It introduces the collaborative science fiction universe created by Asimov which eventually resulted in five volumes: three short story collections and two novels.

[citation needed] Poul Anderson's last novel, For Love and Glory, incorporates "The Burning Sky" from The Diplomacy Guild and "Woodcraft" from Phases in Chaos.

[3] In his estimation, Isaac's Universe is distinguished by "the unusual quality of writers" who contributed to it, a testament of Asimov's unique status in the genre.

[1] Speculative fiction researcher Anne Besson counted the open creation of Isaac's Universe as an instance where Asimov has put his notoriety to the service in the genre.

[4] Patricia Monk saw Isaac's Universe as "a new megatext" created by Asimov for new writers to expand, following the opening up of the Robot series to other authors.