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The Naked Sun

(Robot, chronological order #4)

Isaac Asimov,

Chris Moore (Illustrator)

4.16 · Rating details · 45,578 ratings · 1,558 reviews

A millennium into the future, two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the Galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermit-like existence, their every need attended to by their faithful robot servants. To this strange and provocative planet come ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 15th printing, 208 pages

Published 1996 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published December 1956)

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Jan 13, 2010 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science, childrens-young-readers, fantasy, 20th-century

The Naked Sun (Robot #2), Isaac Asimov

The Naked Sun is a science fiction novel by Russian American writer Isaac Asimov, the second in his Robot series. Like its predecessor, The Caves of Steel, this is a whodunit story.

The book was first published in 1957 after being serialized in Astounding Science Fiction between October and December 1956.

The story arises from the murder of Rikaine Delmarre, a prominent "fetologist" (fetal scientist, responsible for the operation of the planetary birthing ce The Naked Sun (Robot #2), Isaac Asimov

The Naked Sun is a science fiction novel by Russian American writer Isaac Asimov, the second in his Robot series. Like its predecessor, The Caves of Steel, this is a whodunit story.

The book was first published in 1957 after being serialized in Astounding Science Fiction between October and December 1956.

The story arises from the murder of Rikaine Delmarre, a prominent "fetologist" (fetal scientist, responsible for the operation of the planetary birthing center reminiscent of those described in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World) of Solaria, a planet politically hostile to Earth, whose death Elijah Baley is called to investigate, at the request of the Solarian government.

He is again partnered with the humanoid robot R. Daneel Olivaw, and asked by Earth's government to assess the Solarian society for weaknesses.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1996 میلادی

عنوان: خورشید عریان؛ نویسنده: ایزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: هوشنگ غیاثی نژاد؛ تهران، پاسارگاد، 1363؛ در 302ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20م

عنوان: خورشید عریان؛ نویسنده: ایزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: پوپک بریمانی؛ تهران، کوشش، 1375؛ در 310ص؛

عنوان: خورشید عریان؛ نویسنده: ایزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: پوپک بریمانی؛ تهران، کوشش، 1375؛ در 310ص؛

عنوان: خورشید عریان؛ نویسنده: ایزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: هروس شبانی؛ تهران، شقایق، 1375؛ در 365ص؛ شابک: 9645542014؛

در سیاره ی دوردست «سولاریا» قتلی رخ داده ....؛ «خورشید عریان» دنباله ی داستان شورانگیز و نامدار «غارهای پولادین» است؛ ماجراهای کارآگاهان «الیاس بیلی» و «دانیل اولیواو»، که ادامه ی داستانهای این سری در کتابهای «روباتهای سپیده دم» و «امپراطوری روباتها» دنبال میشود

ا. شربیانی ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Merphy Napier rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, four-stars, adult, classics

Asimov is quickly winning my heart. His work with AIs and world building are phenomenal. He can even make me love a genre I don't tend to read (detective mysteries). I can't wait to read more ...more

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Oct 25, 2019 Baba rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

I really enjoyed this - NY cop, a 'Plainclothesman' from the overpopulated, domed mega cities (The Caves of Steel), of Earth, Elijah Bayley is sent to the far reaches of the known universe to investigate a murder on a planet where murder never happens, where people don't even meet face-2-face, and where there are around 1,000 robots to every person!

Not only do we get a stranger in a strange land, we also get a captivating murder investigation on a planet where it is seen as grossly disturbing to ...more

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Mar 09, 2018 mark monday rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-classic, rain-man-reviews, earth-journal

photo tumblr_n026m3a2nQ1qak3fro1_500_zpsgvghr8ae.jpg

Robot 4:

::speculation on future of human life, part two:: ::humans on colony worlds portrayed:: ::but humanity is just as limited as ever:: ::humanity will bring its baggage wherever it goes, even the stars:: ::these Solarians are like Earth humans:: ::they build up walls between themselves:: ::they are afraid of contact, of touch, of affection:: ::they are like old school robots:: ::fortunately new model robots are not afraid of such things:: ::modern robots are very affectionate, just not ...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Manny rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

It's the purest speculation, but I have a theory that Isaac Asimov may have had an affair with a Swedish woman somewhere around 1955. At that time he was in his mid 30s, and had been married for around 10 years.

