Rating: 
Summary: A Paragon of Crime Fiction
Review: I'm not a fan of the books about robots, but this excellent futuristic detective novel has made me a fan of Isaac Asimov. There are intrigating riddles, a nice plot and, so common to the writer, a totally surprising end.
Rating: 
Summary: The Caves of Steel
Review: "Well you can tell they're robots" Issac Asimov from "The Caves of Steel", this is typical because anyone can tell the difference between a human and a robot. The book is about robots getting to advanced for mankind. It takes place in the future and has a murder mystery.
The book starts out with a murder. It happens in an alien town with lots of robots. This takes place when humans start to hate robots. The town is on the outskirts of New York so a human Elijah Bailey was partnered with an alien. This alien turned out to be a robot and the whole murder was centered around robots. The book starts to get very interesting.
The setting in this novel is the best part of the book. It's set way into the future. Humans live in "steel caves" huge domes that trap cities indside. Everything is futuristic about the whole city. The setting is great.
Asimov has a well put together plot. His idea of the future and robots adds a lot to the novel. The way the murder case unfolds is creative. There are lots of turn arounds, twists, and turns. The circumstances in the plot are awkward. The novel has a good story.
Characters in the book are fit well with their role. It helps create a picture in your mind almost like your watching a movie. Elijah Baley is the main character, he's a detective. The most creative character is the commissioner who has a very old fashioned style. R. Daneel olivaw is a robot who looks and acts completely human.
Overall the book is worth reading and is very entertaining. If you are interested in robots, the future, or murder/mysteries, you should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Asimov of Steel!
Review: Ah, Asimov. There's something terribly cozy about his fiction. Even when it's a work that you haven't read before, there are always a few touchstones to make any story seem familiar. With almost any other author, this would be a criticism, but this isn't the case for Asimov. His body of work often overlapped, but he was talented enough never to make his stories seem repetitive.THE CAVES OF STEEL almost feels like two different kinds of stories in one. In one sense, Asimov constructed a mystery novel within the trappings and conventions of the science-fiction genre. But he's also very interested in world-building. He goes to great lengths to describe what life will be like in his future. I was on a train from Connecticut to Maryland, and I was quite amused at passing through geographical locations that Asimov had futurized. New York becomes a gigantic enclosed City, and Asimov takes great care to describe what the layout will look like and what the transportation methods will be. New Jersey becomes a gigantic yeast farm, and I'll let readers of this review make their own New Jersey jokes at this time. The main plot focuses on an unexplained murder, and Earth detective Lije Baley has been teamed with R. Daneel Olivaw, with the "R" standing for "Robot". Not only are anti-robot feelings running high on Earth, but there is also a lot of animosity between Earth and the colonies. So, the murder of an important "Spacer" attracts enough attention that the forces of both sides are brought together to discover the truth. Creating fully fleshed out characters was not always Asimov's strongpoint, and many of the secondary people feel fairly flat. Fortunately, the two main detectives have been thought though fairly well. Of course, since one half of the team is robotic, Asimov was making things easier on himself since he did seem to enjoy creating robots as much as he enjoyed creating human characters. But the interplay between the Earther and the robot are just as good as anything Asimov wrote in I, ROBOT, or indeed, anything of his that I've read. I read Asimov's final autobiography (he wrote three volumes over the years) a couple of years ago, and it's fascinating to see how much of himself he put in his stories. Asimov famously hated leaving his apartment, and was apparently uneasy about being in wide-open spaces. So it's not surprising to see that in the future of THE CAVES OF STEEL, mankind is overwhelmingly agoraphobic. When a robotics scientist is transported in to the story and gives a short lecture about how he hates flying, we know that this is Asimov himself expressing one of his own personality quirks. Little asides and pieces of dialog further this impression. When Baley delivers a speech about an Old Testament King, the tone is almost identical to that of some of Asimov's essays that deal with Biblical subjects. Mystery and science fiction were the two fictional genres that I feel Asimov was the most successful at. Here, he combines these into one utterly engrossing story. The plot is a lot of fun, and so is the world-building that Asimov undertakes. But I think what I remember most about the book is the partnership of the two main characters. Having robots and humans intermingle is something that Asimov did quite a lot of in his novels and short stories, but I think the pairing in this book is probably one of his most successful. I already own the sequel to this book, THE NAKED SUN (yet another in my overflowing and increasing too-read pile), and I am already looking forward to being reunited with these two characters.