Kevin's Watch

Okay,

I'm new to this forum and some of you may feel that I do not have the right to start a new thread. (I hope I am saying it correctly.) However, I felt something was seriously wrong.

I asked about Paul French in the subject because I wanted to see how many people would even know who he is (or even care). Then I thought, "Maybe people will know that name and Isaac Asimov will be the obscure name."

Anywho, my introduction to Science Fiction in the seventh grade was "Lucky Star and the Moons of Jupiter" by Paul French. Little did I know that it was opening another world with a plethora (love that word) of books and movies. I have not caught up to the amount of Science Fiction and Fantasy reading that I want to accomplish to this day.

I have read many of the authors that have threads already started about them and I cannot fault the fact that they have threads. I just felt that the original winner of the Hugo Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award should have some recognition.

Have you heard of Isaac Asimov?

Not trying to be a smart a__ because many people haven't.

He created the three laws of robotics and hyperspace. The movie "I Robot" was (loosely) based on one of his short stories. And, as I previously stated, he was the first to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hugo Foundation. As-a-matter-of-fact the award was created for him and only one other man has received it - Frank Herbert.

I pains me that he still seems to be rather obscure for I feel that he is one of the three most intelligent men to ever have lived.

When he was a professor of physics he started writing Science Fiction and was afraid he would be laughed at in the academic community so he wrote under the pen name Paul French.

I could go one and on since I wrote a paper about him for an assignment in college. However, I only wish to turn you on to some GREAT science fiction so I will only ask you to read the "Foundation" series which is only five books and starts with the book "Foundation". (If you wish to be surprised by the fifth book you must start with the first of the twenty three in the series - "I Robot" Which, BTW, has nothing to do with the movie.)

If you want any other titles by him I will gladly give you a looooong list - but not here.

I know, I know, I'm kinda wordy but he is one of my heroes.

I think most people interested in sci fi should have heard of Asimov. He's one of the big classic writers in the genre, after all.

I hadn't heard the name Paul French before; in your first post I didn't even realise you were talking about two names for the same person, it wasn't really clear.

Sorry - Should have known - didn't mean to be so pushy!

Welcome to the Watch, mariaelisakevin. No need to be worried or defensive. Just relax and have fun.

As with Murrin, I didn't understand from your first post that Paul French was a pen name of Asimov's. But Asimov is certainly known here. He's on various "Favorite..." lists, and there's even a thread or two about him floating around. I think someone recently mentioned that he's in every major category of the Dewey Decimal System.

Not a huge fan, myself, but I read the original Foundation Trilogy. Haven't gone past that. I also read a science book of his, Atom.

Guess you figured out by now that I admire him and his body of work.

I've only read one of the French books, and I hated it...BUT I was already in my 30's then, and thoroughly familiar with Asimov and the genre...might have been different if discovered back in middle/early high-school. [or maybe not, since that's the same time I first read Foundation books, and "Nightfall" and such.]

Hahaha, no need to be so stressed. Everybody is free to make whatever topics they want.

Like everybody else, I had no idea that this was a pseudonym for Asimov.

I've always been a big fan of Asimov's, particularly his Robots series, (Caves of Steel etc.) Been reading him for more than 20 years, and was one of the earliest sci-fi writers I ever read.

(Actually, quite liked his mystery stories too.)

--A