The evidence? Well, he wrote two novels in rapid succession, The End of Eternity and The Naked Sun, which, very unusually for the early Asimov, contain sexy female characters that play an important part in the story. Both of them have Swedish-sounding names with romantic associations. Th ...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Sesana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, mystery, audiobook

In The Caves of Steel, I was most fascinated by Elijah Baley's world, an Earth with crowded underground cities and a populace used to eating yeast, but terrified of the open sky. The Naked Sun introduces the planet of Solaria, and their culture of isolation. Each human is alone, attended by a fleet of robots, and never comes into personal contact with or even within close proximity to another human. Which is why Baley is imported from Earth to solve a Solarian murder mystery: the murderer had to ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Trish rated it really liked it

A new case for Detective Elijah Baley (a human from Earth) and R. Daneel Olivaw (a robot) and I found myself cheering at the reunion! :D

It's been a few months since the first book and Baley has been promoted. One day, he is called to Washington for a new assignment - one he can't refuse despite the fact that it is off planet!
On Solaris, one of the Spacer colonies that is politically hostile to Earth, a murder has been committed. Puzzling is how the killed scientist could live compeltely isolate A new case for Detective Elijah Baley (a human from Earth) and R. Daneel Olivaw (a robot) and I found myself cheering at the reunion! :D

It's been a few months since the first book and Baley has been promoted. One day, he is called to Washington for a new assignment - one he can't refuse despite the fact that it is off planet!
On Solaris, one of the Spacer colonies that is politically hostile to Earth, a murder has been committed. Puzzling is how the killed scientist could live compeltely isolated (he only ever "met" with others as a hologram) and yet get bludgeoned to death. The fact that his faithful robot servants simply stood by and watched despite the famous 3 laws, is a further complication.
But there is also the problem of Earth's government instructing Baley to assess Solaris for weaknesses since this is the first time an Earther is allowed on a colony planet and both groups of humans are in a dangerous struggle for the survival of the species.
Oh and then there's the fact that Baley feels VERY uncomfortable in open spaces due to him being an Earther (that was so sad to read, the phobia of open spaces, nature, direct sunlight etc).

So this was, once again, a whodunnit (the delightful part, for me, always is figuring out HOW the murder was committed, but that was almost painfully obvious here *lol*). However, since this is Asimov, we also get wittily veiled criticisms of society (from the confinement in cities to racism) and a wonderful exploration of inter-planetary politics. The worldbuilding deepened here, giving a chilling sensation at the back of my head.
In a way, the crimes are always just a vehicle with which to transport the reader to strange futures in order to see even stranger future humans and their master creation: robots.
(Though, here, we also get a glimpse at the world(s) to be explored in the Foundation cycle.)
So while this one’s mystery was „weaker“ it had a more detailed exploration of humans - both the ones back on Earth and the different Spacer colonies, which was what the author was going for, of course.

So was the 1st law broken or not? And how? After all, there is a second murder and the robots are once again not much help, confusingly enough. Dun DUN DUUUUN!

More interesting to me was the assessment of this weird, permanent social distancing (especially considering current world events). Eerily chilling. And, yes, I soaked up all the implications for future stories because all robot stories, in the end, are one. And I intend to read them all (almost). ...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, 2021-shelf

Asimov robot re-read 2/25/21

This time, like the last time, over thirty years ago, I was struck by how Asimov could twist simple agoraphobia into two distinct branches that could cover two whole branches of humanity. One, a real-presence phobia that mimicks, if not having the motive, our current society where social-distancing is required, not actively sought-after.

Of course, then, like now, introverts tend to thrive in such situations. And Bailey, coming from an extreme extrovert society on Ear ...more

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Dec 02, 2012 sologdin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: burns-like-cold-iron, loves-big-brother, nerd-boiled

Nutshell: superstar earthling detective imported to dyslibertopian planet to investigate murder.