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: Take a complex scifi novel and meld it with a hardboiled mystery -- the result is "Caves of Steel." Isaac Asimov's most famous series continues with this book, a genre-bending trip into the future. Plenty of whodunnits and political tension, not to mention more robots. Elijah Bailey, a cop in the future domed New York, is called to investigate a murder: a Spacer scientist was killed in Spacetown. Things get even worse when Lije is assigned a detective partner, Daneel Olivaw, who isn't just a Spacer -- but also a robot, albeit one who looks exactly like a human. Despite his dislike for Spacers and robots alike, Lije begins investigating the death of the scientist (who also created Daneel in his own image). Even so, his prejudices start to get in his way. But the further Daneel and Lije dig, the more complex -- and sinister -- the mystery becomes. There are the Spacers, who have plans for Earth that almost no one knows about. There are the Medievalists, a growing faction of romantic-minded Earth citizens who long for the "good old days" and hate robots with a passion. And soon Lije discovers that the murderer might just be closer to him than he thinks... "Caves" has aged remarkably well, considering that much of the futuristic stuff isn't particularly impressive anymore. But it's the layout of Asimov's futuristic civilization that is so impressive -- there are the overcrowded, resentful, technophobic Earth people, and the lofty, sparse, technology-loving Spacers. The vast cultural differences and friction give a feeling of deep realism. Neither civilization is portrayed as being wholly bad or good -- each has its moral and logical pros and cons. Are we headed for this? Maybe. Asimov doesn't preach too hard. There are also deeper currents to a book that seems, on the surface, to be a straightforward SF/mystery. Asimov explores the mistrust, fear, lack of logic, and ignorance that keep people apart. The Spacers and Earth people have let their differences become mistrust: The overcrowded Earth people are crammed like sardines, with little food and highly regulated lives. The Spacers are underpopulated, live in luxury, and are assisted by robots. Lije is a likable guy from the start; Asimov doesn't make him brilliant (he makes two erroneous accusions before figuring out the mystery) or lacking in biases. But he is determined to overcome his own shortcomings; his open-minded attitude is well-done. Daneel makes up for Lije's shortcomings by being logical and unbiased, but he doesn't have Lije's imagination. A must-read for fans of science fiction and mystery, but also an intriguing read for anyone, and a captivating book for those who enjoyed "I Robot."
Rating:
Summary: The true beginning of Asimov's future history
Review: Some of the stories in THE COMPLETE ROBOT indicate the beginning of galactic civilization with the concept of hyperspace, but this novel shows the beginning of Earth's expansion into the galaxy. However, that is only one of the factors in this science fiction/mystery novel. It works well on both levels. I've seen some criticism of the mystery elements, but with careful reading, the seasoned mystery reader will spot the necessary clues leading to the conclusion. The basic plot involves New York City detective Elijah Bailey's teaming with R. Daneel Olivaw, a spacer android, to solve the murder of a prominent spacer scientist. Earth's population is, as a whole, fearful of the growing use of robots. There's a combination of distrust of the robots and fear of robots taking over even complex jobs on an overcrowded Earth, and the police detective himself resents having to work with a non-human. Naturally, this changes in time as the two work together to solve the crime and as Bailey learns of the outer worlds' objective of inspiring Earth's participation in colonizing other worlds. As a whole, the story is well plotted and should encourage those new to Asimov to continue reading the robot series and then the Empire and Foundation books.
Rating:
Summary: Murder in SpaceTown.
Review: Caves of Steel is the story of detective Elijah Baley.
Called in to investigate a murder in Spacetown
and to be teamed up with robot Daneel Olivaw.
Interesting stuff in itself.
But on top of that the reader gets a story crammed
with lots of interesting asides on the robots.
Robots who are indeed both complicated and fascinating.
As R. Daneel Olivaw, himself, explains to detective
Baleys son in the novel! And down there in the future NYC, womb-city, metropolis,
robots are feared,
- Despite of their friendship circuits,
and despite a Spacer project of converting Earth to an integrated human/robot society.
R. Daneel does his best to blend in.
Cerebroanalyzing potentiel unfriendlies and having
the trouble of occasional removal of organic material
from his interior, as he plays the part of eating.
Wonderful stuff.
Would make a great movie! -Simon
Rating:
Summary: Asimov is as good as they say...
Review: This was my first Asimov book and I am already impressed with the clarity of his writing. The characters are well defined and the deeper meaning of the novel is quite evident in only a few pages. There is a struggle between the humans and robots, which the characters must come to terms with before they can cooperate with each other. Quite enjoyable, with a few moments of humor. Word_Ninja
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag of prophecies
Review: Let's face it, Asimov is not a great delineator of character, and the humans in this book mostly come across as self-doubting weaklings. However, we don't expect great characterizations from sci-fi, which we read more for its insights into possible futures. It's actually kind of amusing to see how prescient Asimov was in some ways, and how blinkered in others. Apparently, a thousand or more years from now there will not yet be a cure for myopia -- though contact lenses will be almost universal. Offices will still have telephone switchboards, and women will be wearing hats again, even though they live underground. And oddly enough, subversive organizations will be able to exist more or less openly. It all has a kind of charming naivety but keeps this book off the list of classics.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of the Best books I have ever read.
Review: I enjoy it so much I read it almost every day. It is very well written. May faveorite quote is, "Man I'd like to kick that damn messanger were it hurts!!!"
Rating:
Summary: Steely Foresight
Review: Prepare yourself for a great journey into the future. This book will draw you into a good detective story and a great visualization of a time we coexist with robots. Other than the attitude about smoking, the book could have been written today. His character descriptions and examinations of their outlooks is great. Even the robot is introspective and philosophical in a certain way. If you have read the Foundation series or any other Asimov books or enjoyed Robert Heinlen, Ray Bradburry, Timothy Zahn, or Gene Roddenberry you should enjoy this book. Be sure to catch the rest the series.
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