I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
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Read in January, 2008
From ISawLightningFall.blogspot.com
I first cracked the cover of Asimov’s short-fiction collection I, Robot without much relish. I’ve never enjoyed hard science fiction, a genre whose proponents often seem more interested with the gravitational pull on Mars or the finer points of quantum physics than in crafting an entertaining narrative. Imagine my surprise when I realized I, Robot isn’t SF at all. It’s a collection of mysteries.
From police procedurals to cozies, hardboiled detec...more
I first cracked the cover of Asimov’s short-fiction collection I, Robot without much relish. I’ve never enjoyed hard science fiction, a genre whose proponents often seem more interested with the gravitational pull on Mars or the finer points of quantum physics than in crafting an entertaining narrative. Imagine my surprise when I realized I, Robot isn’t SF at all. It’s a collection of mysteries.
From police procedurals to cozies, hardboiled detec...more
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
Sci-Fi Thinkers
Isaac Asimov's books were far from the normal trash novels you might buy for a 2 day read. Within anything he has written, he tries to spell out lessons in psychology.
How would we react to Robots once they become free thinkers?
How should we react to Robots when they become our slaves?
Should we institute a whole new brand of slavery for the purpose of a "clean society"?
What is sentient life?
The I, Robot novel progresses through these questions, and questions like th...more
How would we react to Robots once they become free thinkers?
How should we react to Robots when they become our slaves?
Should we institute a whole new brand of slavery for the purpose of a "clean society"?
What is sentient life?
The I, Robot novel progresses through these questions, and questions like th...more
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Because I cannot review a book that's been made into a movie without at least mentioning the film version, here's a fair warning:
Although I, Robot starring Will Smith was an excellent movie, do not pick up Asimov's novel expecting to read anything even remotely similar to what happened in the movie.
That being said, the book version of I, Robot is very, very good, and you should probably read it regardless of whether or not you liked the movie.
The story doesn't really have a conti...more
Although I, Robot starring Will Smith was an excellent movie, do not pick up Asimov's novel expecting to read anything even remotely similar to what happened in the movie.
That being said, the book version of I, Robot is very, very good, and you should probably read it regardless of whether or not you liked the movie.
The story doesn't really have a conti...more
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Adoro as situações criadas por Asimov para aplicar as Três Leis da Robótica. Essas leis, na minha percepção, mostram que a vida poderia ser muito mais simples se os humanos se dispuséssem a seguir, com a mesma obediência dos robôs, um conjunto básico de regras. Para quem ainda não conhece as três leis ou simplesmente não se lembra delas:
1ª - Um robô não pode fazer mal a um ser humano e nem permitir que algum mal lhe aconteça
2ª - Um robô deve obedecer às ordens dos sere...more
1ª - Um robô não pode fazer mal a um ser humano e nem permitir que algum mal lhe aconteça
2ª - Um robô deve obedecer às ordens dos sere...more
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Read in January, 2002
The Three Laws of Robotics are one of these rich veins that supply wa writer with a lifetime of stories. Asimov's robot stories are carefully plotted and engaging, but so are most of Asimov's stories and novels. What makes them stand out, in my opinion, is the philosophical aspect, supplied by the idea of robots/ creatures governed by three simple rules of behavior that should render them obedient and harmless. The stories explore the ramifications of this idea -- at what point could a robot cou...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Sci-Fi fans
My first assumption of this book was that it was a novel with a robot as the first-person narrator. Instead, it was a collection of short stories held together by a series of interviews by a first-person reporter of unknown species (though I have no reason to believe he's anything but human). Once I got past the initial re-adjustment over the book's nature, I thoroughly enjoyed its content. The stories were all well-crafted, well-thought-out, and imaginative. They delved into the awkwardness...more
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Read in October, 2004
recommends it for:
anyone looking for the classics of science fiction
I'd wanted to re-read I, Robot this summer, before seeing the only-tangentially-related movie, but some SOB stole/lost the library's copy & the only copies I could find locally had Will Smith's smug face all over them.
I found a lovely hardback edition with an artsy dust cover still intact at the used bookstore last weekend & restrained myself from devouring the short story collection in one gulp. While I found that I remembered the majo...more
I found a lovely hardback edition with an artsy dust cover still intact at the used bookstore last weekend & restrained myself from devouring the short story collection in one gulp. While I found that I remembered the majo...more
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Read in December, 2006
This book was a very enjoyable read- especially when you think about the time period when it was written! Everything is conceived of way before you would have thought it possible for someone to dream it up.
The book is a series of short stories about robots- or rather human-robot interaction, and how "they" are looked at compared to "us". The last 3/4 of the book is from "Susan Calvin's" stories- a robot psychologist that trys to solve problems with the robots bas...more
The book is a series of short stories about robots- or rather human-robot interaction, and how "they" are looked at compared to "us". The last 3/4 of the book is from "Susan Calvin's" stories- a robot psychologist that trys to solve problems with the robots bas...more
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Read in January, 1969
My friends have probably figured out by now that I'm systematically going thru my entire library to try to list every bk I've read. This'll amt to well over 3,000. At least. Then I have to remember the ones that AREN'T in my library. That's at least another few hundred. Why? I'm curious. Don't even get me started on magazines, album liner notes, etc.. Anyway, that aside, "I, Robot" & Issac Asimov - Asimov is probably still the author w/ the most bks credited to him in the B...more
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Read in April, 2008
The more Asimov I read, the more easily I come to realize that he is, at best, a mediocre writer. There is nothing particularly creative or even engaging about his writing style.
