He makes the Russians good guys - at least not real bad guys. After all, it is his fans who are going to buy this book. If you can do this, you might be able to conquer distances not otherwise possible under Einstein's physics, getting around that all-time science fiction bugaboo, the speed of light.Īsimov bows to some SF conventions, however. In the novel, the Soviets have managed to shrink not just people and objects to microscopic size but to shrink an entire confined region of space, thus shrinking Planck's Constant at the same time. The problem is Planck's Constant, a law of physics that makes it impossible to miniaturize human beings because they would then be unable to breathe regular sized molecules of air.Īsimov contrives to circumvent the problem. After a while you have a brain that's too small to function as a human brain.' To shrink a person, you have to have fewer cells and fewer atoms. This (new novel) makes it sound plausible.'īut, he said after thinking a while, 'It's not really possible.

'It didn't worry about surface tension, about Brownian motion or the fact that miniaturization is probably impossible. The first 'Fantastic Voyage' novel 'didn't concern itself with science, except for the human anatomy, which was quite correct,' Asimov said. What he plucked from his memory for 'Fantastic Voyage II' is a law of physics known as Planck's Constant, which makes shrinking people 'probably impossible.' It lets me reach (back to) things that I have learned.' 'The difference is I don't forget what I see. 'Everyone accumulates knowledge,' Asimov said. The industry cliche says that a science fiction trilogy contains some number in excess of three books. The setting of the novel, expected for release next summer, is 50 years before the first book in the series. Apart from his most famous 'Foundation' series, Asimov has tackled subjects ranging from limericks to a two-volume guide to the Bible.Īsimov's next project will continue the 'Foundation' series. 'I am aware that I have written more books than most people read in a lifetime,' he said.

'This book is 'number 365 - one for every day of the year.' It also pushes the number of books Asimov has produced to even greater heights.

'In my opinion this is a more subtle and more exciting story,' said Asimov of his new version, 'Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain' (Doubleday, 332 pp., $18.95)

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov