The Gods Themselves

Author: Isaac Asimov

Elsewhere in this list we have seen the Moon as both a threat and a refuge, but it is also used as a symbol of difference, not just the political difference in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but a physical and psychological difference. The Gods Themselves tells of the relationship between the Earth and a parallel universe, one that could, unknowingly, be disastrous for both. In the final third of the novel the scene shifts to the Moon, where people have developed a very different physique from those on earth. They would take the differences even further if genetic engineering had not been banned. This signifies how far they have diverged from familiar humanity, and at one point in the novel they even contemplate taking the Moon out of earth orbit and even further away from our planet. Why it's on the list: The Gods Themselves was Asimov's favourite among his novels, and also probably one of the best. The way it demonstrates the growing difference between people of the Earth and people of the Moon is one of the more telling moments in Moon fiction.