Jacket Blurb:
ROBOTS
Mechanical servants, doing the jobs too hard--or too boring--for men to handle. They brought mankind into a new age of freedom and leisure. And every robot was completely incapable of harming a human being. So...why did men hate and fear them?
In THE REST OF THE ROBOTS, Isaac Asimov--author of a whole library of science fiction and fact--explores the fascinating future of men and their metal slaves in dramatic detailed stories of high imagination and wonder.
If you have read any of Issac Asimov's Robot books, this is a most engaging companion book. It's been decades (literally) since I've read any Asimov, so this was an interesting selection to read from a historical scifi perspective and a literary viewpoint.
From a historical scifi perspective it's looking at the birth of "robotics" and how humans would fear them. Well...the fear of robots in modern life hasn't been anywhere near what was portrayed, but then how can you compare a Roomba or Alexa to an AL-76?
From a literary standpoint, it's definitely a book of its time and the portrayal of women (Dr Susan Calivin included in this) doesn't meet today's norms. Does this bother me? No, I'm looking at a book and it's author through the lens of nearly 70 years. The 1940's and 50's had vastly different expectations than 2020.
The book is divided into three subgroups: The Coming of Robots, The Laws of Robotics, and Dr. Susan Calvin. I don't say this very often about short story compilations, but I enjoyed every single selection.
If one is interested in a historical look at one of the founding fathers of science fiction and comparing to where we are today. this would be a good book to pick up. Recommended.
View all my reviews
Mechanical servants, doing the jobs too hard--or too boring--for men to handle. They brought mankind into a new age of freedom and leisure. And every robot was completely incapable of harming a human being. So...why did men hate and fear them?
In THE REST OF THE ROBOTS, Isaac Asimov--author of a whole library of science fiction and fact--explores the fascinating future of men and their metal slaves in dramatic detailed stories of high imagination and wonder.
If you have read any of Issac Asimov's Robot books, this is a most engaging companion book. It's been decades (literally) since I've read any Asimov, so this was an interesting selection to read from a historical scifi perspective and a literary viewpoint.
From a historical scifi perspective it's looking at the birth of "robotics" and how humans would fear them. Well...the fear of robots in modern life hasn't been anywhere near what was portrayed, but then how can you compare a Roomba or Alexa to an AL-76?
From a literary standpoint, it's definitely a book of its time and the portrayal of women (Dr Susan Calivin included in this) doesn't meet today's norms. Does this bother me? No, I'm looking at a book and it's author through the lens of nearly 70 years. The 1940's and 50's had vastly different expectations than 2020.
The book is divided into three subgroups: The Coming of Robots, The Laws of Robotics, and Dr. Susan Calvin. I don't say this very often about short story compilations, but I enjoyed every single selection.
If one is interested in a historical look at one of the founding fathers of science fiction and comparing to where we are today. this would be a good book to pick up. Recommended.
View all my reviews
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