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willoughbye's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
maebee25's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bumblyduck's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Asimov is considered one of the biggest sci-fi writers of the 20th century for a reason, and this anthology of interconnected short stories proves it more than his other incredible works.
The beginning of his grand world-building, that is still steeped in realism, I, Robot tells the story of a parallel universe of humans where their journey is ever changed via the creation of the titular Robots.
Asimov does what audiences find now that many fantasy writers do not, he doesn't break his own rules. The universe of his stories centre around 3 rules, the Laws of Robots, and while each story finds a way to analyse and bend and twist each one, never do they snap. His stories challenge the wits of both his characters and readers alike, intelligence being the swords used in the battles and tensions of each tale.
These three laws - a Robot cannot harm, or cause harm through inaction to, a human being; a Robot must obey commands given by human beings unless they break law one; and a Robot must preserve themselves unless that breaks law one or two - are explored in each of the short stories, and tackled from every angle thought of, as there is a constant building tension of the robots gaining more sentience and human-like mannerisms, pushing these rules to their limits.
The characters, the human ones especially, are incredible well written. Dialogue is witty and smart but natural and steeped in the realism of Asimov's world, their intelligence, stubbornness, arguments and friendships believable and very, well, human. The main protagonist would be Dr Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist, every bit as cold and blunt as she is intelligent and perceptive, through her eyes the readers gain an understanding on the robots and their limitations, as well as the ways they challenge them. The other two most standout characters whose journey the readers follow are that of Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan scientists, engineers and guinea pigs, they have such fun dialogue to read as their stubbornness and intelligence clash constantly yet their friendship remains steadfast, even as they end up in worse and worse situations.
The stories themselves are told in a chronological order, through the lens of Dr Susan Calvin as she is interviewed at the end of her life, looking back across the growth of technology and robots. The particular short story that stood out most would be Little Lost Robot, centering around Calvin herself as her mind is tested by a robot that is defective yet possesses a human-like intelligence. It is also the one most adapted to the screen in one way or another and for good reason - though we don't talk about the Will Smith film. The story has the perfect marriage of pacing and tension building, as this battle of the minds takes place and the situation grows more dire.
It is an incredible read, full of strong and creative world-building, witty and realistic characters, and brain turning situations. You don't need to be a fan of sci-fi for this to be a must read for your shelves.
The beginning of his grand world-building, that is still steeped in realism, I, Robot tells the story of a parallel universe of humans where their journey is ever changed via the creation of the titular Robots.
Asimov does what audiences find now that many fantasy writers do not, he doesn't break his own rules. The universe of his stories centre around 3 rules, the Laws of Robots, and while each story finds a way to analyse and bend and twist each one, never do they snap. His stories challenge the wits of both his characters and readers alike, intelligence being the swords used in the battles and tensions of each tale.
These three laws - a Robot cannot harm, or cause harm through inaction to, a human being; a Robot must obey commands given by human beings unless they break law one; and a Robot must preserve themselves unless that breaks law one or two - are explored in each of the short stories, and tackled from every angle thought of, as there is a constant building tension of the robots gaining more sentience and human-like mannerisms, pushing these rules to their limits.
The characters, the human ones especially, are incredible well written. Dialogue is witty and smart but natural and steeped in the realism of Asimov's world, their intelligence, stubbornness, arguments and friendships believable and very, well, human. The main protagonist would be Dr Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist, every bit as cold and blunt as she is intelligent and perceptive, through her eyes the readers gain an understanding on the robots and their limitations, as well as the ways they challenge them. The other two most standout characters whose journey the readers follow are that of Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan scientists, engineers and guinea pigs, they have such fun dialogue to read as their stubbornness and intelligence clash constantly yet their friendship remains steadfast, even as they end up in worse and worse situations.
The stories themselves are told in a chronological order, through the lens of Dr Susan Calvin as she is interviewed at the end of her life, looking back across the growth of technology and robots. The particular short story that stood out most would be Little Lost Robot, centering around Calvin herself as her mind is tested by a robot that is defective yet possesses a human-like intelligence. It is also the one most adapted to the screen in one way or another and for good reason - though we don't talk about the Will Smith film. The story has the perfect marriage of pacing and tension building, as this battle of the minds takes place and the situation grows more dire.
It is an incredible read, full of strong and creative world-building, witty and realistic characters, and brain turning situations. You don't need to be a fan of sci-fi for this to be a must read for your shelves.
meedamian's review against another edition
4.0
All stories were IMO really good, except one called "Reason", which I thought was rather stupid.
rainjrop's review against another edition
5.0
A fitting alternate title would be, "A Guide to Troubleshooting Robots." I highly enjoyed looking at the Three Laws of Robotics from various angles, seeing the effects when they conflict, and how robots could get away with not following them. I love Dr. Susan Calvin, her smarts, and her no-nonsense demeanor, as well as poor Powell and Donovon, who dealt with one malfunctioning robot after another. I'm really enjoying classic sci-fi and the bigger questions it often brings up.
andersls's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thisisthelion's review against another edition
3.0
Sin duda, este libro estaba adelantado a su tiempo e incluso hoy da mucho que pensar. Puede que no existan robots humanoides, como siempre se han imaginado en la literatura, pero ahí tenemos a los exoesqueletos de la fábrica de Ford, la AIs como Siri o los "perros" de Boston Dynamics.
Al estar compuesto de historias independientes, hay algunas que me han gustado especialmente como la de Robbie o las dos últimas, y otras que se me han hecho más pesadas. En ese sentido, me parece un poco desigual la lectura aunque se intente buscar un hilo conductor mediante Susan Calvin.
Al estar compuesto de historias independientes, hay algunas que me han gustado especialmente como la de Robbie o las dos últimas, y otras que se me han hecho más pesadas. En ese sentido, me parece un poco desigual la lectura aunque se intente buscar un hilo conductor mediante Susan Calvin.
ilianaelizabeth's review against another edition
2.0
Llegué a este libro por obligación ya que tuve que leerlo para una materia de la carrera que estudiaba, pero como me gusta la ciencia ficción supuse que lo iba a amar sin lugar a dudas. Pues no mi ciela.
Perdón, siento que fallé como lectora de ciencia ficción no amándolo, pero no lo sentí así.
No es que esté mal, sino que tiene un ritmo que no me atrae, no hay tensión, no tiene ese no sé qué que qué sé yo, por decirlo de alguna manera.
Es una serie de historias cortas, que no necesariamente significa algo malo, pero bueno, ninguna terminó de encantarme por lo que no puedo decir demasiadas cosas buenas del global.
Contrario a lo que digo otras veces igual, le voy a dar otra oportunidad a Asimov seguramente, porque me niego a creer que este amo y señor de la ciencia ficción no haya escrito nada que no pueda llegar a adorar.
Aun con toda esta reseña un poco caótica, recomiendo el libro, no es largo y puede que lo disfruten.
Perdón, siento que fallé como lectora de ciencia ficción no amándolo, pero no lo sentí así.
No es que esté mal, sino que tiene un ritmo que no me atrae, no hay tensión, no tiene ese no sé qué que qué sé yo, por decirlo de alguna manera.
Es una serie de historias cortas, que no necesariamente significa algo malo, pero bueno, ninguna terminó de encantarme por lo que no puedo decir demasiadas cosas buenas del global.
Contrario a lo que digo otras veces igual, le voy a dar otra oportunidad a Asimov seguramente, porque me niego a creer que este amo y señor de la ciencia ficción no haya escrito nada que no pueda llegar a adorar.
Aun con toda esta reseña un poco caótica, recomiendo el libro, no es largo y puede que lo disfruten.
wolfgold's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5