Libertarian dystopia is Solaria, a planet of 20,000 human persons who live on separate estates, worked by 200,000,000 robot slaves (28-29). The libertarian individualism is so complete that humans don't "see" each other, but merely "view" on television (63). Names are not used on more than one person (55). Their excess is sufficient "to devote a single room to a single purpose": library, music room, g Nutshell: superstar earthling detective imported to dyslibertopian planet to investigate murder.

Libertarian dystopia is Solaria, a planet of 20,000 human persons who live on separate estates, worked by 200,000,000 robot slaves (28-29). The libertarian individualism is so complete that humans don't "see" each other, but merely "view" on television (63). Names are not used on more than one person (55). Their excess is sufficient "to devote a single room to a single purpose": library, music room, gymnasium, kitchen, bakery, dining room, machine shop, &c. (37-38)--all for only one person per estate, even spouses live on separate parts of the estate and rarely "see" each other. The viewing proceeds through a baudrillardian hyperreality device, allowing the "mistaking for reality" (45). The only regulation of human affairs is that marriages and reproduction are arranged via careful genetic governance.

FTL magic: "It lasted an instant and Baley knew it was aa jump, that oddly incomprehensible, almost mystical, momentary transition through hyperspace" (16).

Some bad lay interpretation of law: Elijah notes that a robot is incompetent to testify on Earth (80), and Daneel suggests that "a footprint can" despite being much less human than a robot. Under our rules of evidence, however, a footprint is also incompetent to testify, and requires a sworn witness to authenticate it. Similarly, Elijah's investigation insists that "murder rests on three legs," the standard lay position regarding motive, means, opportunity (81). Criminal law requires none of that, technically, requiring only a killing with specific intent or during the course of a felony, or whatever.

Cool foreshadowing of the zeroth law in Elijah's "it is as much my job to prevent harm to mankind as a whole" (125).

Absolutely grand dialogue between Elijah and a sociologist regarding the parallels of the robot economy to Sparta (133-51). Asimov's at his most engaging in this type of scene. Nifty that the "human-robot ratio in any economy that has accepted robot labor tends continuously to increase despite any laws that are passed to prevent it. The increase is slowed, but never stopped. At first the human population increases, but the robot population increases much more quickly. Then, after a critical point is reached [...] the human population begins actually to decline [...] approaches a true social stability [...] the humans are the leisure class only [...] the end of human history" (150). So, it's marxism's organic composition of capital argument regarding the falling rate of profit leading inexorably to the self-destruction of capitalism, but transformed into the robotic composition of capital, falling rate of human birthrate, leading inexorably to the self-destruction of human labor power, and Hegel's end of history in veblenic bliss. All based on robot slavery, of course. No wonder the robots in The Terminator, The Matrix, and Battlestar Galactica commit genocide against their former owners. It's Toussaint l'Ouverture up in this bitch.

We are into Brave New World territory when the investigation carries Elijah to a fetus farm (157-75).

The third great conversation of the novel is with a robotics theorist (187-99), especially with respect to creating violations of the three laws through carefully worded instructions.

Recommended for those who are logical but not reasonable, readers who feel neither sympathy nor patience for queasy robots, and persons for whom the distinction between seeing the person and viewing the person's image is all the difference there is. ...more

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Dec 10, 2017 Fran rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, science-fiction, adult, dystopian

In my opinion not as good as the original "Caves of Steel" but still quite readable, provided you remember this is a 6 decades old book.

The murder mystery side of the book is interesting, albeit a bit naive if you're a fan on the genre, but fits seamlessly among the sci-fi part of the story.

As before, love the robot0human interactions.

All in all, a solid sequel. ...more

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Apr 23, 2017 Denisse rated it it was amazing

Asimov + Science fiction + Thriller. I don't think there's anything better. What can I say. I loved this little bastard. I love Asimov's Robots universe, all the problems it has and this one in particular is completely page turner and interesting. The best main character I have read in an Asimov book and a premise way more entangled than the 5 other novels I have read of him. Just read this beauty, please.

