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The Robots of Dawn

(Robot #3)

Isaac Asimov

4.16 · Rating details · 36,228 ratings · 1,192 reviews

A millennium into the future two advances have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the Galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov's Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.

Detective Elijah Baley is called to the Spacer world Aurora to solve ...more

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Paperback, 435 pages

Published March 1st 1994 by Spectra (first published 1983)

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Jul 01, 2009 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, science, fiction, 20th-century

The Robots of Dawn (Robot #3), Isaac Asimov
The Robots of Dawn is a "whodunit" science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. It is the third novel in Asimov's Robot series.
Detective Elijah Baley of Earth is training with his son and others to overcome their socially ingrained agoraphobia when he is told that the Spacer world of Aurora has requested him to investigate a crime: the destruction of the mind of R. Jander Panell, a humaniform robot identical to R. The Robots of Dawn (Robot #3), Isaac Asimov
The Robots of Dawn is a "whodunit" science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. It is the third novel in Asimov's Robot series.
Detective Elijah Baley of Earth is training with his son and others to overcome their socially ingrained agoraphobia when he is told that the Spacer world of Aurora has requested him to investigate a crime: the destruction of the mind of R. Jander Panell, a humaniform robot identical to R. Daneel Olivaw, with a mental block. The robot's inventor, Han Fastolfe, has admitted that he is the only person with the skill to have done this, but denies having done it. Fastolfe is also a prominent member of the Auroran political faction that favors Earth; wherefore, it is politically expedient that he be exonerated. En route to Aurora, Baley again is partnered with R. Daneel Olivaw, and introduced to R. Giskard Reventlov, a robot of an earlier model. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه آگوست سال 1995 میلادی
عنوان: روباتهای سپیده دم؛ آیزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: هروس شبانی؛ تهران، شقایق، 1376، در 576 ص؛ داستانهای علمی تخیلی؛
دنباله ی داستانهای غارهای پولادی و خورشید عریان
روباتهای سپیده دم، ادامه ی «غارهای پولادی»، و «خورشید عریان» است. باز هم قتلی رخ داده، به عبارت دقیقتر یک ربات کُشی. باز هم کاراگاه الیاس بیلی، که اینک بواسطه ی یک فیلمِِ بین سیاره ای (که در مورد ماجرای او در سیاره سولاریا، و پرونده ی قتل یک سولاریایی، و حل آن) ساخته شده، بسیار نام آشنا شده است، باز هم برای بررسی و پژوهش فراخوانده میشود. اما ناخواسته، مسئولیت بسیار سنگینی، به اندازه ی همه ی سیاره ی زمین نیز، در این ماجرا، بر دوش او گذاشته میشود. اگر در حل این رخداد پیروز نشود، به زیان همه ی ساکنین زمین، و بیشتر از همه، خود او تمام خواهد شد؛ و در صورت پیروزی، علاوه بر شهرت، و اعتبار بیشتر، آینده ی زمین، و فرزندانش، و فرزند خود او نیز، با مهاجرت به سیارات تازه، تامین خواهد بود. زمین، از بند غارهای عظیم پولادی، رها خواهد شد، به آفتاب سلامی دوباره خواهد داد، و همانند هزار سال پیش، دل به پهنه ی کهکشان، خواهد سپرد، و سیارات قابل سکونت خواهد یافت، و مهاجرنشینان تازه تشکیل خواهد داد و ... ا. شربیانی ...more

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Dec 26, 2013 Apatt rated it really liked it

“I cannot say what I feel in any human sense, Partner Elijah. I can say, however, that the sight of you seems to make my thoughts flow more easily, and the gravitational pull on my body seems to assault my senses with lesser insistence."

Ahh.. good old R. Daneel Olivaw, how I have missed you.

It has been decades since I read anything by Isaac Asimov. When I started reading sci-fi in my teens Asimov was the go-to author for new readers. I was not quite ready for Heinlein or Clarke but Asimov’s The ...more

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Jun 22, 2015 Alina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-light

The final chapter and, mainly, the final conversation, smoothly snatched the 5th star.

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Sep 21, 2013 Barbara rated it really liked it

This sci-fi mystery takes place in the distant future when the Earth is vastly overcrowded and the entire population lives underground and has severe phobias about going outside.

When the story opens a humanoid robot has been "killed" on the planet Aurora which was colonized by Earth people long ago. A famous roboticist - the only one in the galaxy who knows how to create humanoid robots - is accused of the crime.

The detective Elijah Baley, an Earth-man, is called in to investigate with his ...more

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Aug 31, 2014 Ms. Smartarse rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, murder, classics, mystery

For all you sci-fi buffs, who are considering reading I Robot and The Rest of the Robots before The Robots of Dawn: it is not necessary. Still, my inner geek was extremely proud of itself, for having read them after all.

I'm brilliant!

Our trusty hero, Elijah Baley, has formed a small "club" of people who venture outside their cities, in order to gradually get used to the outer world with its changing meteorological conditions. Meanwhile he has also been (unsuccessfully) petitioning, to be allowed a trip to ...more

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Jun 26, 2007 Punk rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, robots

SF. This is the third in the R. Daneel Olivaw series and Detective Elijah Baley has been sent off-planet to Aurora to investigate a roboticide. He's loaded on a spacer ship, deloused, and then sent to his quarters where he's to remain for the duration of the journey. Everything's so foreign and uncomfortable that Elijah can't help himself when he sees Daneel come through the door -- he hugs him.

