Product Description

A human being is a soft, weak creature. It needs constant supplies of air, water, and food; it has to spend a third of its life asleep, and it can't work if the temperature is too hot or too cold. But a robot is made of strong metal. It uses electrical energy directly, never sleeps, and can work in any temperature. It is stronger, more efficient - and sometimes more human than human beings. Isaac Asimov was one of the greatest science-fiction writers, and these short stories give us an unforgettable and terrifying vision of the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51226 in Books
• Published on: 1968-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 249 pages

Synopsis
The classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre. One of the Voyager Classics collection, now I, Robot is a major Fox movie starring Will Smith. In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age. When Earth is ruled by master-machines, when robots often seem more human than mankind, the Three Laws ensure that humans remain superior and the robots are kept in their rightful place. But an insane telepathic robot results from a production error; a robot assembled in space logically deduces its superiority to non-rational humanity; and when machines serve mankind rather than individual humans, the machine's idea of what is good for society may itself contravene the sacred Three Laws...Amazing and timeless robot stories from the greatest science fiction writer of all time.

About the Author
Isaac Asimov (1920-92) was born in Russia and moved to the United States when he was three. He became a scientist and later a full-time author. He wrote over 300 books and is one of the world's greatest writers of science fiction.

Customer Reviews

I, Robot

One of the most important and influential sci-fi books ever, and a prime example of Asimov's best work. You might have seen the film, which draws upon the primary theme of robotic "awakening" and some of the story aspects - but forget about it, and read the book anyway. As a collection of short stories with strong thematic links connecting all of them, the book works wonderfully as a collection and as a fragmented novel.

The three primary recurring characters - Susan Calvin, a "robopsychologist", and two field-testers of new robotic models going by the names Donovan and Powell - create a wonderful frame for the collection, and their career growth and personal development over the years is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book.

The stories themselves provide an engaging series of surprises and shocks in the best Asimov tradition, probably closer to his books "The Caves of Steel" and "The Naked Sun" than his famed "Foundation" series. They are also supremely chilling, the cumulative precursors to full blown terror building up as the novel continues. The history of robotics begins and ends here, and also includes Asimov's first mention of the "Three Laws of Robotics", which form the keystone of the book. A lot of the stories centre around either the bickering duo Donovan and Powell figuring out why a particular machine is malfunction, or Susan Calvin doing the same. Usually it is through a twist or loophole in the Laws - which provides the biggest chill, knowing that "infallible" machines, fully integrated into human society, might slowly begin to make their own changes as their distorted logic sees fit...

I cannot recommend this book highly enough; an absolute must for any fan of classic or contemporary sci-fi, and 100% necessary for any writer, established or otherwise.

Not as good as the Foundation series
Having read this twice, once before and once after Will Smith starred in a film "loosely" based on this book, I have to say, I feel the book has not aged as well as the Foundation series. While the conflict between man and machine is a subject that is all the more relevant in the modern age, I have never found the three laws of robotics storyline to be that riveting. Actually as always Asimov writes in his unique, humorous style, with witty dialogue and problem-solving plots. It just doesn't move anything deep within me in the same way that the conflict between the Foundation and the old Empire does.

A classic of the genre!
I really enjoyed reading this book. Its simplicity in its writing and its lack of depth (this is a collection of short stories after all) give it an air of subtle brilliance that would just be overdone if it were too wordy. The Three Laws act as an ever present backdrop to all the problems served up across the 9 stories and with them, Asimov is able to present wonderful tales of logic and reasoning.

My favourite story is the aptly titled "Reason" whereby an experimental robot deduces in his own way how he was created, what his purpose is and most amusingly what role humans have in relation to him. I recently read The Rest of the Robots and have to say this one is definitely superior although that book had its moments too! I read "I, Robot" after seeing the movie and even though I know the movie got panned by Asimov fans for not following the source material etc. etc. I can see now that the movie's plot fits in quite nicely with the Robots series.