Que buena secuela. Si esas últimas páginas no te hacen querer seguir leyendo a los Robots d ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Ivana Books Are Magic rated it it was amazing

The Naked Sun, (the second novel in the Robot series) is a living proof that you can write a detective story set in a future that will not only be interesting, but also profound in the way best science fiction books are. A mix of science fiction and crime is not something everyone can pull of, but Asimov makes it look easy. In fact, Asimov's Robot series is one of my favourite ones.

The writing in this novel is so clean and precise, not one word or sentence too much or to little. Asimov writing The Naked Sun, (the second novel in the Robot series) is a living proof that you can write a detective story set in a future that will not only be interesting, but also profound in the way best science fiction books are. A mix of science fiction and crime is not something everyone can pull of, but Asimov makes it look easy. In fact, Asimov's Robot series is one of my favourite ones.

The writing in this novel is so clean and precise, not one word or sentence too much or to little. Asimov writing is typically well rounded, descriptive and intelligent, but The Naked Sun takes it to a whole new level. I don't know if this novel was written this way or edited to perfection but if this novel was edited, it had a great editor. So many writers could learn from Asimov. Not every book needs to be 500+ pages long. Sometimes a shorter novel can deliver a message that is just as strong. One of the things I love about the Asimov's Robot series is that his novels are just the perfect length. It is amazing how much philosophy, sociology and science can be cramped into such a tiny novel. Not to say anything about memorable characters (both human and non-human) and interesting dialogues.

I know I said that Robots of Dawn is my favourite novel in the Robot series, but somehow I managed to skip this one without realizing it. I thought I read it before, but I actually only got the chance to read it yesterday. I read it in what felt like one breath and I loved it just as much. Can I have two favourites? Pretty please!!! Just like with the other books in the series, the murder mystery part was exceptionally well written. Indeed, this novel kept me not interested, but also deeply fascinated. I was fascinated by the description of Solaris planet and its society. The plot was well written and paced, so I enjoyed the crime aspect of this novel just as much.

The examination of what it means to be a robot as opposed to being human is a big part of this novel as well. However, I had a feeling this one focused more on two aspects of humanity: the Earthlings and the Spacers (people who found home outside Earth). The writer paints a very different picture of humans living on Earth and those living on Outer Words.

The way technology influences us is a fascinating subject and one that made me think. On Solaria, people 'view' rather than 'see' one another, that is they only communicate virtually (with holographic projection). I wonder what would Asimov think if he lived to see the world today where business and personal meetings are often Skype (and holograms are sometimes used as well). Would he be surprised by how accurate he was in some of his predictions?

Moreover, the difference between Spacers and Earthlings is often contrasted in this novel. The economical and social structure of two different planets (Earth and Solaris) are examined. For example, humans living on Earth live under-ground and as a consequence suffer from what looks like acute agoraphobia. When our Earth detective gets summoned to solve a case of murder on Solaris, he doesn't go there only as a detective but as a representative of the Earth. He has more on his mind than just figuring out one murder- and not just because in order to figure it, he needs to figure out the dramatically different human society existing on Solaris but because the very future of Earthlings and Spacers might depend on it. He also has to fight his phobia, not just to be able to do his job well, but to open a new future for mankind. To conclude, I can definitely recommend this novel, especially to fans of science fiction and/ or crime genre.

MY BLOG:
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Oct 25, 2018 Patrick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, classics

The Naked Sun was even better than Caves of Steel! Asimov’s Robot series are probably one of the greatest sci-fi series of all time. I really love these books. Foundation was great but these are better.

I liked how Asimov tried to use sci-fi in other genres. The Robot series are more mystery than sci-fi but his inclusion of space exploration, robots, and artificial intelligence make it both. I thought Asimov was a good sci-fi author after having read the Foundation series but after getting into ...more

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Jun 19, 2017 Tim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, reviewed, 1950s, mystery-crime

Science fiction and mystery novels go together so well that I’m always a bit surprised there aren’t more of them (while I know several others, it is not a sub-genre that really seems prominent). After all, the idea of a mystery is the focus on discovering answers, and science fiction is (as it has always seemed to me at least) a way to reflect on the ways people interact with each other, with technology and with our environment. The basic things we look for in a murder mystery are motive, the we Science fiction and mystery novels go together so well that I’m always a bit surprised there aren’t more of them (while I know several others, it is not a sub-genre that really seems prominent). After all, the idea of a mystery is the focus on discovering answers, and science fiction is (as it has always seemed to me at least) a way to reflect on the ways people interact with each other, with technology and with our environment. The basic things we look for in a murder mystery are motive, the weapon and the scene of the crime. These parallel each other so well, and the added science fiction element makes the discovery aspect of a mystery all the more fascinating as we learn the rules of this strange new world along with our clues. Asimov seems to have found this parallel as interesting as I do, as he wrote three novels following Elijah Baley, an earthman and plainclothes police officer, who frequently gets caught up in robot related mysteries.