These books are all still about the love between a man and his humaniform robot. Over the course of SF. This is the third in the R. Daneel Olivaw series and Detective Elijah Baley has been sent off-planet to Aurora to investigate a roboticide. He's loaded on a spacer ship, deloused, and then sent to his quarters where he's to remain for the duration of the journey. Everything's so foreign and uncomfortable that Elijah can't help himself when he sees Daneel come through the door -- he hugs him.

These books are all still about the love between a man and his humaniform robot. Over the course of the trilogy, Elijah goes from hating robots on principal, to grudgingly working with one, to actively liking Daneel, to thinking of him not as a robot, but as a friend. Elijah overcomes his prejudices (most of them), opens his mind, and starts considering alternate ways of thinking, spearheading a movement to return earthlings to the soil and send them out into space to relieve the stress on an already crowded Earth. This book is a little less Elijah/Daneel intensive because Daneel spends a lot of his time on Aurora chillin' in a wall niche, but there's still plenty of love. Actual textual love. Observe:

"Yes, Dr. Vasilia. My choice in the matter -- the Earthman over you -- arises not only out of Dr. Fastolfe's instructions, but because the Earthman and I are partners in this investigation and because--" Daneel paused as though puzzled by what he was about to say, and then said it anyway, "--we are friends."

Vasilia said, "Friends? An Earthman and a humaniform robot? Well, there is a match. Neither quite human."

Baley said, sharply, "Nevertheless bound by friendship. Do not, for your own sake, test the force of our--" Now it was he who paused and, as though to his own surprise, completed the sentence impossibly, "--love."

Love! I was eating crackers at the time and nearly choked. The really fabulous thing about all this is the suggestion that it's a just a short hop away from Daneel and Elijah actually being in love. After all, this is the book that introduces the phrase "robot husband" and features Elijah thinking he'd cuddle up to Daneel for comfort if only he were human. And then he pretty much does it anyway. I'm telling you, all about the love. ...more

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Nov 05, 2018 Patrick rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, 2018-reading-challenge

Sadly, I did not like this book as much as I wanted to. I love the mystery solving detective Baley and his robot sidekick, Daneel, but the story fell short for me.

First, there was way too much discussion about the landscape, traditions, sexual practices, bathroom business, etc on Aurora that I would rather not know. I wouldn’t have read this if I knew it was an ethnography for the first 240 pages.

Second, the book was twice as long as the others which really diluted the greatness it could have ...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Catie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, series, sci-fi

I think that I would have really liked to know Isaac Asimov. I am usually too lazy to add photos into my reviews (Applause for all you creative types out there!) but I had to share this photo from the jacket of my book:

I mean, Jehoshaphat! Have mutton chops, nerd glasses, and a bolo tie ever been so adorable? I know I don’t think so. He was, by all accounts, an incredibly brainy person (He was the vice-president of Mensa!), but, to me, his humble, plain-speaking nature really comes across in ...more

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Aug 10, 2008 Stephen rated it really liked it

Shelves: humans-rule-the-galaxy, 1980-1989, multiple-award-nominee, easton-press, award-nominee-hugo, award-nominee-locus, audiobook, good-guys, mystery, metal-men

4.0 stars. I really enjoy the Robot novels by Asimov. He is a master at creating larger than life characters and then making you care about what happens to them. This story begins the bridge between Asimov's Robot novels and the Foundation series. Highly Recommended!!

Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1984)

Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1984)

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May 15, 2013 Kit rated it really liked it

Okay, so star rating==not always indicative of book quality with me, but before you say I am unfairing this review, let me explain you a thing: (( SPOILERS TO FOLLOW ))

My god, I adore robots interacting with people. My god. I am sure none of you could tell this about me at all because I am clearly quite subtle about it, but I have always been delighted to read about closeness between humans and nonhumans. I love the way it makes me think about how logic and reason works in different people as Okay, so star rating==not always indicative of book quality with me, but before you say I am unfairing this review, let me explain you a thing: (( SPOILERS TO FOLLOW ))

My god, I adore robots interacting with people. My god. I am sure none of you could tell this about me at all because I am clearly quite subtle about it, but I have always been delighted to read about closeness between humans and nonhumans. I love the way it makes me think about how logic and reason works in different people as well as different cultures and backgrounds. I enjoy thinking about relationships with people being more than just the sum of person-to-person, but person to object, person to space, person to idea, person to symbol, etc, and I find that the unique mindset of a robot (sounds weird, I know) really aids me in understanding more about these differences in view or expectation.

Asimov's books are great for that and although he is rather good at illuminating these other types of relationships or engagements, he is not the best writer of relationships in the male-to-female realm...so here's where the first statement I made comes in: Asimov is far better at writing the chemistry and dynamics between Baley and Daneel, Baley and Giskard, Baley and Solaria, Baley and Aurora, Baley and Dr. Fastolfe, Baley and food, Baley and a bathroom, Baley and...
...well, you get the idea.

