Asimov Book Review - I, Robot

by Lacey Kat
Copyright (c) by Author 2010

With the close of the second World War, and the dawn of the atomic age, Science Fiction, long the bastard child of the publishing industry, started to gain new respect. Major publishing houses, that only a few years before only printed scattered anthologies and never novels, were scrambling to line their shelves with tombs dealing with the “new “ world of science.

Isaac Asimov, who by this time had already made a name in the industry, and who already had a sizable amount of work in print, thought that a collection of his stories would do well in hardback. Unfortunately, the larger, established, publishers wanted new works and not already published “magazine” stories. Not all were this short-sighted, and Martin Greenberg, (note: Not the Martin H. Greenberg Asimov teamed with later in his career) of Gnome Press, was a Sci- Fi fan who saw the value of Asimov’s work. Along with the “Foundation” series, he printed nine of Asimov’s robot stories under the title of “I, Robot.”

The stories that make up “I, Robot,” were, with one exception, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction Magazine between 1941 and 1950. The only exception was “Robbie,” which was Asimov’s first robot story, and published under the title “Strange Playfellow” in Super Science Stories in 1940.

Rather than just present the stories between two covers Asimov decided to weave them together under a theme. That theme was his favorite character, the noted “Robopsychologist,” Susan Calvin. The idea was that Dr. Calvin was finally retiring from U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men. A reporter is sent to interview her and wants to get the “human-interest” angle out of the woman most people thought of as “a robot in human skin.” She proceeds to tell the young reporter a series of stories covering her remarkable career. These stories make up the book “I, Robot.”

The stories were altered by Asimov to fit the theme he created for the book, and to remove any inconsistencies between the previously published stories. Dates were established along Dr. Calvin’s lifetime and “historic” events were either spoken of directly (as the case of the third World War in 1982) or alluded too (as the establishment of unnamed colonies on other worlds and the development of hyperdrive technology).

In some cases, Dr. Calvin was written into the story where she was not before. For example, in “Robbie” there is a scene where a young Susan Calvin is in the room when Gloria, the child protagonist of the story, comes in to ask the “talking robot” on display for the location of her robot friend. The scene was added to imply that this exchange was what pushed a young Susan toward an education in robotics. In reality, the character of Susan Calvin did not exist in Asimov’s mind when he wrote the original story.

Some of the tales were altered to reflect the developing talent of the author. In “Liar!,” the first story to feature Susan Calvin, Asimov dealt with a relationship between the sexes. However, at the time, the bright and talented author had no experience in this subject. By the time “I, Robot” was put together, Asimov was far more educated on the subject of women and the story was extensively rewritten for the book.

The original title for the collection was to be “Mind and Iron.” Martin Greenberg, however, rejected that title and suggested the book be called “I, Robot.” Asimov cringed at this idea because in 1938 Eando Binder wrote a short story called “I, Robot,” and felt that he was stealing from another author. Mr. Greenberg “colorfully” dismissed this ill-placed loyalty and the title was changed. Some years later there was a television play of Binder’s robot story and several fans wrote Asimov about some joker who stole his title. Asimov, being a man of honor, wrote back to each of them explaining the situation. Postage was a lot cheaper back then.

The book opens with the framing story of the interplanetary reporter interviewing Susan Calvin on her retirement from U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men. She gives a quick history of the “anti-robot” feeling on earth and how they have impacted the development of robot technology and history. This leads to the first of Asimov’s robot stories, Robbie.

Robbie was the first robot story that Asimov wrote. However, it was hard to sell. It was a sentimental story about a nonverbal robot who was the “nursemaid” to a young girl named Gloria. The father sees no problem because the robot is built with safeguards. He refers to the “First Law of Robotics,” which makes it impossible for a robot to harm a human being. His wife is not so comfortable with that “terrible machine,” and laments that even the neighbors will not let their children go near the house at night. In this story, Asimov introduces his readers to the concept of the “Frankenstein Complex,” the ridiculousness of it, and he hints that there are safeguards that can be built into a machine to make it safe. He also introduces the word “Robotics” into the English language. Not many authors can claim to have invented a word. Asimov can.