I found the first book in the series, The Caves of Steel, to be an overall enjoyable novel but not one that I really wowed me. The aspect that appealed to me the most was the setting, an earth where the population lives entirely underground. People as a whole have become extremely agoraphobic due to never having seen outside spaces. It was a plot point, but more than anything, it was a constant element towards the world building and view of the characters.

The second novel expands upon this in an absolutly fascinating way. The plot revolves around Baley once again solving the murder of a spacer, but instead this time he is forced to go offworld to investigate. While the mystery itself is interesting and quite entertaining, Asimov seems to have more fun playing with cultural differences. Here Baley is stuck in a world that has a very small population (as compared to the overpopulated earth) and with no dome to protect him from the sun. The examination of how alien this world to Baley is fascinating as it in many ways feels far more natural to us (theres a small moment that I particularly loved that describes Baley becoming disturbed by the wind moving his clothes).

This is not to say the world isn’t alien to us, because it absolutly is. Solaria is a planet where people rarely ever come into contact, prefering to view eachother through generated visuals. Actually seeing someone in person is a taboo and all ideas of physical contact are deemed offensive. Again, a fascinating difference from Baley’s Earth where the population is such that people all lived jamed together and have all meals in cafeterias as a group. These cultural differences make for a wonderful story in and of themselves… the mystery is a nice bonus as it is rather cleverly done as well (much more so than the first novel).

I do have complaints. I don’t understand why Baley is considered a great detective or how he even manages to solve crimes as he seems rather obtuse. When convenient for the author, he doesn’t pick up on phrasings that tell you so much about characters and societies, thus asking extremely obvious questions. I get that he is supposed to be asking the questions that the reader may have about this alien world, but often it just makes it feel as if he has no reasoning skills (yet then he is able to see all subtitles from a sociological standpoint and make predictions about the directions MULTIPLE PLANETS WILL GO TOWARDS!).

Still, I will let that slide as I enjoyed the rest. Baley and Daneel still make for a compelling duo, one being the classic human detective with his (less pronounced this time) prejudice towards his partner, and the other being the extremely helpful, but fully logical, robot. Their interactions are a joy to read and I wish they would have had more time together, instead they separated and we only follow Baley’s investigation.

As a personal side note that really doesn’t alter my review, I’ve got to say that I really enjoy some of these classic science fiction novels in terms of stylistic choices. This novel is entirely devoid of profanity, yet Baley will constantly yell “Jehoshaphat” whenever he is surprised or annoyed. In so many other novels this would annoy me… here, it’s rather charming.

A solid 4 out of 5 and highly recommended for classic science fiction fans... with the warning that the first book, while not as enjoyable (in my opinion at least) is essential to get the most out of this one. ...more

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Nov 18, 2015 Davyne DeSye rated it it was amazing

Disclaimer: This is the very first science fiction book I ever read, at the age of 15 (stuck in hospital), and I was swept away... enough to forget the pain for a bit! My father brought me this book and it is one of the many things for which I will forever be thankful to him.

The disclaimer having been delivered, you can’t be surprised at my rating!

Much like Caves of Steel, the book before this one, this reads like a classic murder mystery with the flawed but lovable hard-boiled detective… but is ...more

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Apr 15, 2010 Kara rated it did not like it

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 10, 2008 Stephen rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, easton-press, 1954-1969, humans-rule-the-galaxy, mystery, good-guys, metal-men

4.5 stars. I just re-read this story after first reading it years ago. This is the second book of the Robot series taking place shortly after the excellent The Caves of Steel. Like The Caves of Steel, this story is structured as a murder mystery though this one is set on the Spacer world of Solaria. Again, Elijah Bailey is reunited with his robot partner Daneel Olivaw to investigate the murder, thus time of a Solarian scientist.

