I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) in Around the Year in 52 Books

Feb 27, 2023 Ketutar Jensen rated it it was amazing

I love Isaac Asimov's books. This is another re-read. I'm trying to follow C.S.Lewis' recommendation of rereading books more often :-D
This is one of my favorite books, and I have reread it several times :-D
It is a collection of short stories, bound together through Susan Calvin, the robopsychologist. A brilliant woman. One of my literary heroes :-) The frame story is an interview with her about her career and life, and she tells these short stories - or they are somehow connected to what she tal ...more

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Mar 25, 2022 John Warner rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, short-stories, robots

This classic collection of nine science fiction stories introduced us to the legendary “Three Laws of Robotics”:
1. A robot must not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

The stories imagine how orders given by humans, even if This classic collection of nine science fiction stories introduced us to the legendary “Three Laws of Robotics”:
1. A robot must not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

The stories imagine how orders given by humans, even if tacitly or in jest, can be misconstrued or bind the robot in a conflict with the other laws. In one story, a positronic (i.e., robot “brain”) technological improvement enables one robot to read human minds, which creates operational problems. When these laws conflict, it frequently requires the intervention of robopsychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin, to resolve the problem. She is a continuing character in most of the stories.
I liked some stories better than others, but all averaged out to a rounded up four stars rating. My favorites were a couple of the earlier ones. “Robbie” is a robotic babysitter purchased to be a companion for the owners’ little girl. The wife’s prejudice of the robot increases her fears for her daughter’s safety even if the laws would prevent this. The setting for many of the other stories takes place on other planets of the Solar System or in space because humanity’s fear of them results in a ban for their use Earth and only in extraterrestrial operations. “Reason” occurs on a space station where a robot with heighten artificial intelligence comes to believe that his creator is not the human onboard since it perceives that they lack the necessary intelligence to develop the Three Laws. Try as they may, they can’t convince the robot any differently.

Asimov’s robot stories contained in this book inspired future writers and film directors. I could see inspiration for Phillip K. Dick’s novella, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, later released as “Bladerunner” in several of the stories. Although there is almost no connection between these stories and the movie, “I, Robot”, one story does involve a lost robot which reminded me of the character played by Will Smith searching for one intelligent robot in a warehouse full of recently manufactured robots.

The stories are less about technology and more about the human element such as acceptance of this technology and the relationships between man and machine. This book has been on my shelf for some time now. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. ...more

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Jun 11, 2014 Lacey Louwagie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sciencefiction, classics, 100-book-challenge-2014

This is a collection of short stories set up as if a reporter is interviewing a woman who has had a long career as a robot psychologist. It was nice to see a woman in a lead role in sci fi written in the 50s, since so much "old" science fiction can envision vastly different world but draws the line at blurring gender roles. Unfortunately, Dr. Susan was rather "tokenized" -- the first story featuring her was all about her mooning over a male coworker, and throughout the book was woven this implic This is a collection of short stories set up as if a reporter is interviewing a woman who has had a long career as a robot psychologist. It was nice to see a woman in a lead role in sci fi written in the 50s, since so much "old" science fiction can envision vastly different world but draws the line at blurring gender roles. Unfortunately, Dr. Susan was rather "tokenized" -- the first story featuring her was all about her mooning over a male coworker, and throughout the book was woven this implication that she never had a relationship because she had a career. Sigh. The other women, only briefly glimpsed, are nagging wives or vacuous blond girlfriends.

Gender critique aside, it is fascinating that Asimov could envision space travel, flying cars, and robot nannies by the year 1998 (and beyond), but that no one has personal computers, they read newspapers and paperback mysteries, and need to get "motion picture" footage "developed" before they can use it. A strange alternative world where ALL our technology resources went to robots and space travel, I guess (and I don't mind that alternative version of reality as long as women's roles and rights progressed at least as steadily as robots').

The stories revolve around the three famous "rules of robotics" (1. Robots cannot harm humans; 2. Robots must follow orders; 3. Robots must self-preserve), usually exploring conundrums that arise when rules conflict or are misinterpreted by the robot brain. It's a book worth reading purely for the ideas, as the writing and the characterization are both pretty flat. As such, I'm glad it was short stories rather than a novel, because if I daydreamed and lost the thread of one story (seriously, I could NOT stay focused on the last story at all and have only a vague awareness of what it was about), I could "reset" with the next one. I guess I'm glad to have one more "classic" science fiction book under my belt, but man am I glad we now have the likes of Margaret Atwood and Sheri S. Tepper. ...more

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Jul 20, 2022 Katie rated it it was ok

I know it's an important book and can clearly see how it's one of the major building blocks of sci-fi in general, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. ...more

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Oct 10, 2010 Jesse rated it liked it

I remember reading this in Junior High or High School and thinking that it was boring. Maybe the progression of the years or the fact that I am now a major gadget geek has helped to change my opinion. I found these stories interesting and enjoyable, and of course, Scott Brick's narration of the audiobook is terrific, as usual. ...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Deedee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-and-fantasy-book-club, sf-short-stories-anthologies, sf-npr-top-100, books-into-movies, read-in-2015, read-2015-fsf-and-horror, scifi-and-fantasy-club-read-2015, challenge-2015-fall, scifi-and-fantasy-club-read, short-stories-interlinked

Lexile 820L
IL: UG - BL: 6.1 - AR Pts: 11.0

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Mar 25, 2009 Gaijinmama marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Oct 17, 2010 Sarah added it

Shelves: 1000-books

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Jan 03, 2011 Jessica marked it as to-read

Shelves: list, tbr-series

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Sep 26, 2011 Jocelyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Apr 22, 2012 Natalie rated it it was ok

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Jul 24, 2012 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: 100-best-scifi-fantasy-challenge

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Oct 24, 2012 Cora added it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, american-author, short-stories, classic, robots, artificial-intelligence, 1001-books, american-literature, androids, technology

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