The Magnificent Possession: Fame, Fortune... and One Very Inconvenient Formula

For years, Walter Sills has scraped by running chemical tests in a shabby lab overlooking the Hudson. Fifty, tired, and nearly broke, he’s certain the world has passed him by — until he discovers a shimmering new metal that could change everything. It shines brighter than gold, costs less than aluminum, and promises to make him famous at last. But with news of his discovery splashed across the papers, a circus of opportunists descends: a blustering industrialist, a washed-up politician, and a pair of bumbling gangsters. Even Mother Nature joins the mayhem when Sills’s “golden” creation proves to have a secret of its own — one that quite literally stinks.

“The Magnificent Possession” is Isaac Asimov in comedic mode — a madcap adventure where greed, ambition, and chemistry collide. First published in 1940 when Asimov was just twenty, it captures the young writer’s fascination with scientific detail and his playful knack for turning logic into laughter. Beneath the humor, Asimov offers a sharp observation about human vanity: that even genius can’t outwit human nature.

Isaac Asimov, born in Petrovichi, Russia and raised in Brooklyn, became one of the most prolific and influential writers in the history of science fiction. His Foundation and Robot series shaped the language of modern SF, blending science, psychology, and social insight. A professor of biochemistry at Boston University, Asimov combined academic rigor with the curiosity of a born storyteller. By the end of his life, he had written or edited over 500 volumes, leaving a legacy that continues to inform and inspire scientists, dreamers, and readers across the galaxy.