Silly Asses

In a far-reaching galaxy of recorded civilizations, one ancient clerk keeps careful track of every species that has ever reached for intelligence—and every one that has truly earned its place among the stars. For the Rigellian Naron, the work is routine, solemn, and precise: note the newcomers, judge their progress, and wait for the next world to join the Galactic Federation. Then comes Earth. Its people have done the impossible, advancing with astonishing speed to the threshold of maturity. They have unlocked the power of the atom. Surely, their next step will be the grand leap into space, where they can take their place among the enlightened races of the cosmos. But when Naron learns how Earth's newest power is being used, his ancient certainty falters. In a few sharp, unforgettable strokes, Isaac Asimov delivers a brilliantly ironic science fiction vignette about intelligence, folly, and the dangerous gap between technical achievement and true wisdom. Sardonic, elegant, and devastatingly brief, Silly Asses is classic Asimov: a razor-edged fable that turns one small revelation into a judgment on an entire civilization. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.