When I sat down to read the collection of nine stories about the Smart Guys, I was instantly at home. The resonance with Asimov’s series was just too deliberate to miss for anyone who's read those stories. However, Palumbo has updated the characters, the situations, and the language accordingly. There is adult language and adult situations are discussed in a frank manner.
Palumbo also plays fairly with his audience, which is another thing that Asimov did. Most of the time I figured out the mystery, but not 'til the end of the story. But that’s how it’s supposed to be. A good mystery reader/armchair detective should be rewarded for his or her attention and eye for detail.
Sadly, I got so caught up in the mixture of the new and the familiar that I ended up reading the whole book. Including the three one-off mystery stories at the end. I found a treasure and inadvertently inhaled it all in one sitting. It was literally gone before I knew it.
The author’s writing and mysteries are engaging and compelling enough. In these nine stories, Palumbo starts to forage out from the beginning conceit to elaborate more on his world, bringing in more characters and building a history of everything that had gone on before. I’m sure there are many more tales to tell.
I truly hope these nine stories won’t be the only ones about the Smart Guys. I’d love to see them again, and once more battle wits to see if I can figure out the mystery before Isaac explains it all.
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