The next story in the collection is called “Runaround,” and though it is the second story in the book it was the fourth robot story Asimov wrote. It dealt with the exploits of two recurrent characters, Michael Donovan and Gregory Powell, who are field testers for new robots. Published in March of 1941, it was the first story to list the Three Laws of Robotics explicitly. It was also the first story to use the interplay of the laws as the catalyst for the plot.

In “Runaround,” Powell and Donovan are stationed on Mercury and need one of their robots to go on the Sun side (we did not know Mercury rotated back then) and gather selenium needed for the station’s power supply. The robot suffers a mechanical problem and is walking in circles as a conflict arises between the second law requiring him to obey orders and the third law which ensure self-preservation. Powell and Donovan must decide how to save the robot and themselves.

The third story is called “Reason,” and it is actually the second story that Asimov wrote. Knowing Campbell’s penchant for introducing religious motifs into stories, Asimov originally introduced Powell and Donovan who must deal with a robot who refused to believe that he had been created by man, but must have been created by some godlike entity. John Campbell liked it and published it in the April 1941 issue of “Astounding Science Fiction.” This was a big boost to Asimov who’s first story, Robbie (published under the title of “Strange Playfellow”) was not accepted by Campbell and appeared in a smaller magazine. “Reason” got a wider reading and the Sci-Fi community became aware of the idea of “positronic robots.” This marked a fundamental change in the way Sci-Fi authors looked at the idea of mechanical men.


The fourth story is the third Powell/Donovan adventure and it is called “Catch That Rabbit.” It deals with a new robot that controls six subsidiary robots to mine an asteroid. The problem is that without supervision the main robot orders his “appendages” to twiddle their time away. Powell and Donovan must figure out why this happens and how to correct it using the three laws.

“Liar!” was the third robot story Asimov wrote and the first to include his favorite character, Dr. Susan Calvin. Being unmarried at this time, and not too experienced with women, Calvin was written as the typical spinster female scientist. In the story involves a robot who, through a mechanical error, is able to read minds. The story also introduces the three laws that would be called Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics.” While not explicitly spelled out as they were in “Runaround,” they are presented with enough detail to drive the story. The robot must deal with the fact that it cannot hurt a human (or a human’s feelings) but knows, through telepathy, secrets that, if revealed, would hurt.

[Side note: This story introduced the idea that a robot could be telepathic, and that became an important plot device in Asimov’s future Robot Novels.]

The sixth story in the collection is called “Little Lost Robot,” and it shows that although the three laws can protect a person from harm, it does not mean that a robot cannot present a problem. On an off-world research station, a robot is told to, “get lost.” It does this by blending in with a new shipment of robots and planning to return to earth on its own. Dr. Calvin must figure out how to make this robot reveal its identity before it becomes a fugitive.

“Escape!” had originally been published in the August 1945 edition of “Astounding.” For some reason Campbell changed the title to “Paradoxical Escape,” which irritated Asimov to no end (he almost never liked when an editor changed his story titles). It deals not with a robot, but with an immobile machine (later to be called computers) that still has a positronic brain and is ruled by the three laws. U.S. Robotics asks it to build a hyperatomic drive motor and Dr. Calvin uses her knowledge of robopsychology to ensure the “brain” does not break down. Once the ship is completed Donovan and Powell are called in to test the ship out. This turns out to be the death of them, so to speak. It was the last story Asimov wrote to feature this team and Susan Calvin took over as the central character in this phase of Asimov’ robot stories.

“Evidence,” is the eighth story in this collection and it is different in many ways from Asimov’s other robot stories. In it he presents the possibility of a “humana-form robot.” This is a robot that on the outside looks human. In all of his earlier stories, and the immediate later ones, the robots were large, very mechanical, and obviously not human. The idea that a robot could be made to look and act human was not a new idea in literature, but Asimov, being the scientist that he was, knew that the ability to do this was far in future. His robots were robots and acted as such. In “Evidence” an up and coming politician is accused by his rival of being a robot. At this time robots are all but banned on earth even though they are used extensively in space. Dr. Calvin is called in to see if she can identify if Stephen Byerley is a man or a machine. The beauty of the story is that it is never positively answered. It also sets the stage for the final story ion the collection, not to mention the first robot novels Asimov will soon write. “Evidence” appeared in the September 1946 edition of “Astounding Science Fiction.”

