The End of Eternity
- Eloi Gold Medal
- by Isaac Asimov
- Novel
- Science Fiction
- Adults
- Definite Time Travel
- English
- The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, August 1955).
Andrew Harlan, Technician in the everwhen of Eternity, falls in love and starts a chain of events that could lead to the end of everything.
—Michael Main
He had boarded the kettle in the 575th Century, the base of operations assigned to him two years earlier. At the time the 575th had been the farthest upwhen he had ever traveled. Now he was moving upwhen to the 2456th Century.
Tags
(20)
- Time Periods
- Timeline Models
- Delayed Change to a Timeline: The Change did not necessarily take place at the precise moment of the Technician’s Touch. In particular, Reality is resistant to small changes, and even bigger changes don’t effect future Reality until the probability of reverting the change become zero (or maybe just below some cut-off threshold).
- Hypertime: Asimov’s Eternity—living as it does outside of Time and seeing a single timeline at any given hypertime—is the very definition of hypertime, even if he calls it Eternity.
- Resilient Timeline: Any alteration in its flow must reach a certain magnitude before a Change, a true Change, is effected. Even then, Reality has a tendency to flow back to its original position.
- Sensing Unfamiliar Timelines: The Eternals remember all previous Realities, and even the Technician who makes a Change is protected from Changes by a “wrist-borne field generator.”
- Time Barrier: both the inability to travel from Eternity to Time in the Hidden Centuries and the block at year 100,000 on the kettle shaft
- Time Travel Methods
- Time Spheres, Eggs, et al.: Officially a ‘time kettle,” but it sure felt like a booth to us.
- Time Tethers: The big kettle sounds like a catapult (It can only be pushed, not pulled.), but it is actually a tether since it automatically returns.
- Themes
- Calculating the Future: the Life Plots
- Ex Nihilo Obects and People: Where did Vikkor Mallansohn’s knowledge come from to build the first temporal field generator?! Sennor amuses himslef with this. He calls it the reversal of cause and effect. Knowing the effect, one adjusts the cause.
- Future Is “Up”: upwhen
- Grandfather Paradox: I am not well acquainted with these, but I believe a recurrent theme was that of the man who returned in Time to kill his own grandfather as a child.
- Intertemporal Trade: They know that we supervise intertemporal trade.
- Self-Visitation: He had met himself!
- Time Corps: the Eternals
- Traveler Becomes Historical Figure: Cooper and Mallansohn
- Travelers Must Account for Earth's Movment: The concept is mentioned, but dismissed in Chapter 16: Moving through Time, you share Earth’s motions.
- Groupings
Variants
(3)
- The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, August 1955).
- audio reading.
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (BBC Audiobooks, 2010). - audio reading.
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Random House Audio, September 2020). - দি এন্ড অভ ইটারনিটি [The end of eternity] [The end of eternity], as by আইজ্যাক আসিমভ (পেপার ভয়েজার :: Paper Voyager, 2020) [The title দি এন্ড অভ ইটারনিটি is a phonetic transcription of the English words “the end of eternity,” and the publisher পেপার ভয়েজার is a phonetic transcription of “paper voyager.”].
- Краят на вечността [The end of eternity] [The end of eternity], as by Айзък Азимов (Георги Бакалов :: Georgi Bakalov, 1981) [The same translation was later published by Издателство „Полюси“ :: Izdatelstovo “Polyusi” (1994) and Пергамент Прес :: Pergament Pres (2016).].
- Краят на вечността [The end of eternity], as by Айзък Азимов (Пергамент Прес :: Pergament Press, 2016).
- La fi de l'eternitat [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Edicions de la Magrana, April 1988).
- 永恒的终结 [The end of eternity], as by 艾萨克·阿西莫夫 (江苏文艺出版社 :: Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House, 2014).
- Konec věčnosti [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Tatran, 1977).
- Konec věčnosti [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Albert Boskovice, 1993) [The same translation was later published by Albatros (2002).].
- Het einde van de eeuwigheid [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in Science fiction omnibus (Bruna, 1967).
- Het einde van eeuwigheid [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Meulenhoff, 1983).
- Igaviku lõpp [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Eesti Raamat, 1973).
- Ikuisuuden loppu [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Ursa, 1987).
- La fin de l'éternité [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Denoël, 1967).
- მარადისობის აღსასრული [The end of eternity], as by აიზეკ აზიმოვი (წიგნები ბათუმში :: Ts’ignebi Batumshi, 2019).
- Am Ende der Ewigkeit [At the end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in Utopia Großband #73: Am Ende der Ewigkeit, 12 May 1958.
