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Robot #0.1 & 4
I, Robot / Robots and Empire
This is a duo
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
10 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,564Ìýbooks26.6kÌýfollowersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 1, 2023
Probably one of the most brilliant science fiction series of all time and it's just not about robots and machines it's so much more about how to interact with human and humanity.
September 23, 2019
It's not quite timeless as claimed but it does make you think about a lot of scenarios in which robots will influence our lives. The author seems to be very positive about singularity. The whole premice is that a robot can't hurt a human due to build in code restrictions. However from my own experience as a software developer there are always ways around restrictions. There can be bugs, glitches and even exploits. Also there is a strange approach to how robots work in this universe, it's probably how men thought about such things back in the day.
August 21, 2007
It's not quite timeless, I guess....
May 20, 2018
Interesting sci-fi short stories about the concept of AI and their complex relationships with humans.
Pros: I enjoyed the stories, some much more than others. Actually my favorites were the first and the last entries, “Robbie� & “The Evidence.� While Robbie allows us to ponder existentialism, it also allows us to explore the wide range of possibilities consciousness allows, such as the abstract concept of love. “The Evidence� was the culmination of all the allegories our AI friends represent throughout the book. It was this final entry that was my favorite, it had me guessing to the very end (I wish they’d make a movie out of last one alone)
Con: While the prose flowed, it was nothing special. You are being given data (like a robot) but nothing about the style is memorable. Also, these entries vary drastically from wildly outlandish and eerie to plausible and intriguing.
Overall, I enjoyed these digital dreams and will reread them later. Thinking about it, I almost wish humans had these laws innately inscribed on our DNA, well, at least the first one anyway:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
One day though � hopefully, one day soon . Rev. 21:3, 4, Micah 4:3
Pros: I enjoyed the stories, some much more than others. Actually my favorites were the first and the last entries, “Robbie� & “The Evidence.� While Robbie allows us to ponder existentialism, it also allows us to explore the wide range of possibilities consciousness allows, such as the abstract concept of love. “The Evidence� was the culmination of all the allegories our AI friends represent throughout the book. It was this final entry that was my favorite, it had me guessing to the very end (I wish they’d make a movie out of last one alone)
Con: While the prose flowed, it was nothing special. You are being given data (like a robot) but nothing about the style is memorable. Also, these entries vary drastically from wildly outlandish and eerie to plausible and intriguing.
Overall, I enjoyed these digital dreams and will reread them later. Thinking about it, I almost wish humans had these laws innately inscribed on our DNA, well, at least the first one anyway:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
One day though � hopefully, one day soon . Rev. 21:3, 4, Micah 4:3
October 14, 2019
Some people say this is a 'timeless piece' and I disagree. Some of the things said in a book, are a bit jarring, to say the least. I understand the reasoning and thought process of why it was written like that, but nowadays we wouldn't create a software that has the potential of world destruction, and just send it into the wild, to see if our 'checks and safeties' simply work. We would test it repeatedly, in different scenarios and under several stress conditions.
But besides this, if you ignore the software issues that probably wouldn't happen today (or at least on the same scale), this is a really great little book. It is a collection of short stories where the reader is given a puzzle, just like a detective story. Some of the answers are obvious, some are not, but at the end, they are all explained and indeed make sense.
My only other negative about this book, is the writing style. It's no Rothfuss, but at the same time these are stories to experience the psychology of robots and humans. Not necessarily the writing style.
Long story short: I was pleasantly surprised...and I want to read more.
But besides this, if you ignore the software issues that probably wouldn't happen today (or at least on the same scale), this is a really great little book. It is a collection of short stories where the reader is given a puzzle, just like a detective story. Some of the answers are obvious, some are not, but at the end, they are all explained and indeed make sense.
My only other negative about this book, is the writing style. It's no Rothfuss, but at the same time these are stories to experience the psychology of robots and humans. Not necessarily the writing style.
Long story short: I was pleasantly surprised...and I want to read more.
February 2, 2019
Is it an autism thing? About half way through the novel that makes up the second half, it suddenly struck me: an image of Issac banging away at the keyboard, ignoring messy reality outside, keeping his eyes on the black words being struck onto the white paper in front of him, where he can construct a world where each civilisation has single, homogeneous viewpoints, as if the Nazis, Stalinists and Moonies had really got their shit together and indoctrinated everyone. So much runs counter to everything you know about the richness and variety of human life and culture. But luckily there are numerous characters having interminable conversations over and over again to explain everything without letting any of that old school ‘show don’t tell� stuff get in the way.
February 26, 2018
Good, as Isaac always does.
October 28, 2018
An interview with Dr. Susan Calvin which leads to her re telling stories across her
career of unusual Robots. So this book is really just a compilation of short stories. Easy read.
career of unusual Robots. So this book is really just a compilation of short stories. Easy read.
March 17, 2025
So different than the movie. A wonderful collection of short stories loosely tired together
March 14, 2017
Asimov the genius not only came up with the three laws of robotics, but also wrote about what happens when robots defy them. All the stories in I, Robot talk about anomalies and rule-bending robots. Robots exploit the fascinating loopholes in the three laws. If our future is going to have robots, this is a must-read for the developers who create the bot AI.
August 10, 2009
Not similar to movie. Based upon how robot society progressed and a supposed Utopia which doesn't quite get reached.
Fast read, easy vocabulary. Interesting, logical, old sci-fi, but still enjoyable.
Fast read, easy vocabulary. Interesting, logical, old sci-fi, but still enjoyable.
February 1, 2013
I did not read " I Robot" however Robots & Empire being the last and I believe the best of the robot series in that in leads directly into the Galactic Empire Series which I will read at a later date.
May 28, 2014
Overall - the Robot Series is as well thought out as the Foundation Series - they eventually overlap. The original robot stories are a little simplistic, but as always, Asimov deepens and develops his themes and characters.
Read
May 9, 2015Not entirely sure why they bothered naming the movie after this collection... Not even sure why they even bothered making that movie either...
Starts simple and builds on the philosophical implications of super-intelligent beings at our fingertips. I enjoyed every page.
Starts simple and builds on the philosophical implications of super-intelligent beings at our fingertips. I enjoyed every page.
September 19, 2008
Love Asimov robot series. It was my introduction to proper science fiction when I was 12/13 and I've never looked back. I've read so much of his work and am hoping to re-read these soon!
November 1, 2008
A thinking book that is also entertaining, although the dialogue is dated. Nothing like the movie (which I loved), but still good.
November 15, 2008
great bunch of short stories. all tied in with the three basic rules. love asimov's writting style and the storys are awsome
Read
September 9, 2009Collection of stories describing how our feature might be if we have robots
February 12, 2010
Just for fun I picked this up, and really had fun with the short stories as I cleaned the house listening to them.
June 12, 2010
Not what I expected, given the movie.
April 30, 2011
Good at the time
Read
July 18, 2014Both are great books.
July 14, 2009
Nothing like the movie. It's a great read. Classic.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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