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Summary: science fiction detective mystery continues [no spoilers]
Review: "The Naked Sun" is the second in a magnificent continuation to an awesome science fiction series involving Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw. The Solarian's, descendants of Earth, ask the agoraphobic (afraid of open places) plainclothes cop Elijah Baley, since he solved a previous Spacer murder, to unravel a crime committed on their planet. With little choice, he embarks across space to face not only a foreign environment but also a robot-infested society. The robot intolerance Elijah is partnered with technological masterpiece Daneel to break the case before it is too late. Daneel continues to learn about human behavior from Elijah and is restricted in his behavior by what is known as the Law of Robotics. The story moves at a good tempo with an astonishing conclusion.Thank you.
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Summary: Ce livre fait partie de mes 2 livres cultes !
Review: (l'autre livre étant l'Ecume des jours, de Boris Vian). Face aux Feux du Soleil (The Naked Sun) est un chef d'oeuvre absolu, je l'ai lu pour la première fois à l'age de 15 ans et depuis il ne m'a plus jamais quitté... J'ai lu d'autres livres d'Asimov, mais celui-ci reste pour moi à jamais inégalable.
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Summary: Asimov knew how to write SF, from the very begining
Review: Amazing story, I love this plot, I can't put 5 stars because 5 stars is the Fundation saga. This book, is the best, from the Robots stories I have read. (I am reading this serie in order, I only read: I Robot, Caves of Steel and this one). If you like SF, this is a "must!"
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Summary: An entertaining adventure romp
Review: Anyone who has read Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction masterpiece The Caves of Steel was undoubtedly clamoring for a sequel at the end of the book. The Naked Sun (Asimov would go on to write two more sequels) fulfills the task sufficiently. Although I think that, on the whole, the plot and murder mystery in this book - with less plot twists and turns, false leads, and dead ends - is not as interesting as the one in The Caves of Steel was, it is still thoroughly enjoyable, nonetheless. Granted, the concept of the murder mystery is one of the oldest scenarios in all literature - and was perfected by Conan Doyle, at that - and is, thus, rarely fresh or inventive - indeed, is usually quite stale. This is the real strength of The Naked Sun. This has what is, as far as one could conceivably allow in a murder mystery, a totally original plot. It is strange and intriguing in that the protagonist - and, indeed, the reader - knows nothing, absolutely NOTHING, about the murder. Detectives invariably start out with few clues, but in this he has absolutely none. Another interesting aspect of the book - and the highlight of it, for me - is the world, Solaria, and its inhabitants that Asimov herein describes. They have a truly different and remarkable way of life than that which we may find customary, and Asimov manages to make it believable and highly interesting. These factors combine to make the book interesting and fun to read. It is written in the style of its prequel: fast-paced, exciting, and hard to put down. This is certainly worth reading, if you liked the first one, and I highly reccommend it. For all of this praise, however, I do not find this book to be, on the whole, as good as The Caves of Steel. The Naked Sun, while being an extremely entertaining and fulfilling adventure romp, fails to convey the profundity of the original - indeed, this may stem from the fact that Asimov wrote this book out of incessant demand for a sequel (both from his publisher and his fans) instead of having it arise from pure inspiration. Alas, this is a highly entertaining book that I heartily reccommend to fans of the aforementioned masterpiece.
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Summary: Good SF book, not a murder mystery.
Review: Applying standard techniques of mystery analysis, you can figure out the murderer fairly easily. But Asimov is an SF ethnographer, historian, and psychologist, not an Agatha Christie clone. And as an SF work, it's one of the best.
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Summary: I am an avid Asimov fan!
Review: As should be anyone even slightly fascinated by sci-fi and space opera. And very few people can deliver like Asimov, with the exception of Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein. I would urge all sci-fi addicts to get this book as well as: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, "Advent of the Corps" and others.
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Summary: Space Detective
Review: Asimov brings back New York detective Elijah Baley and his robotic partner R. Daneel Olivaw in this second book of the Robot Series. This time Baley is summoned to solve a case on the distant planet of Solaria. Baley wishes to refuse, but his reputatition for solving crimes involving Spacers leaves him as the only choice. On arriving on Solaria, he is glad to see his robotic partner from the planet Aurora, R. Daneel Olivaw, waiting there for him. It seems that many planets have a stake in solving this crime on the usually crimeless world of Solaria. Baley and Daneel discover a strange society in which humans shun personal contact and prefer to view each other through a sort of holographic transmission system. The problem with this murder case is that only one person could have committed the murder, but it is impossible that she could have committed it. Baley has to unravel the mystery of how a man was murdered on a planet where it is impossible.
Asimov has a light style that is easy to read and which pulls the reader into the story. It's difficult to put down. One word for those who have read the first novel, The Caves of Steel. If you're a bid fan of Daneel, be aware that he plays a smaller role in this second novel. Baley is the star here.
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Summary: sequels never seem to work do they?
Review: Asimov is best when working with a fresh set of characters and I think that is what is so appealing with the Foundation series: The characters were constantly changing through the course of the books timeline. In Naked Sun we see the return of detective Bailey and his Robot sidekick and must endure 50 or so pages of getting the audience up to speed. Of course I hunger to learn more of the developments that occured in Caves of Steel, but obviously for those who have not read the book those character developments would reveal too much of the plot and ruin it for the new reader. Therefore we are left hanging on some plot threads as Bailey heads out to Solaris in search of another plot to solve. The second half of the book is quite appealing as Asimov makes great social commentary about America and its need for privacy and automation of life. I found myself engulfed in lives that appeared wonderful but at the same time quite strange and flawed. The book was completely engrossing until the very end where Asimov pulls out all the cliche's including the "get everyone in the room to reveal the crime" senario. Agatha Christie this is not, and too bad Asimov ended the book with that tired old senario. On top of that, suddenly everyone in that room is a bunch of quirky characters with the crime solved by Baily who appears extrodinarily competent as compared to the first book which made him far more human and fallible. On top of that Bailey acts as judge, jury and executioner and this is completely out of line for his character despite his newfound character development that Asimov weaves into this story to justify his ridiculous actions. Finally, the didactic speech at the end of the story from Baily was disappointing. I felt Asimov was just blowing off steam to end the book rather than finding his usual clever means of making social commentary. Caves of Steel was brilliant because of its social commentary and the fresh originality brought into the detective story. Naked sun feel stiff and a bit tired but it is still, despite my problems with the book, a decent read, but it is NO Caves of Steel.
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Summary: Future tense.
Review: Asimov is one of the science fiction writers who tend to be taken at least semi-seriously by the scientist crowd. It's interesting to me how much the little details jibe with our own sense of the future. For instance, the trouble with getting robots to respond to a question reminds me of some of the more comical experiments with intelligent agents. Although the almost allegorical nature of the Solarians gives the book a somewhat dated feel, it still has that Asimov magic-- combining study of human nature with speculative fiction. A first class author.
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Summary: An enjoyable blend of sci-fi & mystery
Review: Asimov writes a enjoyable blend of science-fiction and mystery. The pace is leisurely, and the novel might seem almost simplistic by today's sci-fi standards. Once you consider that it was published in 1957, the novel takes on an added dimension (and explains some anachronisms like the frequently exclaimed "Jehosaphat"). You can see Asimov's very creative mind at work (the crime itself could only be accomplished through science-fiction) and how shows like "Star Trek" borrow liberally from his work. Be forewarned that Asimov likes to ponder science-fiction concepts a few pages here and there.
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