Galactic Empire

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Lore & Background

The stories are set in a future where humanity has expanded across the galaxy, establishing a massive empire centered on the planet Trantor. This era precedes the Foundation series but follows the Robot stories, bridging the gap between the two major arcs. Common elements include specific technologies such as hyperdrives, blaster pistols, neuronic whips, and the potential invention of the "Visi-Sonor." The narrative explores a future where Earth is radioactive, a detail later explained in Robots and Empire. A unique feature of this timeline is found in "Blind Alley," the only story in the Foundation universe to feature non-human intelligence not descended from or created by humans. In contrast, other entries like Foundation and Earth feature alien intelligences that are ultimately human-derived. The calendar system used on spaceships in "The Stars, Like Dust" matches the one introduced to Lije Baley in The Robots of Dawn.

In Their Own Story

"Pebble in the Sky," originally titled "Grow Old with Me," was written in the summer of 1947 and rejected by Startling Stories for being too science-heavy despite an invitation to write such a story. It was eventually accepted by Doubleday editor Walter I. Bradbury on the suggestion of Frederik Pohl, provided it be expanded to seventy thousand words and retitled. The title draws from Robert Browning's "Rabbi ben Ezra," with lines starting "Grow old along with me! / The best is yet to be..." included in the final text. "The Stars, Like Dust" was first serialized as "Tyrann" in Galaxy Science Fiction (January–March 1951) before becoming a novel that year. Its first paperback edition by Ace Books retitled it "The Rebellious Stars" without Asimov's consent. "The Currents of Space" followed, serialized in Astounding Science Fiction from October to December 1952. The short story "Blind Alley," written in 1944 and published in March 1945, was the first of Asimov's stories to be reprinted.

Reader's Guide

Readers should note that while these works form a trilogy in publication history, their internal chronology has been subject to clarification. In an 1988 "Author's Note" to Prelude to Foundation, Asimov stated that "The Currents of Space" (1952) was the first Empire novel and "The Stars, Like Dust" (1951) was the second, though "Pebble in the Sky" (1950) is often placed first by publication date. The stories are loose connections rather than a continuous plot; each stands as a complete tale. The absence of robots in these novels contrasts with the Robot series, a discrepancy Asimov attributed to writing them as separate series initially. Later works like Robots and Empire retroactively linked the timelines, explaining Earth's radioactive state mentioned in all three novels. For collectors, note that "Blind Alley" has never been published together with the novels, though it shares the same setting.

Did You Know?

• "Pebble in the Sky" was originally titled "Grow Old with Me" and rejected by Startling Stories for being too science-heavy despite an editor's invitation to write such fiction.
• Asimov clarified in a 1988 author's note that "The Currents of Space" (1952) is the first Empire novel, not "Pebble in the Sky" (1950).
• The short story "Blind Alley" is the only story in the Foundation universe to feature non-human intelligence that is not descended from or created by humans.
• "The Stars, Like Dust" was retitled "The Rebellious Stars" for an Ace Books paperback edition without Asimov's consent.
• The original draft of "Pebble in the Sky," titled "Grow Old with Me," was published in The Alternate Asimovs in 1986.

Origins and Publication Journey

The Galactic Empire series consists of Asimov's three earliest novels published under his own name between 1950 and 1952. "Pebble in the Sky" began as a forty-thousand-word story titled "Grow Old with Me," written in summer 1947 for Startling Stories. Editor Sam Merwin, Jr. had invited Asimov to write science-heavy fiction, but the magazine rejected it for favoring adventure; John W. Campbell also rejected it. In 1949, Doubleday's Walter I. Bradbury accepted it on Frederik Pohl's suggestion, requiring expansion to seventy thousand words and a title change. It was published in January 1950. The original "Grow Old with Me" draft appeared later in The Alternate Asimovs (1986). "The Stars, Like Dust" debuted as the serial "Tyrann" in Galaxy Science Fiction (Jan–Mar 1951) and was published by Doubleday that year. An Ace Books paperback retitled it "The Rebellious Stars" without Asimov's consent. "The Currents of Space" was serialized in Astounding Science Fiction (Oct–Dec 1952) before its Doubleday release.

Chronological Placement and Universe Integration

These works occupy the chronological space between the Robot series and the Foundation saga, set during the rise of the Galactic Empire. While they share a setting and technologies like hyperdrives and neuronic whips, they were originally written as separate stories. Asimov later integrated them into his broader universe; for instance, Robots and Empire explained Earth's radioactivity mentioned in the novels. Some sources suggest "The Stars, Like Dust" occurs about one thousand years after Robots and Empire. The calendar system used in that novel aligns with the Spacers' introduction of time to Lije Baley in The Robots of Dawn. In 1988, Asimov clarified the internal order: he designated "The Currents of Space" as the first Empire novel and "The Stars, Like Dust" as the second, despite their publication dates. The short story "Blind Alley" (1945) is set in this era but stands alone.

Thematic Elements and Unique Features

The series explores a future Galactic Empire through loose connections rather than a tight plot, with each story functioning independently. Common themes include the vastness of the empire, specific technologies like the "Visi-Sonor," and locations such as Trantor. A distinct feature is the short story "Blind Alley," which remains the only entry in the Foundation universe to feature non-human intelligence not created by or descended from humans; other non-humans in later works are human-derived. The trilogy also highlights the absence of robots, a gap Asimov explained by noting he originally wrote the Robot and Foundation series as separate entities. Later integration required contortion to explain why robots are nearly absent from these Empire-era novels.

Legacy and Collectible History

The three novels were first collected in an omnibus titled Triangle after "The Currents of Space" was published in 1952. They have been reprinted frequently, including as a trilogy by Ballantine Books (1986) under the title "Galactic Empire Novel[s]," and by Spectra (1992) as "The Empire Novels." A 2010 Orb Books edition paired them with The End of Eternity. In 1982, Littlehampton Book Services reprinted "The Stars, Like Dust" in a hardback selected works edition alongside the Foundation Trilogy, The Naked Sun, and I, Robot. A single-volume edition titled The Empire Novels was released by the Science Fiction Book Club in 2002. Notably, "Blind Alley" has never been officially bound with the novels due to its standalone nature, though it is anthologized in collections like The Early Asimov (1972) and volume 2 of The Complete Stories (1992).