I, Robot
This classic science fiction masterwork by Isaac Asimov weaves stories about robots, humanity, and the deep questions of existence into a novel of shocking intelligence and heart.
“A must-read for science-fiction buffs and literature enjoyers alike.”—The Guardian
I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series, forever changed the world’s perception of artificial intelligence. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-reading robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world—all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov’s trademark.
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov formulated the laws governing robots’ behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future—a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.
“Tremendously exciting and entertaining . . . Asimov dramatizes an interesting question: How can we live with machines that, generation by generation, grow more intelligent than their creators and not eventually clash with our own invention?”—The Chicago Tribune
“A must-read for science-fiction buffs and literature enjoyers alike.”—The Guardian
I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series, forever changed the world’s perception of artificial intelligence. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-reading robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world—all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov’s trademark.
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov formulated the laws governing robots’ behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future—a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.
“Tremendously exciting and entertaining . . . Asimov dramatizes an interesting question: How can we live with machines that, generation by generation, grow more intelligent than their creators and not eventually clash with our own invention?”—The Chicago Tribune
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Community Reviews
Pacing: The pacing was rather slow because there are multiple stories within the book. Whatâs more, is some of the stories seem to lack any real connection, which forces to reader to pause and think about whatâs going on and its relevance.
World: Only the vaguest of detail is offered for the world, giving more a framework than an actual picture. The real reason is the book focuses more on the events than their scenery.
Writing: The writing is an old style with little descriptive detail. The book lacks flourish, intrigue, and focuses far too much on telling the story. Such a tactic results in a very dry writing style. It causes the story to feel less fictional and more like something out of a textbook, which is only enhanced by the high-level of scientific terminology.
Character: The characters all seem to have the same personality. There is little variety in the voice or motives and there is no background given for any of the characters, which causes all of them to seem that much more similar to the others.
Non-Spoilered Plot: In a world where robots are common and everyone is accustomed to them, itâs only a matter of advancing the robots with new technology for newer purposes. This story depicts a menagerie of stories involving new robots and the scientists who interact with them.
Plot: To be entirely honest, I canât decide what the plot of this novel is. There is no hero. There is no antagonist. There is not even an MC really. Rather, this is more just a collection of stories that almost feel like a warning against robots, which I can understand. Robots, even with their added benefits, have many consequences, as well. But thatâs another topic.
While the main book didnât have a distinct plot, the multitude of stories within the book each had their own plots. More often than not it was âovercoming the monsterâ, which may sound silly at first. However, if you think about it, each of the obstacles within the robots make-up that caused the scientists so much trouble was indeed the âmonsterâ they needed to âovercomeâ or really just decipher and solve.
Frankly, Iâm not sure how I feel about this book because it was interesting, but maddeningly confusing. Each of the experiences with robots was unique and offered a new look on robotic technology and how they would be important and how they would evolve in future society. At the same time, there was so much technological terminology that I just felt like I was fumbling around in the dark most of the time.
When it comes right down to it, I guess Iâm leaving my rating of this book, âI, ROBOTâ, at 2-stars because I was hoping for more world-building in such an advanced scientific society. I was also utterly bored with the lack of variation in the character voices(they all sound exactly the same). Finally, the lack of plot throughout the book left me befuddled.
World: Only the vaguest of detail is offered for the world, giving more a framework than an actual picture. The real reason is the book focuses more on the events than their scenery.
Writing: The writing is an old style with little descriptive detail. The book lacks flourish, intrigue, and focuses far too much on telling the story. Such a tactic results in a very dry writing style. It causes the story to feel less fictional and more like something out of a textbook, which is only enhanced by the high-level of scientific terminology.
Character: The characters all seem to have the same personality. There is little variety in the voice or motives and there is no background given for any of the characters, which causes all of them to seem that much more similar to the others.
Non-Spoilered Plot: In a world where robots are common and everyone is accustomed to them, itâs only a matter of advancing the robots with new technology for newer purposes. This story depicts a menagerie of stories involving new robots and the scientists who interact with them.
Plot: To be entirely honest, I canât decide what the plot of this novel is. There is no hero. There is no antagonist. There is not even an MC really. Rather, this is more just a collection of stories that almost feel like a warning against robots, which I can understand. Robots, even with their added benefits, have many consequences, as well. But thatâs another topic.
While the main book didnât have a distinct plot, the multitude of stories within the book each had their own plots. More often than not it was âovercoming the monsterâ, which may sound silly at first. However, if you think about it, each of the obstacles within the robots make-up that caused the scientists so much trouble was indeed the âmonsterâ they needed to âovercomeâ or really just decipher and solve.
Frankly, Iâm not sure how I feel about this book because it was interesting, but maddeningly confusing. Each of the experiences with robots was unique and offered a new look on robotic technology and how they would be important and how they would evolve in future society. At the same time, there was so much technological terminology that I just felt like I was fumbling around in the dark most of the time.
When it comes right down to it, I guess Iâm leaving my rating of this book, âI, ROBOTâ, at 2-stars because I was hoping for more world-building in such an advanced scientific society. I was also utterly bored with the lack of variation in the character voices(they all sound exactly the same). Finally, the lack of plot throughout the book left me befuddled.
I liked this novel. It's totally different from the movie- so much so that's it's really unexpected. The only thing in common with the movie is the three laws of robotics.
First of all, the main character is a robotics psychologist, Susan Calvin! That's awesome. She solves a number of problems with various different models of robots by trying to use logic traps. There are some definite feminist elements in the book, as the men don't take her concerns seriously, and she has to deal with that on top of solving the problem at hand.
Also, there are more disturbing issues of racism and subjugation present in the book as well. It seems fairly intentional. The engineers regularly call the robots "boy" and do other things that call up an ugly human history. Asimov even takes a swipe at the death penalty.
The book was written in 1950, so Calvin is born in 1982, and she's robot problem-solving from the time she's 38, 2020. Get ready robot psychologists! Of course in reality, we don't follow the laws of robotics at all. Drones are used mostly for the purpose of harming humans. And Asimov didn't anticipate the internet or network connections so reality is much more frightening than science fiction.
I, Robot is very interesting and worth considering, but it was also a fun read. (I had trouble deciding between 4-5 stars.) So either way, I recommend reading it.
First of all, the main character is a robotics psychologist, Susan Calvin! That's awesome. She solves a number of problems with various different models of robots by trying to use logic traps. There are some definite feminist elements in the book, as the men don't take her concerns seriously, and she has to deal with that on top of solving the problem at hand.
Also, there are more disturbing issues of racism and subjugation present in the book as well. It seems fairly intentional. The engineers regularly call the robots "boy" and do other things that call up an ugly human history. Asimov even takes a swipe at the death penalty.
The book was written in 1950, so Calvin is born in 1982, and she's robot problem-solving from the time she's 38, 2020. Get ready robot psychologists! Of course in reality, we don't follow the laws of robotics at all. Drones are used mostly for the purpose of harming humans. And Asimov didn't anticipate the internet or network connections so reality is much more frightening than science fiction.
I, Robot is very interesting and worth considering, but it was also a fun read. (I had trouble deciding between 4-5 stars.) So either way, I recommend reading it.
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