- Am Ende der Ewigkeit [At the end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Heyne, February 1967).
- alternative title of [_Am Ende der Ewigkeit] ([d]1967[/d]).
Das Ende der Ewigkeit [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Heyne, 1981). - A halhatatlanság halála [The death of immortality] by Isaac Asimov (Kozmosz Könyvek, 1969).
- La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in I Romanzi di Urania #119, 23 February 1956.
- La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Libra Editrice, November 1975).
- La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Mondadori, March 1987).
- Amžinybės pabaiga [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Eridanas, 1996).
- Το τέλος της αιωνιότητας [The end of eternity], as by Ισαάκ Ασίμοφ (Κάκτος :: Kaktos, 1979).
- Το τέλος της αιωνιότητας [The end of eternity], as by Ισαάκ Ασίμοφ (Anubis, July 2020).
- پایان ابدیت [The end of eternity], as by اسحاق آسیموف (جوانه رشد :: Jewanh Reshed, 1985).
- Koniec wieczności [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Iskry, 1969).
- Fim da Eternidade [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Hemus, 1981).
- O Fim da Eternidade [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Circulo de Leitores, June 1987).
- O Fim da Eternidade [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Editora Aleph, October 2007).
- Sfârșitul eternității [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Editura Teora, 1994).
- Sfârșitul eternității [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Paladin, 2021).
- Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Молодая гвардия, 1966) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.].
- Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Азбука :: ABC, 2000) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.].
- Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Аванта+, 2003) [The new translator, И. Измайлов [I. Izmailov], restored the censored pieces and did minor general editing starting from the 1966 translation by Ю. Эстрин [Y. Estrin]. According to the Russian Wikipedia, the release date might have been 2002, but we have kept the 2003 publication date as per the [urlhttp://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1937796]ISFDB[/url].].
- Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Эксмо :: Eksmo, March 2018) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.].
- Kraj večnosti [Land of eternity], as by Isak Asimov (Jugoslavija, 1977).
- Kraj večnosti [Land of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Polaris Beograd, 1990) [We don’t know the relationship between this translation and the 1977 Kraj večnosti that has only Zoran Živković listed as the translator at the ISFDB.].
- El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (E.D.H.A.S.A., 1956).
- El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Martínez Roca, 1977).
- El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (La Factoría de Ideas, 2004).
- Tidens död [Death of time] by Isaac Asimov (Legenda Pocket, 1986).
- จุดดับแห่งนิรันดร์ [Eternal Blackout] by Isaac Asimov (โปรวิชั่น :: Por Wichan, 2002).
- Sonsuzluğun sonu [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Cep Kitaplari, February 1984).
- Evrenin Çanları [Chimes of the universe] by Isaac Asimov (Altın Kitaplar, 1985).
- Sonsuzluğun Sonu [End of infinity] by Isaac Asimov (Monokl Edebiyat, December 2015) [We don’t know the relationship between this translation and the 1984 Sonsuzluğun Sonu that has only Alperen Keleş listed as the translator at Goodreads.].
- Кінець вічності [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азімов (Дніпро :: Dnipro, 1990).
Translations
(45)
- The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, August 1955).
- audio reading.
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (BBC Audiobooks, 2010). - audio reading.
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Random House Audio, September 2020). - Bengali.
দি এন্ড অভ ইটারনিটি [The end of eternity] [The end of eternity], as by আইজ্যাক আসিমভ (পেপার ভয়েজার :: Paper Voyager, 2020) [The title দি এন্ড অভ ইটারনিটি is a phonetic transcription of the English words “the end of eternity,” and the publisher পেপার ভয়েজার is a phonetic transcription of “paper voyager.”]. - Bulgarian.
Краят на вечността [The end of eternity] [The end of eternity], as by Айзък Азимов (Георги Бакалов :: Georgi Bakalov, 1981) [The same translation was later published by Издателство „Полюси“ :: Izdatelstovo “Polyusi” (1994) and Пергамент Прес :: Pergament Pres (2016).]. - Bulgarian.
Краят на вечността [The end of eternity], as by Айзък Азимов (Пергамент Прес :: Pergament Press, 2016). - Catalan.
La fi de l'eternitat [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Edicions de la Magrana, April 1988). - Chinese.
永恒的终结 [The end of eternity], as by 艾萨克·阿西莫夫 (江苏文艺出版社 :: Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House, 2014). - Czech.
Konec věčnosti [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Tatran, 1977). - Czech.
Konec věčnosti [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Albert Boskovice, 1993) [The same translation was later published by Albatros (2002).]. - Dutch.
