The survivors of the wreck of the Silver Queen, on the 20th anniversary of their rescue, discover a means of rescuing themselves once again—this time from the obscurity into which time has thrust them.
This story was commissioned by Amazing for the 20th anniversary of the publication of "Marooned Off Vesta,” Asimov’s first sale. Ironically, I don’t like it nearly as much as “Marooned Off Vesta.” To be sure, Asimov’s style is much smoother, and the characters more solid . Like “Marooned Off Vesta,” this is a puzzle story (and enough of a mystery that Asimov included both tales in Asimov’s Mysteries)—but the puzzle isn’t as interesting. It’s more ad hoc. It’s less fair to the reader. In “Marooned Off Vesta,” the reader has a fighting chance to figure out what the solution is before the characters do—but not here. In “Anniversary,” the solution is pulled out of a hat and leaves one rather flat.
So skip this story. Read “Marooned Off Vesta” instead.