Asimov continues his exploration of the contrast between Earth cult ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Silvana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, mine-mine-mine, space-the-final-frontier, z-sff-2019-reading-challenge, dead-trees, z-sl-laser-challenge-2019, solving-crimes

I am glad I decided to continue with this series. It's basically a good ol' detective story within a world where humans living with robots and had populated other planets. There is a juxtaposition between worlds here - the increasingly isolationist Earth with their enclosed cities and a planet where the MC investigated a murder in - Solaria - where the humans grew physically apart from each other for almost their whole life, lived individually in their own estate, got married only when they've b ...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Stephen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 1954-1969, metal-men, mystery, humans-rule-the-galaxy, good-guys, science-fiction, the-worlds-the-thing, sff-detectives

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Apr 23, 2009 Nicky rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, crime, mystery

I can't remember if I've read The Naked Sun before. I think I did, because I had a vague idea about the end. Anyway. This time, it took me ages to read, and I'm not sure why -- when I finally settled down to it, I read over half of it in pretty much one sitting. Elijah Baley, an earth detective who was introduced in The Caves of Steel, is sent to an Outer World planet to investigate something unheard of there: a murder. And Daneel, the robot who assists him in the first book, meets him there as ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Paul rated it it was ok

Shelves: scifi, fiction

This is a pretty weak book. I think it's obvious that Asimov was writing this before the era where people actually interacted with logical beings (computers, etc) regularly, and as such the robots just come off as subservient humans, not logical creatures in any particular way.

Additionally, Asimov's idea of human psychological development is pretty laughable. He seems to think that in the future all people will be terminally unable to handle anything unfamiliar to them. People from Earth all liv ...more

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Nov 15, 2012 J Austill rated it liked it

I seem to disagree with the consensus on this book, as I think that this one is far improved from the first.

The concept of this series, as you all likely know, was to combine the detective novel and scifi novel genres. However, in the first book, the protagonist did everything he could to not investigate the crime until the very end when he guessed correctly.

This time we get a true, if not textbook, detective novel. There are certainly robots and a new world and culture to explore, but the main ...more

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Sep 17, 2018 Marty Fried rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, audiobooks

This was somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars for me. Not a bad story, with some interesting things to think about, but a little boring to me due to belaboring the points, in my opinion. It sounds a little preachy at times, although I'm not sure of his point. Perhaps that robots are not going to replace humans any time in the far future.

The main human character, a plainclothes detective from Earth, is often a bit of a jerk to me. He doesn't like having robots doing everything for him, so he'd rathe ...more

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Jun 21, 2015 Alina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

Another excellent mixture between SF and mystery/detective, featuring the same main characters from The Caves of Steel, Elijah Baley & (R.) Daneel Olivaw.

The accent is now on the planet Solaria and its inhabitants, whose way of life is extremely different from life on Earth: there are about 20.000 humans on the planet, they have a very rigid controlled birth rate, infants are raised to prefer solitude, direct personal contact being their strongest taboo. In contrast with the low numbered human p ...more

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Jan 25, 2018 Ce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-foundation, science-fiction, read-in-english, 2018, space-opera

The Naked Sun (Robot #2) (Foundation Universe #4)
Second book in the Robot series, and # 4 in the proposed reading order that I'm following for the Foundation series.

I really liked the "chemistry" between Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw, the two main characters, while they get another murder case to solve. The descriptions of Solaria's customs were fun, though a little naive, and we get another look at the interaction between the earthmen and the spacers. ...more

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Apr 26, 2018 Vylūnė rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi, audiobooks, detective-fiction

A decent detective story and a decent robot story in one book. The world building deserves applause.

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Jun 14, 2007 Punk rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, robots

SF. Baley's called to investigate another murder, this one off planet. R. Daneel provides back up. Sherlock Holmes could have solved this case in his sleep, but, again, the book's really just an excuse to play with different sociological perspectives. This one's set on a planet where the people are so isolated that personal interaction has become taboo. This makes the inseparable Daneel and Elijah raise some eyebrows. Witness the scene where they're conducting an interview over the 3-D viewer-th ...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Bill Burris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I have read this book once or twice before, but remembered almost nothing about the story.