But he is a *brilliant* thinker, and his stories depict future scenarios that are often fascinating conundrums for humanity. His Three Laws of Robotics are justly famous for being an ingenious foundation upon which to build an artificial intelligence.
I, Robot uses a series of short stories to depict the early h...more
But he is a *brilliant* thinker, and his stories depict future scenarios that are often fascinating conundrums for humanity. His Three Laws of Robotics are justly famous for being an ingenious foundation upon which to build an artificial intelligence.
I, Robot uses a series of short stories to depict the early h...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Curious People
Asimov, as usual, differentiates himself from most other science fiction authors by being more creative and less violent. Although there are relatively few explosions and no light sabers of any kind, the book kept me swiftly reading it until the end. This book is made up of several shorter stories, interrelated by common characters, history, and theme. Each story focuses on some aspect of robotics that humanity could potentially screw up, despite the fact that at the base attempting to keep u...more
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Read in April, 2007
A great collection of Asimovs' earliest short stories, the timeless classic of his 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.
Later, Asimov added the Zeroth Law: "A ...more
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.
Later, Asimov added the Zeroth Law: "A ...more
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Read in March, 2008
This rarely happens to me: I just could not finish this book. I found it unbearable and about half-way through I really did not care about how these stories would continue. In my opinion, it is incredibly poorly written and frankly, I found these robot stories dull and boring content-wise as well. I read that this is supposed to be one of the classics of sci-fi. I don't have a lot of experience with that genre but if this book is supposed to be one of the best, I doubt the genre is for me.
I'll...more
I'll...more
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Read in January, 2004
I've spent a great deal of effort trying to convince people that not only is the book better than the movie (as is usually the case), but it's not even the same story at all. Will Smith's character is now printed onto the cover of the book, but that character isn't even in the book, which is actually a collection of short stories. The thing I love about Isaac Asimov is that he was an astrophysicist before he started writing, so he takes pains to explain the inner workings of his futuristic world...more
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Read in September, 2007
Wow, now I see what people were bitching about when they said the movie didn't follow the book. They both have robots in them - that's about the depth of the similarities.
Great read. I tried reading Asimov when I was a wee pup, and could never get into him. Revisiting as an adult has worked. The writing is sharp, the stories interesting.
What I found fascinating was Asimov's view of robots in the early to mid-2000s. He centers on problems of robotic ethics, whereas the technology is a gi...more
Great read. I tried reading Asimov when I was a wee pup, and could never get into him. Revisiting as an adult has worked. The writing is sharp, the stories interesting.
What I found fascinating was Asimov's view of robots in the early to mid-2000s. He centers on problems of robotic ethics, whereas the technology is a gi...more
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Read in January, 1995
This is one of my favorite books of all time. Asimov pretty much invented the modern robot story with this collection of short stories and authors and movies have been using it as a basis ever since. The idea that 3 simple laws could guide complex behavior is astonishing and wonderful. The stories are timeless and wouldn't take much tweaking to correct for assumptions made about the future at the time they were written. Asimov's stories are more about the ideas of humanity and behavior than they...more
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Read in January, 2004
I have come to find that the movie has nothing to do with the book other then the writers for the movie decided to use the Rules for robots that Isaac Asmov has put forward. Nothing in the commercials is in the book. I really wish they had just used a similar title for the movie and said that it was "inspired by" Asmov. Still the book is really good. I don't know why I was afraid that it was going to be hard-core sci-fi. It's really a series of short stories. In a way it reminds me of ...more
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recommends it for:
AI and robotic enthusiasts
This book contains several short stories about robots. Those stories revolves around the idea of three golden rules implanted in all robots so that their existence will not endanger human beings. Although it is presented rather dryly to some people - possibly literary people - as a computer programmer I found the stories intriguing and stimulating.
This is where the common everyday things meet hard logical reasoning machine. A robot that has to lie in order to conform the three golden rules in...more
This is where the common everyday things meet hard logical reasoning machine. A robot that has to lie in order to conform the three golden rules in...more
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Read in January, 2007
Time has not treated this book well. As robotics develop further and further w/o any regard to the three laws, it becomes more and more of a series of logic puzzles and less of a work of science fiction. That Asimov feels that humans might one day be better ruled by benevolent AI seems almost quaint and childish w/ a half century of robotics research being directed towards developing new killing machines. It is a fun read and a must for fans of vintage science fiction but it is simply no longer ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of science fiction
(3.5 stars) "Robopsychologist" Susan Calvin is retiring from U.S. Robots after 50+ years, and a reporter's interview ties together these nine stories Asimov wrote in the 1940s. As robots develop from non-verbal nursemaids to the Machines that control the Regions (no longer countries) of Earth, the stories present increasingly complex questions about human behavior and society. Looking forward to reading the ROBOT novels (3). Will Smith's pic on the book cover is somewhat misleading - t...more
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