The last story in this collection is called “Evitable Conflict,” and it is a sequel to “Evidence.”
It is the first story that Asimov wrote that had only computers, or “machines” as he called them, in the story. In the future, the world is divided not into nations, but into regions. Each region supplies humankind with the materials that it best can. The task of running all of this production is turned over, in large part, to the “machines,” because it is more efficient that way. However, someone has noticed that small problems are developing. And they are only developing in areas run by men who are hostile to machines. Could the machines of the world be arranging things so that men hostile to them are “fired” and replaced with more machine friendly managers? In the name of what is good for man, are the machines trying to take over? Dr. Susan Calvin is called in to investigate. The problem is, who’s side is Dr. Calvin on?

The book ends with an added paragraph on the death of Susan Calvin shortly after her retirement.

These are not the last of the robot stories of course, or of Dr. Calvin. But that should be saved for “The Rest of the Robots.”

As stated before, these stories were altered to fit into this book. If you want to read the original stories, unaltered for the most part, I would suggest “The Complete Robot,” published by Doubleday in 1982 and still in print at this time. Other than that this is a very good introduction to the writing of Isaac Asimov and I would recommend it to anyone. The stories are sharp with memorable characters and a good way to get your feet wet in the Asimov universe.

Asimov Book Review - Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939

Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939
by Lacey Kat
This work is copyrighted by author (c) 2014

The problem with notoriety is that as your name becomes a household word, you are looked upon by more and more people to lend credibility to their endeavors. Movie stars recommend lip-gloss, while athletes give you the impression that it is that shoe or this shaving cream that provides success.

So it is with great authors like Isaac Asimov. Varies corners of the Science Fiction world feel that their product will sell better if the Asimov name is on the cover. In the past, we have seen T.V. shows such as "Probe" feature the good Doctor's name before the title. The makers of the film "Fantastic Voyage" had Asimov write a book based on the screenplay, even though he did not write the screenplay. It has come to the point were "Asimov Presents ..." has become more of a red flag than a welcome sign.

The problem with the use of the name "Asimov," is that while I may appreciate how much Katy Perry likes a lip gloss, I in no way think she is responsible for its manufacture. However, when I see Asimov on the cover of a novel or anthology, I am lead to believe that Isaac had a large hand in its creation. This is not always the case. The wary reader must look at the Asimov name to see if there is a small apostrophe after it. A mark that would indicate that not all is "write" with this picture.

"Isaac Asimov Presents Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939," was the first in a series of anthologies that looked at what Asimov thought were the best stories of a given year. First published in 1979, it has been re-issued by Dorset Press and is generally available. It features a collection of short stories from authors most of us today are not familiar with, to the early efforts of the giants of our field. Names like Henry Kuttner and Nelson Bond are right next to Robert Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, and L. Sprague De Camp. Even Isaac Asimov produced a great science fiction piece that year, (Trends) and it is included. It is a good collection of stories that have stood the test of time. Not hard science fiction, but humor and adventure that can be enjoyed by an intelligent public today.

That said, I must raise the cautionary flag and explain my low rating. While Isaac Asimov's name is prominent on the cover, that is the only place it is so prominent. This is an anthology that was edited by Asimov and his longtime associate Martin H. Greenberg, although it would seem that Mr. Greenberg did most of the work, both behind the scenes and on paper. Each story is presented with a fine introduction, but the bulk of the introduction is by Mr. Greenberg. Only after he has presented pertinent information, does Asimov add a short paragraph of autobiographical importance. Even the introduction, often the best part of an Asimov anthology, seems to have been written by Martin Greenberg (no credit either way is given though Asimov signs his contributions with an AI elsewhere in the book).

Please do not get me wrong. I am a big admirer of Martin H. Greenberg and lament that he does not get the credit he deserves in preserving our SF heritage. His work with Asimov has produced numerous anthologies of work that could have been lost without his efforts. However, in those anthologies the introductions we Isaac's, and his thoughts and experiences helped flesh out the stories. In this case, the on page contributions of Asimov could have cut and pasted from his other works. For example in the introduction to L. Sprague de Camp's "The Gnarly Man," Asimov only repeats his observation that both he and his wife can pass for half their age. Interesting yes, but no connection to the story, why it was chosen, or its possible effect on Asimov's later story, "The Ugly Little Boy." In the case of the introduction of "The Misguided Halo" by Henry Kuttner (also of the team "Lewis Padgett"), Asimov simply relates that he met Kuttner once at a party, and he could not get a word in because of Heinlein and de Camp. And with the story "Ether Breather," by Theodore Sturgeon, Asimov simply relates his surprise the Sturgeon's real name in Edward H. Waldo. I too was surprised, but what relevance does this have to the work and why it was chosen as a great science fiction story of 1939?