Asimov had great ideas and a rather lovely way of exploring them, but for some reason, the realm of romantic relationships between men and women seems to be a huge roadblock to enjoying this book, both in myself as a reader and in Asimov in his ability to let the story flow. The relationship between Baley and Gladia is carried out in a way that is cringeworthy at worst and completely stilted and baffling at best. The way he writes their fling seems carefully constructed in its intent to make Baley the Mr. Man hero of the piece even more, but it kinda falls flat. I actually laughed out loud in their final parting with the melodramatic utterances of "...my love..." after Baley was so flighty about their morning after dinner. I didn't really see the relationship developing to a point that ever really made sense, so I was even more amused to see that, just like the mystery itself, Asimov had Gladia explain step by step what happened and how she was lead to giving Baley the ol' nightshift nurse routine. How romantic! :P

I've got to say, I adore the way he writes the interactions between Baley and /literally everyone else/ in this novel, though. I'm kinda loving the way Dr. F screws with Baley for his own "research", and, of course, all that this entails with our dear R. Giskard at the end. It makes for cute Sci-Fi schmaltz, but I enjoy it all so very much.

Aaaaaaaaand as for Daneel, the faithful android partner?

...you keep standin' by your hu-man, bro. Keep being his android seatbelt and shrink. Mad respect, Mr. Olivaw. Mad. Respect. :) ...more

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Jul 19, 2016 Ivana Books Are Magic rated it it was amazing

You know even if this novel wasn't as a great read as it happened to be, it would have deserved five stars on the merit of that last chapter alone. The ending of this novel was absolutely brilliant. Not only that I didn't see it coming, I didn't expect anything of the kind. It was such a worthy ending to the series! Talk about finishing with style! Still, let's get back to the beginning, shall we? This is the final novel in Asimov’s Robot series and it happens to be my favourite one. I liked the You know even if this novel wasn't as a great read as it happened to be, it would have deserved five stars on the merit of that last chapter alone. The ending of this novel was absolutely brilliant. Not only that I didn't see it coming, I didn't expect anything of the kind. It was such a worthy ending to the series! Talk about finishing with style! Still, let's get back to the beginning, shall we? This is the final novel in Asimov’s Robot series and it happens to be my favourite one. I liked the way it was formatted as a murder mystery and I think it didn’t make this novel any less profound. The murder plot was exceptionally well written so not surprisingly it kept me pretty interested, but it didn’t take my attention from what I enjoyed most about this novel and that was its examination of what it is to be human. Moreover, this novel made me think about a great deal of things and I always love novels that do that. Surely such an intelligent and perfectly plotted novel you cannot find every day!

The story is such a great read. Both a murder mystery and a profound examination of what it essentially means to be human. Its protagonists, a detective and his robot friend, get reunited to work on a case together. Solving this case is very important for more reasons than one… let’s just say they are both very motivated to do so because it will have a lasting effect on human society as such. While they are trying to solve the robocite case, Asimov paints for us a fantastically detailed account of a future society. Some details may feel a bit dated to a modern reader, but only a bit, because Asimov really had a knack for predicting possible future uses of technology. Well, when you’re a scientist yourself (as he was), it must be easier to get the science part right. However, I don’t think that science plays as an important part in this novel as in some of his other works.
The protagonists of this novel appeared in the series before, so if you read any of the earlier ones, you’ll be happy to see more of them. Nevertheless, I think it could be said that this novel can be read on its own. Sure, there are references to earlier works, but they are not relevant for understanding the story. Even if you hadn’t read any Asimov prior to this, you won’t have any problems following this story or understanding the relationship between its protagonists.
One of the things that I personally enjoyed a lot was the way the author showed how the society we grow up influences us. That was especially the case on the example of a pretty well developed female character. She was raised up differently than others and hence has problems fitting in. This novel made me consider about the role that a society plays a part in how we find our romantic interesting or how and even why we establish relationship with others. For those of you who like that nurture vs. nature debate, this will be a fascinating read.
Another thing I immensely liked were the dialogues. Asimov tends to write didactic and long dialogues, that still feel credible and naturally. In this sense, Robots of Dawn is no exception. Furthermore, dialogues play an important part in this novel because it is through them that we find out not only what the characters are thinking, but what their intentions might be. If you like deductive and logical writing, this is something you might enjoy. The detective in this novel is a well portrayed and his thinking process is an interesting one to follow.
To whom I would recommend this novel besides fans of science fiction and detective stories? To those who enjoy clean and intelligent writing. I think that fans of dystopian literature might find this one interesting as well. Dystopian is sometimes used as a synonym for SF and while I wouldn’t agree with that, I think Asimov’s works are something that a fans of dystopian literature would enjoy as well. Why? Because the way he crafts his future worlds goes into exploration what we are as human beings and it even predicts of what we might be capable of it. Moreover, I do believe this novel isn’t only about some society in the future but it very much about our own society, an examination of our own weaknesses and strengths, a novel that tell us something of who we are as humans. In that sense, I think Roberts of Dawn is still a very relevant novel.
To sum up, this novel fulfils the full potential of science fiction literature and it is among the best things written in the genre. That’s my personal opinion and I would like to add that this happens to be the best novel by Isaac Asimov that I have read so far. I was utterly amazed by it. I do like Asimov as a writer and I’ve been into SF since my adolescence. Nevertheless, The Robots of Dawn felt like something different, not in a way that it didn’t contain those elements that I usually like in Asimov’s book, but in a sense that it contained them in a more perfect balance. It was just perfect. It dealt with so much, from politics to social customs, it had characters that appealed to me, it worked perfectly on so many levels and it had a fantastic ending. I can't praise it enough.
...more

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Jun 09, 2014 Marie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh gosh do I wish I could give this book more stars. It was one of my absolute favorites as a kid! Robot sex! Independent (I thought at the time) women! The introduction of Giskard, the mind-reading robot! What's not to love?

