This classic science fiction masterwork by Isaac Asimov weaves stories about robots, humanity, and the deep questions of existence into a novel of shocking intelligence and heart. “A must-read for science-fiction buffs and literature enjoyers alike.”—The Guardian I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series, forever changed the world’s perception of artificial … the world’s perception of artificial intelligence. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-reading robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world—all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov’s trademark.
The 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 to 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.
With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov formulated the laws governing robots’ behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future—a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.
“Tremendously exciting and entertaining . . . Asimov dramatizes an interesting question: How can we live with machines that, generation by generation, grow more intelligent than their creators and not eventually clash with our own invention?”—The Chicago Tribune
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Good introduction to the robot books. Brings up the philosophical question of the definition of life. If you saw the movie, do not expect the book to be the same. The book was better and different.
Created robot stories, and perhaps any AI as literature. Seriously excellent woman lead.
A wonderful book by a great author.
It causes a shift in your world view- as all his writing does.
I was not very entertained by this novel of short storis. It seemed bland and emotionless. I think it must be the writing style because I loved I am Legend, The Body Snatchers, Starship Troopers and had heard good things about this one, it is just not for me I guess and I hope the rest of you enjoy it.
“Classic” Asimov and truly world-building. He invented and refined our literary notions of robotics – every Sci-Fi book and movie on the subject owes something (usually quite a lot) to his imagination, even when they try to circumvent his notions. As others have said, reading about robots tells us more about the nature of what it means to be …
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A long time ago I read a short story by Isaac Asimov called “The Last Question” that totally blew my mind. But I’d mostly forgotten about Asimov until my editor mentioned this book to me (it was your suggestion, right, Jim?) since Uncanny Valley is on a very similar topic. Jim even had me write in a reference in Uncanny Valley to Asimov’s Three …
Very good characters
Forget the movie, this series is much better. Some of Asimov’s better work.
Isaac Asimov books are always a good bet – this one especially…you will be amazed how many of the terms he created starting back in 1940 (78 years ago) have found their way into Star Trek, Star Wars, and common language.. All of the stories are precious in their own way.
Asimov at his best. Classic SCI-FI.
Asimov shorts showcasing the great man at his best!
I like about anything from Asimov
This is a book of fictional short stories about the creating humanoid robots. There is a common thread throughout the stories,of the handful of people responsible for creating and de-bugging the newly created robots. It takes people and robots to different locations and problems, trying to figure out why the robots react the way they do. This …
Not the movie.
Great stories with real meaning and thought. Yeah, he missed on computers, but hey he wrote the stories in the 40s.
The (excellent) movie borrowed some world-building from this book, and is otherwise unrelated. So, don’t read this to get a print version of the movie. The book is a classic collection of short stories about robots, often puzzle stories. This is not character-driven fiction. But, it’s strongly recommended if you are interested in robots or like …
Asimov rules
Isaac Asimov is by far the most brilliant science fiction writer I have ever read