This is a good collection from a time other than our own. It is worth reading, but buyers beware. If Asimov had a lot to do with this collection it did not show up on paper. This is largely Martin Greenberg?s work. Greenberg is an intelligent author who deserves the credit. However it is Asimov's name that is first on the cover, and I expected more of him on the pages. This seemed more like a product endorsement than an authored work.

Caves of Steel

by Lacey Kat
This work is copyrighted by the author (c)2010

In 1950 Horace L. Gold, a minor author from the 1940s, was starting a new science fiction magazine to be called “Galaxy.” By this time Isaac Asimov was a well-established writer in the field so natural Mr. Gold contact him and asked for a story for the first issue. Up until this time, John W. Campell had all but dominated the world of science fiction as well as the talents of Isaac Asimov. However, Campbell was now steering his life toward "Dianetics" and a series of other follies, and Asimov found it increasingly difficult to write the stories Campbell wanted for his magazine “Astounding.”

The world of science fiction was changing and with it so was Isaac Asimov. Not content with being only a short story author, Isaac was trying his hand in novels as well as articles and textbooks of science fact. However, at this time, science fiction was still his first love, and he welcomed the new markets that were opening up.

By 1952 Asimov had six books published, including his famous “Foundation” stories, and his first collection of Robot tales. He also had two original novels in the stores, a third one in the hands Doubleday Publishers, and the first of his “Lucky Starr” books in the juvenile market.

On April 19, Asimov met with Gold to talk about his next project. “The Currents of Space,” was going to be serialized in “Astounding” and Horace wanted the next novel to appear in “Galaxy.” Asimov liked to keep all of the markets happy, they buy your work more that way, and so he met with Gold and listen to his ideas.

Gold suggested a robot “novel.” Asimov was already the father of the modern robot story so why not make the transition from short tale to broader themes? Asimov was reluctant at first, not knowing if the three laws of robotics, now an Asimov trademark, were enough to carry a whole novel.

Gold had the idea to feature a world over populated and with robots taking over human jobs. Asimov found that idea too depressing and did not think he was up to sociological implications of such an idea. Gold then suggested making the story a simple murder mystery. A story about a cop with a robot partner who must solve the murder or be replaced by automation. With give and take between author and publisher, the final story became known as “The Caves of Steel.” 

The story takes place on earth, a thousand years from the era of the previous robot stories. There are fifty distant planets that were first colonized by Earthmen, but now look at their home world with disgust. The “Space Worlds,” as they are known, are clean, reasonably populated planets were technology flourishes, robots are plentiful, if not mandatory, and almost all disease is eliminated. This results in people who live very long lives, and do not want anything interfering with them. The earth, on the other hand, still distrusts robots, has been cut off from space by the outer worlds, and whose dense population now lives in enormous underground cities, must use communal washrooms and eating centers, and eat almost nothing but engineered varieties of yeast. Even at this, resources are running thin and almost every calorie of energy must be accounted for.

The “Spacers,” a collective term earthmen use for all inhabitants of the other worlds, have used their superior technology to keep earth subjugated to their authority. They have a consulate known as “Spacetown” outside the domed upper level of what is now called “New York City.” A complex hive of humanity over two thousand square miles and holding twenty million people. A “Spacer” has been killed, three days ago, and an earth detective has been called into the Commissioner’s office to solve the crime. That is where the story opens.

The detective’s name is Elijah Baley. He is a plainclothesman, rating C-5, who is nothing more than a good detective in a large metropolitan police force. He has a wife and one son and resents the fact that robots, until recently banned on earth from anything but farming and dangerous jobs, are now starting to be seen in the city, and are starting to take the menial jobs away from men. The Commissioner wants Baley to investigate the murder. The “Spacers” want him to take on a partner in the investigation. The partner’s name is R. Daneel Olivaw. The “R” stands for “Robot.”

