Fantastic Voyage II

About “Fantastic Voyage II”

Isaac Asimov's 1987 novel is not a sequel to the 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage, and Asimov ignores the original work. In the 21st century, superpowers live in peace, but Russians kidnap Albert Morrison, a frustrated brain researcher. They need his help to access the thoughts of Shapirov, a scientist in a coma after an experimental accident. Morrison fears miniaturization and refuses at first, but he is forced to join a crew—Dezhnev, Boranova, Kaliinin, and Konev—to shrink and enter Shapirov’s brain. They face typical challenges and return unsuccessful, with Shapirov dead. A twist ending follows. The novel is a dialogue-heavy story with more scientific credibility than Fantastic Voyage, but it lacks excitement and leaves little impression.