The Gods Themselves

That is taken from Friedrich von Schiller's dictum. And Asimov shows us the haunting truth of that premise as he potrays the stupidity often associated with blind scientific progress though the amusingly fraught portrayal of academic bitchiness, references to the id, ego and super ego in the three separate parts of the aliens and delights to inform us that there are lots of "bare-breasted women" out on the moon, all against the threatening backdrop of the earth-about-to-explode scenario. Asimov even manages to cap the section about the aliens with one of the best twists in science fiction.

Asimov's style and prose may not be as tight and aesthetic as in other works, but this book remains timeless, an effective and prophetic metaphor for our times. Exchange the positron pump with global warming and Asmiov's discord against stupidity seems ever more urgent.