
THIRTY-FIVE CONVERGING
THIRTY-SIX: MEETING
EPILOGUE

Glossary edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 50 in Asimov's Expanded Universe. (universe)

Followed by The End of Eternity.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Isaac Asimov (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Don Dixon (Cover Artist)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: United States
Publication Date: 1989
ISBN: 0385247923
Page Count: 446

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: 89032938
  • Dewey: 818'.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Some of the themes in this book may be a bit advanced, and there is minor sexual content.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

  • Wikipedia: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Foundation / Foundation and Empire / Second Foundation
  • Nightfall
  • Earth 2: A Novel (Book 1)

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Centauri Dawn

We’re hiding the themes, errata, awards, movie connections, books with additional background information, books that influenced this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close