Pebble In The Sky - Isaac Asimov

Advantages: Fluent and enjoyable read, characters explored better than in Foundation, clever view of the future
Disadvantages: Characters linguistics are dated as are elements of the science, tricky to attain these days

...all, Earth is but a pebble in the sky.” It's a running theme in a great deal of Asimov's novels – a refreshing view of a galaxy that does not centre around Earth and a writing-style that is not necessarily shackled to the sole portrayal of our own planet's (usually dominant) position in humankind. Though Pebble In The Sky, his first published novel, is set on Earth, it defies convention by portraying the birthplace of humankind as something of a ...
...find a paperback copy of Pebble In The Sky (PITS) on eBay for only £3-4 – though as a consequence of seeing little or no major reprints down the years even in the wake of Foundation series popularity (the last minor reprint coming after his death in 1993), my copy of the book is around fifty years old, and is unlikely to be available to buy new in any great numbers. Pebble In The Sky was the first of three books that would comprise the Galactic ... Read review

Advantages: storyline, first novel by Asimov
Disadvantages: may not have enough pace for some, dated science

Pebble in the Sky is the first full novel written by Isaac Asimov and fits into the Galactic Empire universe that he invented. If you know of the chronology involved from the near future of the creation of the positronic brain to the establishment of Gaia/Galaxia, Pebble in the Sky is set when Earth has become radioactive, and Trantor is the heart of the empire. The story revolces around Joseph Schwartz, and innocent member of the public, who is ...
...characters arrive at the finale. Pebble in the Sky and Asimov's later novels pull you along with it, not really knowing how things will turn out. Although some of the science in the book is out of date, the plot is still interesting enough to draw the reader in, and even though it is the first novel, it can hold its place in the Asimovian universe. Like all his books, you don't have to read them in chronological order as each one is a story which ... Read review