4/6/22

Es como un libro de chistes escrito por Arévalo tras conseguir su doctorado en bioquímica. 640 chistes de los que hay 5 salvables. Y lo peor, con diferencia, aguantar los consejos de Asimov para contarlos con más "gracia", desmenuzando y analizándolos de manera bastante inane. Eso cuando deja de echarse flores y de fardar. Ejemplo: "Estábamos en una cena y por algún motivo yo estaba en la cabecera de la mesa (en realidad el motivo es que yo era el invitado de honor)[...]"
No, doctor Asimov, no es usted bueno en todo lo que hace. De hecho en varias facetas (incluyendo la de escritor de novela larga de ficción, en mi poco popular opinión) es inferior a la media. ( )

Reviewed June 2001

What a delight! Told with true Asimov style this is not just a collection of jokes, but notes of responses he got, how to tell jokes well, when to do it and with what kind of accent. And how to change a joke to fit any audience. He injects his own life story between the pages. I also know that while he was writing this book he is divorcing his wife. And he only has wonderful, and nice things to say about her. Nope on second thought he was just referring to wifes n general. Odd to read his thoughts on women, he proclaims to be a "womans liver" though he still treats women as delicate sweet little girls. The discussion after joke 639 tells us "in an entirely masculine environment like the army..." Asimov could see science fiction and our future but he couldn't grasp the near future, this is evident throughout most of his writings. He has the jokes all numbered (very helpful) and broken into catagories..."anticlimax, shaggy dog, paradox, put-down, word play, tables turned, jewish, Ethnic, religion, marriage and bawdy." There were many very good jokes but nothing comes to mind as to a great joke.

11-2001 ( )

Isaac Asimov had perhaps the most ready wit of any science fiction writer, and a prodigious memory for funny stories. Hence this book, arranged by category and interspersed with many of Asimov's own bits of jollity and reparte. Would that I had the faculties to retain a fraction of the stories, jokes, limericks and witticisms herein. ( )