... well, about 90% of the book is dialog, for one. Expository dialog. And meandering expository dialog on unrelated topics to prolong tension as you wait for person A to finally come through on what they said to person B about a motive for the roboticide?

The mystery itself Oh gosh do I wish I could give this book more stars. It was one of my absolute favorites as a kid! Robot sex! Independent (I thought at the time) women! The introduction of Giskard, the mind-reading robot! What's not to love?

... well, about 90% of the book is dialog, for one. Expository dialog. And meandering expository dialog on unrelated topics to prolong tension as you wait for person A to finally come through on what they said to person B about a motive for the roboticide?

The mystery itself is kind of muddy - is killing a robot murder on this planet or not? Near the end, the local justice tells us a firm "Not" which makes me wonder why Elijah Baley was brought up from Earth at great expense.

MEH.

At one point, I actually counted pages. Dr. Fastlof says, "But I do have a motive!" on page 90, and he and Elijah discuss bathrooms and robotics for the next 20 pages! On page 110, Dr. Fastlof finally reveals what his motive might have been. WOW. Just... WOW.

What I'm saying here is - my heroes have feet of clay. I get it. Oh, but it's still got its moments. And as an adult I caught myself chuckling gleefully at all the homoerotic subtext between Daneel and Baley. Let's face it - it's not very "sub" text. There are longing looks in eyes, hugs, and Baley even rests his head against Daneel's chest for comfort. AWW. Where is my Daneel/Baley slash fic? Can I get a side of Daneel/Giskard? Giskard/Baley? Kthnx.

Giskard is still a delight, and there are moments of something like subtlety in the way he interacts with other characters. I love that Baley at first dismisses him as an inferior robot to Daneel. It's a little cringe-worthy that he calls him "Boy!" but I get what Asimov was trying to do.

The action picks up considerably near the end of the novel, with there being actual action and all. There's a hovercraft crash, a sex scene, and the courtroom (of sorts) climax. That's... well, that's all the action. Sorry.

Still, I have great fondness for the ending and for Asimov in general. I think, perhaps, that I'll avoid re-visiting my old favorites in the future, lest I tarnish the memories. ...more

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Aug 09, 2008 Jason Pettus rated it it was ok

Shelves: postmodernism, classic, personal-favorite, sci-fi

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Nov 06, 2012 Ivana rated it it was amazing

Why is that I always have such a hard time writing about my favourite novels? I'm not sure, but it is always so hard to find the right words to describe literature that I hold in high esteem.

This is the best novel by Isaac Asimov that I have read so far. I was just amazed by it. I do like Asimov and from my book shelf you can see that I'm no stranger to sf. However, The Robots of Dawn was something different. It was just perfect. It dealt with so much, from politics to social customs. In one ...more

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Nov 18, 2015 Davyne DeSye rated it it was amazing

Just love this book, for so many reasons!

First, the purely obvious one: I love the duo of Elijah Baley, hard-boiled detective, and R. (short for ‘robot’) Daneel Olivaw, his partner, so of course, I would be pleased with another installment of their detecting adventures together! (While this story is the third in a series, it stands completely on its own and can be read and enjoyed without having to read the first two books.)

I also love the romance in this one. Asimov is not very big on including Just love this book, for so many reasons!

First, the purely obvious one: I love the duo of Elijah Baley, hard-boiled detective, and R. (short for ‘robot’) Daneel Olivaw, his partner, so of course, I would be pleased with another installment of their detecting adventures together! (While this story is the third in a series, it stands completely on its own and can be read and enjoyed without having to read the first two books.)

I also love the romance in this one. Asimov is not very big on including romance in his stories, but I can’t figure out why – he certainly writes one well enough! (Not that this is a romance novel. It’s not. But the subplot inclusion of a little romance was nice!)

And, well, this is going to sound silly, but… I love the food descriptions in this book. I am hedonist when it comes to food. Or perhaps a glutton? Sheesh, neither of those words is very nice, so maybe I’ll just say I’m a food lover. In the previous books in this robot series, it has been made clear that food on over-crowded Earth is mostly made from yeast… and Asimov’s descriptions are enough to make me think I’d just die of starvation if I had to live in his Caves of Steel. I mean, zymoveal. Yuck. It just sounds gross. I’d rather not eat, thank you. But in this book, Elijah Baley joins his partner Daneel on the planet of Aurora, the oldest of the settled planets. Here he experiences fresh/real fruit, fresh/real vegetables, real meat… sigh. Just reading about Elijah (who is, of course, homesick for Earth) lamenting that the one thing he will miss on returning to his home planet is this wonderful food… Well, I was pumping my fist in the air every time and saying “Amen!”

