I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

I Robot, by Isaac Asimov, for those who don’t know was originally a collection of interconnected short stories published in magazines between 1940 and 1950. It wasn’t until Gnome Press gathered it up that it was released as an entire collection in 1950.

I picked it up because of its foundational impact on the science fiction genre, it is a classic and rightfully so. One thing that it shares with many classics is that it isn’t particularly exciting, if it were to be released today in a movie true to its story it wouldn’t be very successful. Its impact comes in the lasting effect that it has on the reader. It forces each person to ask questions about themselves and the world around them, which every great story does.

Carrying with it were some interesting elements that any modern person would enjoy, particularly the perception of the type of life we should be living by now. Mining on the planet Mercury, and beams of energy being sent to Earth from space. All of which sound very exciting but unless Apple or Elon Musk can get it done I don’t see any of that happening in the timeline that Asimov predicted.

Either way, I Robot is an easy read and fun read, it isn’t as action packed as stories tend to be today but its characters and the amusing application of robot psychology as it grapples with the confines of the three laws of robotics is quite fun. In the end the Three Laws may be the most important legacy of these stories, but without the warning that Asimov brings with it.

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