Pebble in the Sky

Asimov, Isaac. Pebble in the Sky. New York: Doubleday, 1950 (Contento Index). With The Kingslayer by L. Ron Hubbard. Jerome Bixby, editor. "Two Complete Science Adventure Books." Wings Publishing Company. Vol. 1, number 1 (Internet Speculative Fiction Database).[1] Frequently reprinted, and available as an e-book and audiobook.[2]

Asimov's first published novel, and part of the (Trantorian) Galactic Empire series. Alec Nevala-Lee's Astounding … (2018) places the novel in context of Asimov's relationship with John W. Campbell, who at the time was deeply involved with dianetics[3]; relevant here, Nevala-Lee notes that this novel "included a machine, the synapsifier, that could be used to turn ordinary people into geniuses" (p. 282) — although in this case its function is to bring a man from our time to a level where he can deal with an advanced future world into which he's been, in an etymological sense, translated.[4]

For the motif of a technique for increasing intelligence, cf. and definitely contrast Daniel Keyes's often reprinted short story "Flowers for Algernon" (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 1959) — and the later novel form of the story[5], and movie, renamed CHARLY (1968)[6] and TV movie FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON (2000).[7]

RDE, finishing, 18Sep19