Litsy

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ robots behaviors should not be ignored. Hence AI! A profound collection of short stories that are timeless and timely. A variable of dilemmas that ultimately become something quite terrifying. A thought provoking read of explosive ideas.

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Robotswithpersonality

The Naked Sun | Isaac Asimov

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Another banger! This series does not disappoint.
The mystery was twistier than first anticipated, the personal growth of the main character was authentically balanced by his own ingrained biases. The exploration of an alternate future for mankind on an alien world was absorbing in theory if somewhat disturbing in practice. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I was surprised by how much Daneel ended up being sidelined, but this novel is much more an exploration of how humans might choose to change as a society with the aid of robots than a story of the robots themselves. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Insofar as, from a current perspective, The Caves of Steel tells of a future Earth crammed with people who live in supercities to manage resources, and under dome/underground ostensibly to protect from less hospitable elements, The Naked Sun tells of another somewhat dystopian future, where people act like they're permanently in pandemic lockdown, not because there is a physical threat, but because isolation as societal foundation has been 3w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? judged a good and is programmed into the remote raising of future generations. Speaking of the remote raising, the Solarian perspective, its coldness even revulsion towards children alongside its primacy of genetic superiority, its championing of eugenics, lends their 'alien way of life' extra creepiness. (edited) 3w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? I love that a society so heavily dependent yet casually presumptive about the use of robots is singled out to demonstrate behaviour that feels robotic: avoiding human contact. As much as you get the easy parallel sense of the robotic nature of Solarians compared to more earthy humans from Earth, it makes for an even better contrast for Baley's final argument, the ultimate conclusion that Solarians and Earthmen both have a restrictive, 3w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? traditional way of life that threatens long-term survival, that needs changing.

The plot contains something of an inversion of the previous exploration of the limitations of the three laws seen in I, Robot, it's not about what the robot might try to do when given an order by humans that involves a unique interpretation of the three laws, but more an affirmation of the First Law and what the robot will suffer if it inadvertently is involved 3w

Robotswithpersonality 8/? in breaking it.

Is it ableist to give a robot a lisp and a limp after it suffers brain damage from accidently killing a human?
It definitely feels racist that Baley consistently calls the robots 'boy' while they are required to call him and all humans 'master'. Historically those are terms bound up in the enslavement and oppression of Black people. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 9/? Baley may be coming to more enlightened conclusions about the future of humanity in each book but his prejudice against robots remains strong.
It's interesting to see it paralleled with his fear of open sky, not to belittle agoraphobia, but he's a part of a generation of humans who have learned to live and find comfort and shelter in close quarters, scrounging for better jobs and living conditions, and the robots act upon his subconscious 3w

Robotswithpersonality 10/? in a similar manner, possible they might take his job, possible they might harm him physically. His fears are a result of his circumstances.
For all that,to the reader, there are aspects that feel like paradise, (more space, more greenery) Solaris has particular phobias developed by the way they choose to live as well: no contact and resulting revulsion for all things related to procreation or personal proximity and given the growth in 3w

Robotswithpersonality 11/? isolation, perhaps a legitimate fear around foreign contagion. They are as likely to be as repulsed by their fellow man as Baley is by robots.
Again: societal conditioning developing ignorance that quite obviously needs to be rectified. 3w

Robotswithpersonality 12/? Unsurprisingly the female characters got short shrift again: one is marked out for a displeasing physical appearance and flaw of flaws: lack of maternal instincts, another is somewhere between femme fatale and damsel in distress, gets an almost decent amount of time on page...to be objectified by the male lead. She is sensual to a degree that her society finds offensive, and makes her more sympathetic to the hetero detective. The bulk of her 3w

Robotswithpersonality 13/? actions are emotional displays of one kind or another. 🙄

I will give partial credit for her role in the painting with light scene. The aesthetic worked for me, and its moment of vulnerability and introspection, for Baley, of course, about his own mental blocks. I loved the internal made external, his wish to see a different version of himself in self-portrait than he's yet to live up to galvanizing him to take action against a fear that 3w

Robotswithpersonality 14/14 looms large.

Maybe there's hope for humanity after all.

⚠️child abuse, bigotry, racism 3w

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Robotswithpersonality

The Naked Sun | Isaac Asimov

😏

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Robotswithpersonality

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

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A spectacular collection of short stories, connected by the framing device of interviewing a person who has not only been involved in robotics for decades, specifically with the largest company that produces them and knows the rocky history of earlier days, but is a robopsychologist, the person with the most insight into the thinking of robots in the face of Asimov's famous Three Laws/Rules of Robotics. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Absolutely adored the writing, a tad bit of what I feel might be the difference in the way people spoke in the 50s vs now, and a tad bit meant to reflect the idea of people in the far future with a different lexicon, but mostly just a joy to read well done description and dialogue. Not too heavy on the hard sci fi, good banter, featuring moments that are emotionally impactful and also those of wry observation.
2mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Robbie: Definitely pushed all my buttons. An emotional rollercoaster.

Runaround: Still a favourite, the only one I vaguely remembered decades later. The challenging problem it presents, the way it addresses one of the many ways that three laws wouldn't be flawless in application, the duo of scientists arguing it out, and the ending, the last line actually made me laugh. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Reason: Two recurring characters, and a thoroughly engaging mind fuck.

Catch That Rabbit: Upping the cheeky banter between the two frustrated scientists, and the ending was a bit sillier too.

Liar!: Just tragic. Has a point, but damn.

Lost Little Robot: Tense but fascinating, sort of a mystery plot. 2mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Escape!: Oh, that was sneaky. I like it!

Evidence: Just a beautiful, clever peice of work.

Evitable: To have the answer be so hopeful and yet kinda chilling at the same time, yes and no to a lurking concern in this age of emerging AI...

It's a tragedy that my local library network has so little Asimov available, but between interlibrary loans and used bookstores I'm sure I can get my hands on more, and will do so soon! 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/6 ⚠️Somewhat misogynist depiction of woman scientist, ableist description of one character 2mo

Bookwomble This is such a fantastic, timeless collection of stories 😊 2mo

14 likes6 comments

Robotswithpersonality

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

“...there is nothing so eternally adhesive as the memory of power.“ Ominous AND profound

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Robotswithpersonality

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

Adding this one to my invective arsenal. 😏

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Robotswithpersonality

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

It's all relative! 😆
These poor scientists. 🫢

wildwoodreads This makes me want to read this 😂 3mo

Robotswithpersonality @wildwoodreads I'm honestly having more fun than I thought I would! 3mo

13 likes2 comments

JuliaTheBookNerd

The Complete Stories | Isaac Asimov

#Peaceful ☮️🕊️

#JulyJazz 🐚🌺☀️🌴🌊🫧 🍉🇺🇸🎆

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

tpixie Great quote! 4mo

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So true… beautiful shelves 📖 4mo

54 likes2 comments

TheBookgeekFrau

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

#Bibliophile #Robots

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs A classic 🤖 5mo

37 likes1 comment

Bookish_Gal

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

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Oh My Gosh, this is a very well worded book. The writing style tells instead of shows, which I don‘t like, yet the story itself more than makes up for it. This is comprised of short stories. While issues are also popping up with the robots, nobody seems to really care. Because of how society “needs” the robots. This is an incredible book to be reading nowadays with how robots are becoming increasingly a part of our society.

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