Getting Even

"Getting Even" is a fantasy short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It is the first story in his series of Union Club mysteries, and also the first in his Azazel fantasy series. It first appeared in the August 1980 issue of Gallery. According to Asimov, this story was omitted from both of his anthologies The Union Club Mysteries (Doubleday: 1983) and Azazel (Doubleday: 1988) because it did not match the later stories in either series. It is the only Azazel story not to appear in any of Asimov's own books, although there are 21 other Union Club stories which have never been collected. "Getting Even" was reprinted in Tales from the Spaceport Bar (Avon Books: 1987), an anthology of stories by different authors. Plot synopsis