I need to get going on the rest of the Foundation Universe Series, before I forget too many details from this book and The Caves of Steel. I am thinking that there are some ideas here which lead up to what Hari Seldon was thinking about. ...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Julie Davis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermit-like existence, their every need attended to by their faithful robot servants. To this strange and provocative planet comes Detective Elijah Baley, sent from the streets of New York with his positronic partner, the robot R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve an incredible murder that has rocked Solaria to its foundations. The victim had been so reclusive that he appeared to his associates only through holographic pro

On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermit-like existence, their every need attended to by their faithful robot servants. To this strange and provocative planet comes Detective Elijah Baley, sent from the streets of New York with his positronic partner, the robot R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve an incredible murder that has rocked Solaria to its foundations. The victim had been so reclusive that he appeared to his associates only through holographic projection. Yet someone had gotten close enough to bludgeon him to death while robots looked on.

What a shocker! I suspected the murderer but not the ending Asimov gave us. Wow.

The Naked Sun gives us a look at the mysterious Outer Worlds, first mentioned in The Caves of Steel. Solaria has never had a crime, due to their extremely privileged population served solely by robots who, of course, never commit crimes of passion. Lige Bailey finds this open, practically empty environment poses both the challenges of solving the mystery and of adapting his agoraphobic nature, thanks to a lifetime of living in underground cities on overpopulated Earth.

Asimov has fun looking at the sociological effects of a high-tech, low population world. I was fascinated by Asimov's contrast of Elijah Bailey, used only to an overcrowded Earth, with the outworld Solarian society which had open space, eugenics, and many robots. There is no way Asimov could have foreseen our computer-oriented society today, but I found the Solarian society's preference for "viewing" through screens rather than "seeing" in person to be a disturbing echo of what we ourselves seem to be moving toward.

I originally read this long ago and remembered a lot about the Solarian society but almost nothing about the mystery itself. Listening to William Dufris' excellent narration, so long after my first reading, I found this a wonderful mystery. Dufris surpassed his performance in The Caves of Steel as he voiced a wide range of Solarian characters from sensuous to prim, blowhard to reserved, blustering to withdrawn. My favorite voices actually were the Solarian robots which were precisely what you'd expect, and which we hadn't heard yet though several robots spoke in The Caves of Steel.

If you haven't revisited this series lately I recommend it highly, especially this audio version which brings it to life in a fresh way. I received this audiobook review copy from SFFaudio. ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Alexander rated it really liked it

Shelves: vintage-futures, hypotheticals, new-maps-of-hell

Published in 1957, Asimov astoundingly prophesies the doomed narcissism of Planet Facebook in his vision of Solaria, a schizoid world where direct, non-computer-moderated face-to-face contact has evolved into a taboo obscenity.

Though at first the mystery-plot struck me as less compellingly realized than THE CAVES OF STEEL (1954), Asimov throws long and deep in the last chapter, tying the genre-clockwork of whodunit to galactic themes of humankind's terror and fascination with the frontier of dee ...more

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About Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov

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Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine o Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (lacking only an entry in the 100s category of Philosophy).

Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He penned numerous short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time, a title many still honor. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as a great amount of nonfiction. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.

Most of Asimov's popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, and Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs" He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, NY elementary school, and two different Isaac Asimov Awards are named in his honor.

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Isaac Asimov. (2007, November 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:50, November 29, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As... ...more

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“Civilizations have always been pyramidal in structure. As one climbs toward the apex of the social edifice, there is increased leisure and increasing opportunity to pursue hapiness. As one climbs, one finds also fewer and fewer people to enjoy this more and more. Invariably, there is a preponderance of the dispossessed. And remember this, no matter how well off the bottom layers of the pyramid might be on an absolute scale, they are always dispossessed in comparison with the apex.” — 16 likes

“But he no longer feared the fear! It was not something to run from, that fear, but something to fight.” — 11 likes

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