R. Daneel is a “humaniform” robot. This is not a new concept in the robot world of Isaac Asimov. Several of his earlier tales involved humaniform robots, but the story stresses that it is a new concept to the world he has created for this story. The idea of robots is unsettling enough for the people of earth. That you could make a robot that was almost indistinguishable from a human would lead to riots and other protests. R. Daneel is to be Elijah’s partner, but his true identity is to remain classified.

The story then follows both detective and robot partner as they try to discover who killed an eminent “spacer,” why, and what will the consequences be for Earth when the rest of the “Spacer” worlds find out. Asimov also paints a complete picture of the earth society a thousand years hence

This is a science fiction and a good mystery novel. Some reviewers have felt that this is Asimov’s best novel, but I must disagree with that.

Isaac Asimov once lamented that his most famous and popular short story was “Nightfall.” He felt this way because he wrote it in the 1940’s and thought that he had grown as an author since then. While he did grow, I have always felt that “Nightfall” was one of those unique short stories that transcended an author’s talents. That it is almost an alchemical blend of talent, story idea, and alignment of the planets, that results in a piece f literature that is better than the author's talent of the time.

Having said that, it is this author’s opinion that Asimov’s talent as a novelist did develop over the years, and that his early novels, while good, were improved upon as he got older. “The Caves of Steel,” reads more like a pilot episode for a proposed series than a novel. Asimov spends an inordinate amount of time setting the stage for future stories. The society of earth, buried in huge, underground beehives of activity, are described in more passages than are needed to establish the plot. Baley’s daily life and family relationships, not a critical part of the story, are laid out in exact detail. The problems that earth now faces, and will soon face, are presented here as if this were the show bible for a T.V. series.  That it is a book used to help writers keep future show stories in line with the past ones. It is almost as if Asimov planned to present a series of Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw stories or even a future earth series. However there is no evidence that that was ever on his mind, and for a significant period of time Asimov only wrote one other story with these characters and universe.

[Note: Those familiar with Asimov’s literary history know that he did write other Baley/ Olivaw stories much later in his career. Those familiar with Asimov’s literary work also know the important role R. Daneel Olivaw plays in blending the originally separate worlds of “I, Robot,” and “Foundation.” However, that idea was not even a neuron pulse at this time in Asimov’s life.]

Please understand that this is a good book and well worth reading. My only point is that it is not Asimov’s “best” work. That would come later.

It is always interesting to read science fiction from another era. To see how even a man well trained in science tries to build the technology of the worlds of tomorrow. For example, Asimov has a world so overpopulated that they are forced to live underground in “Caves of Steel.” The population? Eight Billion. Only two billion more than the current population. Books are on film and must be viewed with a reader (palm pilots and e-books?) Videos are viewed through a “Video-piping system” or what we now call “cable.” Walls can be made transparent with the touch of a switch, like polarized glass. Yet the head roboticist in this city a thousand years hence still uses a “slide rule” to do his calculations and his electronic book is “indexed” to the amazement of his colleagues. Science fiction authors, it would seem, have some trouble letting go of technology they deal with most closely.

One interesting note. In his world of the future, Asimov paints earthmen as extremely agoraphobic. Living in underground cities for generations have made excursions to the outside world unbearable. This plays a key part in the story but I found it an interesting extrapolation of the society Asimov built, and not one I saw as inevitable. However, as I read his autobiography Asimov mentioned that the publisher of Galaxy, and the originator of the story idea for “Caves of Steel,” could not go out in the open, nor could he speak, face to face, with people he did not know for any period of time. One meeting Asimov had with Gold, in Gold’s own home, had to be conducted by phone, between two rooms. It was the only way Horace Gold could relate to other people without panic. Asimov never mentioned if this was the inspiration for the agoraphobia plot point in his story, but I feel there must have been a subconscious push to include this psychiatric anomaly.

“Caves of Steel” is a seamless blend of science fiction and mystery and is a must read for fans of either genre’. However, it is not without its faults. The “plot twists” are clumsy and the final culprit will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention throughout the story. Still, it is a good example of Asimov’s developing talent and a good transition from his short stories to his novel works. He would get better, but I would give my Nancy Drew decoder ring to have my talent at this level.