Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain
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| Author | Isaac Asimov |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
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Publication date
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1987 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 385 pp |
| ISBN | |
Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1987. It is about a group of scientists who shrink to microscopic size in order to enter a human brain so that they can retrieve memories from a comatose colleague.
Despite the title, Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain is not a sequel to Fantastic Voyage, which is a novelization that Asimov wrote from the 1966 film of the same name. Asimov was never quite happy with the original novel because although he was able to change some of the scientific details, it was not entirely his own work. Therefore, he wrote Fantastic Voyage II as a new, separate story that shares only the central concept of miniaturized scientists entering a human body.
The story takes place in the mid to late 21st century: the Cold War has ended, yet the Soviet regime remains strong and proud. Americans and Soviets enjoy peace, but without fully accepting each other's ways, and with each always struggling for technological superiority and the prestige that accompanies it.
Under conditions of absolute secrecy, the Soviets have developed a miniaturization technology that can reduce a human to the dimensions of a molecule, or smaller. However, the process requires an enormous input of energy to miniaturize even a small object for a short time. So, although miniaturization has been shown to be scientifically possible, it also appears to be economically impracticable - a hollow triumph.
One Soviet scientist, Pyotor Leonovich Shapirov, a pioneer of the miniaturization process, had spoken vaguely of a way to make it affordable. Unfortunately, he now lies in a coma, with his secrets apparently locked away forever.
But Shapirov had been acquainted with an American scientist, Albert Jonas Morrison, who has his own peculiar theories regarding the brain's processing and storage of creative thought. Shapirov had been greatly intrigued by Morrison's ideas, and it's this interest that led the Soviets to turn to Morrison for help.
After a great deal of coercion, Morrison agrees to be miniaturized along with four Soviet scientists, enter Shapirov's dying brain, and attempt to use his computer program to retrieve the thoughts contained therein.
Later, having returned safely to normal size, but without any usable information from Shapirov, Morrison has made a new, startling discovery, which may help the Americans beat the Soviets at their own game.
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