And finally, this book is the key piece of the series that wonderfully ties all his other books in (a) the Robot series, (b) the Galactic Empire series and (c) the Foundation series together. He drops little hints here and there that someone unfamiliar with the entire 14-book super-series would not get (even though they add to this particular story and are not out of place) and that just give me that tingly “Ooooh! That’s right! Can’t wait to get to that story again”… kind of like seeing one of your favorite actors make a cameo appearance in a movie with a line or a gesture that references some other movie that you love – and probably now want to watch next. He even puts in references to several of his short stories included in his robot short story collections. Just lovely!

Having said all that… the plot here is an interesting one, the mystery of who murdered Jander seemingly undiscoverable (with all the terrible political implications for both the planet Aurora and Earth), and yet… Elijah Baley pulls it off for us again. And I was super glad to learn more about Dr Fastolfe and Gladia… characters from two earlier books who are beautifully fleshed out here.

Overall, just extremely satisfying! Highly recommended to anybody who likes robot stories, science fiction in general, or Asimov. ...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Raj rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: whodunnit, sci-fi

Plainclothesman Elijah Baley is back in space, sent by Earth at the request of Aurora, the oldest and most powerful of the Spacer worlds, to investigate the 'murder' of a humanoid robot. At stake is not just his own career, but the entire future of Earth and the future Galactic Empire.

It was in this book that Asimov starts sowing the seeds to start connecting his Galactic Empire/Foundation books with his Robot series, with one of the characters explicitly talking about psychohistory in a chain ...more

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

Shelves: audiobook, award-nominee-hugo, multiple-award-nominee, award-nominee-locus, sf-adventures-investigations-and-mi

4.0 stars. This is either the third or fourth book in the Robot series (depending on whether you want to include the short story collection I, Robot as the first book in the series. In this book, written in 1983, begins the process of integrating the Robot series with Asimov's Foundation series and provides an explanation regarding why robots are not part of the Galactic Empire of the Foundation series. It also does a credible job of planting the seeds of the science of psychohistory made so ...more

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Jun 04, 2019 Jack rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Two points:
(1) The plot resolution payoff in the last 20% of this book was terrific.
(2) If you have not read the original Foundation trilogy yet, which takes place chronologically after this book and all of Asimov's Robot books (not a spoiler), I advise doing so before reading any of the Robot books. I could go on and on about the "best" order to read Asimov's loosely-connected Robots/Empire/Foundation series, but suffice it to say: original Foundation series first, then the Robots books.

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Dec 06, 2012 sologdin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nerd-boiled, burns-like-cold-iron

Nutshell: always already famous detective concerns himself with the setting-significant wrongful decommission of an AI dildo.

Elijah is preceded in all his endeavors by the hyperreal version of himself from a "hyperwave dramatization," produced regarding the events of The Naked Sun (5). Everyone whom he meets mentions it--so the point of the novel in some ways is that the Real must tirelessly overcome a precession of hyperreality. Part of the hyperreality of the setting is the simulation of human Nutshell: always already famous detective concerns himself with the setting-significant wrongful decommission of an AI dildo.

Elijah is preceded in all his endeavors by the hyperreal version of himself from a "hyperwave dramatization," produced regarding the events of The Naked Sun (5). Everyone whom he meets mentions it--so the point of the novel in some ways is that the Real must tirelessly overcome a precession of hyperreality. Part of the hyperreality of the setting is the simulation of human persons in robot slave laborers. Sexuality is likewise affected by the precession of the hyperreal: after using AI dildo aforesaid, one character considers "real" sex to be "an unsatisfactory substitute" (141). We find, also, that, sans decay, "a robot corpse is much more human than a human corpse" (144). Eventually, even the simulated humans (i.e., robots) are revealed to be preceded by hyperreality, via reputation and hyperwave dramas (279). It's almost as though Baudrillard wrote this novel, and the identity of human and robot is plainly established with "the robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked feelings. (And perhaps human beings had no feelings, only neuronic surges that were interpreted as feelings.)" (304).

Other reviewers have noted the tidy progression of Elijah, from robotophobe to robot-lover in this novel. A nice moment occurs early, what is likely the anagnorisis, when Elijah "was faintly horrified to realize that he would be ready to risk his life for [Daneel Olivaw]" (49). What we have here is revolution at the level of the individual: Elijah disagrees with himself, i.e., the old arriere garde robotophobe ideology has come into confrontation with the narrative of robot rights, newly generated by his affection for a particular person. It's good stuff, and bears out well through the novel.

More FTL magic: "the ship merely left the universe and traversed something which involved no speed limit" (45).

Cool development regarding telepathic robots, first presented as a legend (79), but later revealed to be more substantial, with setting-significant implications, including psychohistory, the Zeroth Law, and so on. Psychohistory is expressly discussed, as the "laws of humanics" (104). The Zeroth is telegraphed numerous times, such as "we have labored to produce a planet which, taken as a whole, would obey the Three Laws of Robotics" and "does nothing to harm human beings" (101), or Elijah's command to Daneel "Don't worry about me; I'm one man; worry about billions" (313).

Nice link to The End of Eternity, regarding the failure of earthlings to encounter intelligent life despite spreading across space (102).