Het einde van de eeuwigheid [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in Science fiction omnibus (Bruna, 1967). - Dutch.
Het einde van eeuwigheid [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Meulenhoff, 1983). - Estonian.
Igaviku lõpp [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Eesti Raamat, 1973). - Finnish.
Ikuisuuden loppu [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Ursa, 1987). - French.
La fin de l'éternité [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Denoël, 1967). - Georgian.
მარადისობის აღსასრული [The end of eternity], as by აიზეკ აზიმოვი (წიგნები ბათუმში :: Ts’ignebi Batumshi, 2019). - German.
Am Ende der Ewigkeit [At the end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in Utopia Großband #73: Am Ende der Ewigkeit, 12 May 1958. - German.
Am Ende der Ewigkeit [At the end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Heyne, February 1967). - German: alternative title of [_Am Ende der Ewigkeit] ([d]1967[/d]).
Das Ende der Ewigkeit [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Heyne, 1981). - Hungarian.
A halhatatlanság halála [The death of immortality] by Isaac Asimov (Kozmosz Könyvek, 1969). - Italian.
La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov, in I Romanzi di Urania #119, 23 February 1956. - Italian.
La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Libra Editrice, November 1975). - Italian.
La fine dell’eternità [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Mondadori, March 1987). - Lithuanian.
Amžinybės pabaiga [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Eridanas, 1996). - Modern Greek.
Το τέλος της αιωνιότητας [The end of eternity], as by Ισαάκ Ασίμοφ (Κάκτος :: Kaktos, 1979). - Modern Greek.
Το τέλος της αιωνιότητας [The end of eternity], as by Ισαάκ Ασίμοφ (Anubis, July 2020). - Persian.
پایان ابدیت [The end of eternity], as by اسحاق آسیموف (جوانه رشد :: Jewanh Reshed, 1985). - Polish.
Koniec wieczności [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Iskry, 1969). - Portuguese.
Fim da Eternidade [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Hemus, 1981). - Portuguese.
O Fim da Eternidade [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Circulo de Leitores, June 1987). - Portuguese.
O Fim da Eternidade [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Editora Aleph, October 2007). - Romanian.
Sfârșitul eternității [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Editura Teora, 1994). - Romanian.
Sfârșitul eternității [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Paladin, 2021). - Russian.
Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Молодая гвардия, 1966) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.]. - Russian.
Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Азбука :: ABC, 2000) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.]. - Russian.
Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Аванта+, 2003) [The new translator, И. Измайлов [I. Izmailov], restored the censored pieces and did minor general editing starting from the 1966 translation by Ю. Эстрин [Y. Estrin]. According to the Russian Wikipedia, the release date might have been 2002, but we have kept the 2003 publication date as per the [urlhttp://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1937796]ISFDB[/url].]. - Russian.
Конец вечности [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азимов (Эксмо :: Eksmo, March 2018) [See ru.wikipedia.org for details on the censorship in this edition.]. - Serbian.
Kraj večnosti [Land of eternity], as by Isak Asimov (Jugoslavija, 1977). - Serbian.
Kraj večnosti [Land of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Polaris Beograd, 1990) [We don’t know the relationship between this translation and the 1977 Kraj večnosti that has only Zoran Živković listed as the translator at the ISFDB.]. - Spanish.
El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (E.D.H.A.S.A., 1956). - Spanish.
El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Martínez Roca, 1977). - Spanish.
El fin de la eternidad [The end of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (La Factoría de Ideas, 2004). - Swedish.
Tidens död [Death of time] by Isaac Asimov (Legenda Pocket, 1986). - Thai.
จุดดับแห่งนิรันดร์ [Eternal Blackout] by Isaac Asimov (โปรวิชั่น :: Por Wichan, 2002). - Turkish.
Sonsuzluğun sonu [End of eternity] by Isaac Asimov (Cep Kitaplari, February 1984). - Turkish.
Evrenin Çanları [Chimes of the universe] by Isaac Asimov (Altın Kitaplar, 1985). - Turkish.
Sonsuzluğun Sonu [End of infinity] by Isaac Asimov (Monokl Edebiyat, December 2015) [We don’t know the relationship between this translation and the 1984 Sonsuzluğun Sonu that has only Alperen Keleş listed as the translator at Goodreads.]. - Ukranian.
Кінець вічності [End of eternity], as by Айзек Азімов (Дніпро :: Dnipro, 1990).
Previous Works
expansion of “The End of Eternity” (1954)
Derived Works
(1)
- Конец Вечности by Будимир Метальников and Андрей Ермаш, directed by Андрей Ермаш (1987).