The title itself is ironic. The "feeling of power" that the generals crave is actually a feeling of regression—a return to the most brutal, direct form of conflict. Meanwhile, the true power of human intellect and discovery is treated as merely a tool for that regression.
The brilliance of Sensación de Poder lies in its reversal of what we consider "power." For the generals, power is the ability to destroy the enemy even when your machines fail. For Myron Aub, the feeling of power is the quiet, transcendent joy of understanding numbers and solving a problem with one’s own mind. Asimov masterfully contrasts these two definitions, letting the reader feel the tragedy as the sublime is co-opted by the barbaric. sensacion de poder isaac asimov
This "discovery" is met with disbelief and then awe by the high-ranking generals and politicians. They see in this primitive ability not a curiosity, but the ultimate weapon. If a man can calculate without a computer, he can guide a missile after the computers are knocked out. And thus, a dead art is resurrected not for enlightenment, but for the art of war. The title itself is ironic
If there is a flaw, it is that the story is almost too short. Asimov’s prose is functional and direct—he was never a flowery writer. The characters are archetypes rather than deep personalities (the ambitious general, the bewildered scientist). But this leanness serves the story’s purpose. It feels like a fable or a warning label, not a novel. It hits you fast and leaves a bruise. The brilliance of Sensación de Poder lies in