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I, Robot

I, Robot

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Garbage!
Review: This book was terrible, plain and simple! I couldn't imagine anyone else having to suffer through reading I, Robot. Its really a piece of trash.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good Idea, Bad writing
Review: Basically this book is about stupid people acting stupidly. The characters are incredibly unrealistic. The main character of the book, Calvin, is more annoying then anything else. I was also extremely disappointed with the endings of most of these stories. It seemed almost like these people in the book tried to make trouble for themselves. There are many good ideas in this book but it is poorly executed. Not Asimov's best.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Stage-setter for modern robotics.
Review: A masterpiece collection of stories of the early robots of Asimov's universe, where weird problems with the psychology of Three Law robots is carefully and logically detailed and then just as carefully solved. Pure mind games abound. Wonderful book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good idea, mediocre delivery...
Review: I, Robot is based on an interesting and novel premise, as the evolution of the robot and its interaction with people reveal various aspects of human nature. However, I found the human characters to be annoying. I can forgive exclamations like "Jumping Jupiter!" and so on, but it seemed that Asimov chose a couple of basic qualities to give the characters and then leave them as is. Calvin was the relatively stoic, almost robotlike psychologist (except in Liar!, where the complete change in emotional character was implausible); Powell and Donovan were opposites, one analytical and objective, the other overly emotional. These extremes made the characters too farfetched, and took something away from each story. However, the challenges the humans faced in dealing with new attributes to the robots were pretty interesting, even if the resolutions of such incidents were not always satisfying (such as the ending to Little Lost Robot). In conclusion, the book is okay, but not great. Perhaps if Asimov had written these stories all at once, more character development throughout the book would have helped to fix these problems.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The book to start reading about robots in Sci-fi.
Review: I, Robot was the first of Asimov's 'Robot' series books that I read. It is written in a very easy to follow manner and is consistent with the time and technlogy that it talks about.

Sci-fi buffs and new readers should start with this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The classic first short stories in the robot series.
Review: This is a collection of nine classic short stories about robots, each of which appeared previously in a pulp SF magazine. The stories contain Asimov's famous three "laws" of robotics as well as the positronic brain (consisting of a platinum/iridium sponge), now quite familiar with "Star Trek" fans. All of these have been great influences in both science and science fiction: 1) A robot may 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; and 3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws. It should also be noted that Asimov coined the word "robotics" in these stories, a term very common today. I really enjoyed these when I first read them as a teenager (my father had introduced me to Asimov's works). And, now rereading them many years later, I can understand why I enjoyed them. They are straight-forward science fiction in which a problem is presented and a solution posed. The first story, "Robbie," first appeared in 1940 (when Asimov 20 years old) in a slightly different form as "Strange Playfellow." Robbie is a companion robot for a child and the child's mother is apprehensive in allowing her daughter to play with it. "Runaround" (1942) is a story concerning a problem encountered by two trouble-shooters on a mining operation on the surface of Mercury. A robot has been given orders to retrieve some ore yet keeps walking in circles, to the detriment of the two human workers. They come to the conclusion that the problem lies with the three Laws and they have to find a solution. (This type of story [that is, of a problem presented needing a solution] becomes a common format for Asimov's science fiction and mystery stories.) In "Reason" (1941) the two trouble-shooters of the previous story are still on Mercury and have to reason with a robot who has been designed to take over the mining operation and energy conversion plant on Mercury. The robot has come to a conclusion that humans did not construct him and that his role is to serve the "Master" (the conversion apparatus). In "Catch That Rabbit" (1944), the two trouble shooters are on an asteroid attempting to train a robot that has control over six subsidiary robots. For some unknown reason, the robot ceases to function properly if no human is watching. "Liar!" (1941) is a story about a robot, still subject to the Three Laws, that can read minds. In "Little Lost Robot" (1947) a robot, which has had its first law modified, has hidden itself among sixty-two other robots and it has to be found. In "Escape!" (1945), a robot has to design an interstellar ship that may be hazardous to humans; yet, design it without violating the first law. "Evidence" (1946) is a story concerned with the problem of identifying a possible humaniform robot hiding itself among humans. The final short story, "The Evitable Conflict" (1950), takes place several years after the others on an Earth where much of human economics is directed through massive robot machines. There have been apparent stoppages and unexpected delays and the human overseers have to find out why. This story actually introduces the "Zeroeth Law" of Robotics: "No machine may harm humanity; or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth Reading
Review: The first time I attempted to read this book I was bogged down by the style, but I tried it about a year later and really enjoyed it. This is a robot book of Isaac Asimov's that you can read without trying to figure out where it is in a series. The book itself is a series of short stories that tell us about robots and certain flaws in the Laws of Robotics, but it tells us even more about humans and our flaws. I suggest science fiction fans read it, and if you have already tried, try again. You just might surprise yourself.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining and Inteligent stories
Review: This is a good book for something to ponder. It is to the brain as the Martian Chronicles is to the heart.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great combination of Science and Logic
Review: This book is great. The best stories from 'The Complete Robot' are in here. This made me buy all of the Asimov's robot and foundation books. If you like logic and science, this is a book for you. And it's one that won't be outdated.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This book is pretty dang good!
Review: This book is the first book by Asimov. Although a lot of people didn't like this book, I for one did. I liked how Mr. Asimov did the first chapters about Gloria. This really got me interested in further reading (which is quite an accomplishment to get me to keep on reading : ) So, I say, "congrats, isaac!"


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