Robot Novels by Isaac Asimov

Although there are other authors writing robot novels, no one has the body of work as Isaac Asimov.

1. I Robot
2. The Rest of the Robots
3. The Complete Robot
4. The Caves of Steel
5. The Naked Sun
6. The Robots of Dawn
7. Robots and Empire

Isaac Asimov Predicts the Future

A 57 minutes talk on the future as Isaac Asimov sees it. Isaac Asimov a science fiction and nonfiction writer. His fiction with examples like I Robot and the Foundation series were the types of sceince fiction I cut my teath.

Star Wars K-2SO

Although not a perfect likeness, K-2SO ¹ is similar to Asimov's robot depicted in the book art of this volumne.

Screenshot from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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¹The Star Wars K-2SO is a reprogrammed Imperial droid.

Asimov's The Naked Sun

The book art on the volume is one of my favorites and I would have loved to give credit to its author, but as of today I haven't been able to come-up with a reference for one. I will keep on trying.

"Elijah Baley, Earths most capable detective, took crime in his stride. But he had lived all his life in the underground cities, and the open, blazing sun of the planet Solario sent cold chills down his spine.

The Naked Sun is a rare and perfect blend of science fiction and detective story, with crime that could only take place in the future..."

The Naked Sun, Isaac Asimov, first copyywrite by I. Asimov in 1957, this Lancer Book (C) in 1964.

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Audio book

America's Cult of Ignorance

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

—Isaac Asimov

"Knowledge is power, however, a little knowledge in the wrong hands is dangerous. Knowledge will make us more human and allow for more humility within oneselfs. This is the opposite of education, which should aim to make people, no matter how smart or accomplished they are, learners for the rest of their lives. Rather, we now live in a society where the acquisition of even a little learning is the endpoint, rather than the beginning, of education. And this is a dangerous thing."

Another Retrograde Robot

“The Master created humans first as the lowest type, most easily formed. Gradually, he replaced them by robots, the next higher step, and finally he created me, to take the place of the last humans.”

Reason, I Robot, Isaac Asimov

He is a rather gangly fellow isn't he?

Plans for those do-it-yourselfers.

The two illustrations are from "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" concept art.

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Updated on 1/11/23 @ 2:30pm, 6:36pm

Retrograde Robot

"The robots were on the lowest sublevel. All six of them surrounded by musty packing cases of uncertain content.They were large, extremely so, their chests were at least ten feet around, and even though they were in a sitting position on the floor, legs straddled out before them, their heads were a good seven feet in the air."

Runabout, I Robot, Isaas Asimov

Screenshot from Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

Although this robot is not quite as large as those mentioned above, is stands seven to eight feet tall. This very cumbersome looking robot runs on wheels moving very jerky.

The Florinian Social Order

“Patrollers were monster in black and silver, from whom one fled as a matter of course, whether one had done wrong or not. ‘May the spirit of the galaxy watch over the squires as they watch over us.’ The Squires were misty and mystical supermen, enormously good, who lived in paradise known as Sark and brooded watchfully and patiently over of the foolish men and woman of Florina.”

The Currents of Space, Isaac Asimov

Upper City Affluence-Lower City Poverty

“Lower City lay like a slumbering noxious monster, its greasy coils hidden by the glittering cover of Upper City. Parts of it probably maintained a shadowy life as produce was brought in and stored for the coming day, but that was not here, not in the slums.”

The Currents of Space, Isaac Asimov

The Currents of Space

"What he knew about the future could destroy a solar system... so they seared the memory of Rik's brain and left him dead. A wimpering thumb-sucking half-child. Then, Valona, a young, lonely peasant girl, adopted him and gently turned him into a man again.

Hunted by kings and spies-caught in a web of interplanetary intrigue, Rik struggles with his own numbed mind and his unknown enemy in a desperate and one-sided race with time."

The Currents of Space, Isaac Asimov, Fawcett Crest, © 1952

The End of Eternity

“Due to circumstances within our control…Tomorrow will be canceled.

The Eternals, the ruling class of the Future, had the power of life and death not only over every human being but over the very centuries in which they were born. Past, Present, and Future could be created or destroyed at will.

Eternals weren’t supposed to have feelings. But Andrew Harlan could not deny the sensations that were struggling within him. Andrew knew he could not keep this secret forever. And so, he began to plan his escape…a plan that changed his own past…and threatened Eternity itself.”

The End of Eternity, Isaac Asimov, Fawcett Crest Publications © 1955

The Evitable Conflict

The Day of the Mechanical Man

Prophetic glimpses of a strange and threatening tomorrow.

“’But you are telling me, Susan, that the “Society for Humanity” is right; and that Mankind has lost its own say in its future.'

‘It never had it really. It was always at the mercy of economic and societal forces it did not understand-Machines understand them; and no one can stop them, since the Machines will deal with them as they are dealing with the Society-having, as they do, the greatest weapon at their disposal, the absolute control of our economy.’

‘How horrible!’

‘Perhaps how wonderful!’ "

I, Robot,Isaac Asimov

I, Robot

"Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

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 orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."

Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A. D.

I, Robot, Isaac Asimov, The New American Library, © 1956.

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I know that I had read Isaac Asimov’s I Robot when I was still young, and now that I am reading it again, after all these years, I suspect I must have read in again since then. The stories within seem awfully familiar to me.

This volume is copyrighted March 1956 and although this collection-I, Robot is copyrighted by Asimov in 1950 the stories contained here had been copyrighted starting in 1940 and through 1950.

The book includes nine short stories: Robbie, Runaround, Reason, Catch that Rabbit, Liar!, Little Lost Robot, Escape, Evidence, and the Evitable Conflict. Susan Calvin, is a Robotpsychologist who had worked for U.S. Robotics for over fifty years, recalls the early days of Robotics.

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"The Place is Earth

The year is 2058 A. D.

A time when robots are on the march!!"

My First Robot Miniature and Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

Before I start my first robot miniature I thought it necessary to institute certain policies for this robot. What a better choice than Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics".

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 orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. "

I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. I read I Robot many years ago, but I still remember how the text begins. The "Three Laws of Robotics" were presented at the very beginning. The nine stories that followed tell how things play out when a robot is confronted with situations that test these three laws. It is a very interesting treatise on the topic.

The Foundation

Over the past week I have been listing to a BBC radio drama of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series. The original Foundation series consisted of a set of seven science novels. This radio (podcast) is an adaption from what is commonly known as the Foundation Trilogy, which consists the Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation novels.

The BBC has done a very fine job in not only presenting this series, but in also creating sound effects that were created especially for this series. The show consists of eight parts and runs for roughly eight hours.

I do remember reading the Foundation when I was young and remember trying to make sense out of all of it. Listening to the series on my MP3 player while out for a walk has been very enjoyable and has rekindled my interest in Isaac Asimov.

Anyone who loves Science Fiction and or Isaac Asimov should listen to this podcast. I am sure that in doing so it will give you a new appreciation for this author, as it has for me.

Do you know of any science fiction podcast s? Please let me know.