So, yeah, this is why I love Asimov--instead of saying Robots be fuckin', yo, we get stuff like: "Nothing was lacking and those portions which might be expected to be erectile were, indeed, erectile. Indeed, they were under what, in a human, would be called conscious control. [AI dildo] could tumesce and detumesce on order" (140).

Recommended for those part of the consensus of robotic rights, persons who can tell what exists inside the pseudoskin and pseudoconsciousness of the robot, and readers who assume a property right to a particular facet of progress. ...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Kat Hooper rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.

The Robots of Dawn is the third book in Isaac Asimov’s trilogy about investigator Elijah Bailey and his robot sidekick R Daneel Olivaw. In the first book, The Caves of Steel, the pair met and solved a murder mystery on Earth. In this far-future Earth, a fearful populace lives in domed cities and never ventures outside. In the second book, The Naked Sun, Elijah faces his fears Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily.

The Robots of Dawn is the third book in Isaac Asimov’s trilogy about investigator Elijah Bailey and his robot sidekick R Daneel Olivaw. In the first book, The Caves of Steel, the pair met and solved a murder mystery on Earth. In this far-future Earth, a fearful populace lives in domed cities and never ventures outside. In the second book, The Naked Sun, Elijah faces his fears and actually leaves Earth to solve a murder that occurred on a planet that has such low population density that the inhabitants have evolved a disgust for their fellow humans. When Elijah returns to Earth, he’s determined to use his new-found courage to inspire others to go outside the domes and even think about leaving Earth someday. He thinks that colonizing other planets is the only way that the human race on Earth can survive.

In this final volume, The Robots of Dawn, we find Elijah working outside the dome and hoping that his son will be one of the pioneers who will lead humans out into the galaxy again. Then Elijah gets called into headquarters where he’s told he has to go to another colonized planet (Aurora) to solve yet another murder mystery. This time, however, it’s a robot who has been murdered. The prime suspect, a famous roboticist, admits that he’s the only person who could have committed the crime, yet he claims he’s innocent. If Elijah and R Daneel can’t prove him innocent, it will have bad consequences for Elijah’s career and for Earth’s ability to launch themselves into the galaxy. Daneel is also in mortal (if I can say that) danger.

As was the case with the previous novels in this trilogy, I enjoyed the murder mystery. It’s complicated and takes a lot of effort to solve, especially because Elijah is working in a political and social culture that he doesn’t understand. (Although this actually lets him see some things more clearly.) I also appreciated some of Asimov’s inventions (virtual reality bathrooms — cool!) and the discussions about language (e.g., how specific words can change our perception of events), art, affection (e.g., the importance of human touch), sex, jealousy and love (e.g., how cultural attitudes about sex change how we feel about love — very interesting). By the way, The Robots of Dawn was written in 1983, 27 years after The Naked Sun, and this frank discussion of sex is new for Asimov (and not at all romantic).

Asimov fans will be particularly interested in how this novel connects with his earlier robot stories (Susan Calvin is mentioned) and his famous FOUNDATION series. The accused roboticist is motivated to build a model of the human brain so that he can pursue the concept of “psychohistory” that underlies the FOUNDATION novels. Asimov is interested in the evolution of the human brain and the resulting changes in human behavior. As a neuroscientist and psychologist, I love to think about these things but I just can’t believe in any of Asimov’s ideas about the future of humanity. This has been a problem for me with this entire series and the FOUNDATION series, too. I find it interesting, but I just can’t believe it. However, I realize that I’m probably just taking it too seriously because it happens to be my area of expertise. So maybe shame on me. Maybe I just need to chill.

I listened to the audio version read by William Dufris who, again, does a great job. He always does a great job. ...more

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Dec 21, 2014 Brett rated it did not like it

Shelves: science-fiction

Isaac Asimov is one of the most beloved science fiction authors in the genre, but there is simply no way of getting around the fact that this book is the worst kind of trash. It is deeply boring, full of stilted dialogue, and possesses no sense of wonder or possibility about the future. Asimov's entire Robot series has been underwhelming, but this one is actively insulting to readers.

The Robots of Dawn follows the events of the Caves of Steel and the Naked Sun, which feature the same Isaac Asimov is one of the most beloved science fiction authors in the genre, but there is simply no way of getting around the fact that this book is the worst kind of trash. It is deeply boring, full of stilted dialogue, and possesses no sense of wonder or possibility about the future. Asimov's entire Robot series has been underwhelming, but this one is actively insulting to readers.

The Robots of Dawn follows the events of the Caves of Steel and the Naked Sun, which feature the same protagonists. The entire series is a sort-of sequel to I, Robot. Since the earlier books were written in the 1960s, I was willing to give them something of a pass when they seemed wrongheaded or silly. After all, the vast majority of sci-fi from that era is silly in one way or another, and it doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. But the Robots of Dawn comes much later, not being written until 1983, which is too late to be indulging in a lot of the nonsense going in these pages.

The chief offending tendency of the book, as I said at the outset, is it is phenomenally boring. Our hero, Lije Baley, is once again called upon to solve a crime a "Spacer" world (a world colonized by humans that has a different culture from Earth). Except, the "crime" isn't really even a crime--it is a "roboticide" which pretty much everyone agrees isn't a crime under the laws of any of the involved planets. Asimov tries to tie this non-crime to political happenings on the planet in question, Aurora, and totally fails to make any of it interesting even in the slightest.

