NORBY IS AT IT AGAIN!

That lovable mixed-up robot is back—and in more trouble than ever! Along with his sometimes fearless human companion, Jeff Wells, Norby has gotten himself into more trouble than would seem humanly—or robotically—possible.

This time, even Norby himself can’t figure out how he and Jeff got into these intergalactic foul-ups. After all, being taken prisoner by a bunch of aliens from a distant universe wasn’t Norby or Jeff’s idea. And how could our heroes have known that they were really sticking their necks out when they accidentally travelled back in time…to the French Revolution?

Well, this Norby book, at least, I do have some memories of, which may be a hopeful sign. The basic plot here is a time-travel one, involving an incident from the French Revolution and Asimov’s favorite American scientist, Benjamin Franklin. Norby and Jeff manage to alter the history of the French revolution and create various unpleasant futures as a result which they must fix, while at the same time learning something about Norby and his past. I rather fancy, however, that I remember this book for its association with known history rather than any virtues of its own.

As with most of the Norby books, however, this is still not Asimov at his best. While the book may be appropriate for younger children, it is not for the adult fan of Asimov unless they are of the most dedicated and rabid kind.