We are given huge passages of extremely tedious dialogue where Lije interviews subjects on Aurora and paragraph after paragraph is devoted to whether Lije is wittingly or unwittingly not following the correct customs of Aurora. The types of scenarios we are presented with include: should he offer a handshake! Does he enjoy the food he is offered! Should he wait to see someone at their workplace, or demand to speak to them immediately! You can perhaps see how this gets very old, very quickly. And then there is the bathroom material. We spend page after page with Lije in the bathrooms of Aurora, referred to as the "Personal." You guessed it, the bathrooms of Aurora are different than the bathrooms of Earth, and Asimov is very interested in discussing this at unbelievable length.

I haven't even mentioned the "titillating" robot-human sex aspect, or the wearying repetition of Lije's trademark outburst of "Jehosephat!" at every opportunity. And the dialogue. Friends, the dialogue is so, so bad. In a book that is supposed to at least partially be about the way that robots and humans might interact in the far future, the dialogue put in the mouths of any the characters would not pass a modern day Turing Test. I think this book was written by a robot, and not a very advanced one.

That is an uncharitable thing to say, I know. More likely, this book is was a cash-in and Asimov didn't really care about telling this story. I have no idea behind how it came to be and am only guessing, but it would go a long way toward explaining why it feels like it was written between stops on a subway or during commercial breaks while watching TV.

I love a good science fiction story. Stories like this one give science fiction a bad name. If you see it on a shelf of a used bookstore somewhere, I encourage you to buy it and destroy it so that it no longer sullies the reputation of this fine genre. ...more

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Mar 11, 2018 Ce rated it it was ok

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

The Robots of Dawn (Robot #3)
My least favorite book of the Foundation / Robots series so far. This time, I felt that the same formula that I loved in the first two books bored me, especially due to the length of the book (it has twice as many pages as the first ones):
Endless dialogues between Elijah Baley and the suspect / witness / robot at that time. Solving crimes by simply talking to people seems to be normal for a detective.
Showing Bayley's agorophobia several times and comment that he ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Letricia Brooks rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thus far my least favorite of the Robots series. Why? One, I think his characterizations are off. Gladia (my least favorite of any Asimov character) flirts and fights with Baley throughout the previous book. This book has much the same dynamic between the two, initially, and by the end of day 1 of Baley's 3-day trip to Aurora, Gladia comes off embittered towards Baley due to all of his questioning of her about her "husband's" death (a robot).

Secondly, she, as all Spacers, points out how rude Thus far my least favorite of the Robots series. Why? One, I think his characterizations are off. Gladia (my least favorite of any Asimov character) flirts and fights with Baley throughout the previous book. This book has much the same dynamic between the two, initially, and by the end of day 1 of Baley's 3-day trip to Aurora, Gladia comes off embittered towards Baley due to all of his questioning of her about her "husband's" death (a robot).

Secondly, she, as all Spacers, points out how rude and uncivilized his questions are, yet she goes on to answer in almost overly-detailed fashion of her sexual frustration from her husband on Solaria (who was also murdered...) and release that her also now deceased robot husband brought her...which was started, apparently by touching Baley's cheek upon his leaving of Solaria at the end of The Naked Sun.

Thirdly, she is also so upset over the death of her husband that she tells Baley that finding his murderer is of the utmost importance. She also keeps him in a room in her house with a spotlight on him (yes, I know Fastolfe asked her to keep him until the investigation was over, but still a spotlight on him should denote how much affection she had for him, and that he was the center of her world). She sobs thinking about his death. But less than two days after Baley's arrival on the planet, with him nearly unconscious, she enters his bedroom and forces him, yes, forces him, to have sex with her. He is ill from the storm, almost in a deep sleep, and when he realizes what was happening she was already on top of him engaged in the act. He didn't suggest it, he was in no condition to refuse her. Quite frankly, she raped him. That upset me because, of course, Asimov wrote it in such a way that Baley thought nothing of it other than wanting to please Gladia and see her happy (despite statements made earlier both in this book and The Naked Sun).

Again, the characterization doesn't align. In The Naked Sun, Baley missed his wife and couldn't wait to get back to her. Yes, he was attracted to Gladia but his wife, who could do no wrong (as stated in The Caves of Steel) was never far from his thoughts. Now, he enjoys being taken advantage of, even wishes he could stay with Gladia, Jessie is pushed aside even though on his trip to Aurora a scant two days prior, he wanted to return to his wife.

I love Asimov's work. The Foundation series is in my top three series of all time. But this book disappointed me to no end. The story could have been written without the sex. It saddens me to think that Asimov had to stoop to that plot device for his work. I might not have been as upset about it if he had aligned the characters' motives with their thoughts/emotions...and at least with the other books. It just didn't work.

Caves of Steel was a great read. The Naked Sun had the same issue as Robots of Dawn with the characterization, though not quite as pronounced, so it was still enjoyable. Robots of Dawn was a chore to get through, so much so, I'm not looking forward to Robots and Empire. ...more

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May 13, 2013 Charles Zigmund rated it it was amazing

Isaac Asimov's later science fiction novels were written at the insistence of his publisher. He had turned from writing science fiction in the 1950s to churning out scores of books of fact -- on science, history, Shakespeare, the Bible and other subjects, for many years. For whatever reason, esthetics or profits, his publisher was not about to see a great science fiction writer permanently retire from the genre that had made him famous, and started demanding more SF. Asimov complied, and began ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 JonRaven rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

How a book can be this extraordinarily gripping, is beyond me. It is a yet another fine example of logical deduction and inducements which are paradoxically so complex, and yet when reduced to their base elements in the finality of this masterpiece, so simple. To the very last word of the very last page, this book was fascinating... no that word is not profound enough... but I can think of no other to explicate the magnitude of my feelings... I had the ending somewhat unintentionally spoiled by ...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Sesana rated it liked it

Really 3.5 stars, and my least favorite of Asimov's Robot books. The story heavily features characters talking (and talking...) about sex in the most detached and clinical terms possible. It also includes a major character casually committing adultery with no thought of the spouse. Nice.

And yet, I still liked it. Asimov is a skilled writer, and I greatly enjoyed seeing Baley and Daneel again. The mystery solution took me somewhat by surprise this time. There are a lot of connections between his ...more

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May 16, 2011 Toby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

An excellent extension of the Lije Bailey stories, easily the most enjoyable of the three (so far?) but for the added chapter almost clumsily tieing the series in to the Foundation/Empire timeline.

The beauty of these novels is the multiple layers at which you can view them. At it's simplest form of detective fiction it is a wonderful read but as you layer on the philosphy and cultural studies aspects it grows it to much more.

As I finish each Asimov work I am incredibly sad, it seems like there ...more

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Jul 28, 2016 Buck rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, wwend-2016, reviewed

The Robots of Dawn, written in 1983, fairly late in Asimov's science fiction career, is quintessential Asimov, with the exception that it contains a sexual aspect that isn't characteristic of most of his work. The story doesn't contain explicit sex scenes, but sex does play an important role.

In this book, Asimov sets the seeds of the science of psychohistory, the basis of the Foundation series, written decades earlier, but which takes place thousands of years in the future.

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Jan 11, 2018 Joe rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The third full length Robot novel by Asimov and so far my favourite, which considering I was impressed by the first two that's saying something.

The story follows Detective Baley and R. Daneel once more as they investigate a almost normal crime set within a radically different human culture on the planet of Aurora. I was impressed by how the book starts off simple, both with story and prose, and manages to progress and become far more than I expected from it. It's more subtle than I expected and ...more

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Aug 03, 2017 Andreea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-sci-fi

I'm enjoying this series so much!!!

"The Robots of Dawn" is the third book in the Robot series (the R. Daneel Olivaw series). It follows the case of a detective from Earth that is being sent to Aurora to solve a case of roboticide, but the book is more than that. It talks about progress, human psychology and feelings, as well as society as a whole, life in different environments, it explores what it means to be a robot, what makes a human human, and the future of humanity, as it would be in that I'm enjoying this series so much!!!

"The Robots of Dawn" is the third book in the Robot series (the R. Daneel Olivaw series). It follows the case of a detective from Earth that is being sent to Aurora to solve a case of roboticide, but the book is more than that. It talks about progress, human psychology and feelings, as well as society as a whole, life in different environments, it explores what it means to be a robot, what makes a human human, and the future of humanity, as it would be in that masterfully crafted universe of Asimov's.

I rate it 5/5 and if I could give it more than that, I would, but then again, that would apply to all of Asimov's books I read so far. So I might be biased, but that's because I haven't been let down once (yet) by what I read of his. I just love his robots and his universe.

The characters are lovable and believable, the relationships between them are sometimes heartwarming, sometimes weird, but always purposeful.

Nothing is there just to fill up space and everything contributes to the plot, to the atmosphere or to the psychology of a character or another. Elijah is lovable, admirable, but also a human being, with weaknesses and quirks. His relationship with Daneel, the robot, is adorable. In this book, like in the rest of them, the interactions between robots and people are fascinating, especially when there is a bond, be it friendship or something else.

The most important and unique parts of Asimov's books, for me, are the ideas and the robots. I just have a weakness for Asimov's robots and I can't have enough! Especially when they don't behave like they're supposed to, or when they try solving problems and contradictions related to the Three Laws.

The references that appear here and there that tie together all of the books are so much fun, so I'm glad I read "I, Robot" and "The Rest of the Robots" before these (like 5-6 years ago, without the intention of following the cronological order, which I didn't know about).

The philosophical thoughts weren't too much, as some reviews claim: I don't think they were unbearable, as they were placed with purpose and they contributed to the book. After all, you can't think about the meaning of being a human or a robot and about the faith of humanity without getting into philosophy just a little bit.

I wasn't bored a bit throughout the book, fascinated by Asimov's writing and by everything that happened.

The ending was so interesting and it didn't disappoint me. I like book endings because they usually dictate what I think about the book, and this one exceeded my expectations. I wanted to hug the book after I finished it.

Lastly, I find that "The Robots of Dawn", as all other of his creations I've read so far, is hard to fault, and has everything I look for in books. Asimov is the greatest of 'em all, which I already knew from his short stories and some novels I read, and of which I got reminded by reading this series. ...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 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