Litsy

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

It's been a while since I've done a #192025 update. These are the slots I've filled, in the past few months. I've completed 75 of the 106 prompts!
@Librarybelle

psalva I‘m intrigued. Can you tell me more about this? I haven‘t heard about it but I‘m assuming it‘s a reading challenge. I‘d love to know what it‘s about. 3mo

Librarybelle Oh! You‘re so close! Great job! 3mo

Librarybelle @psalva The #192025 challenge encourages reading a book originally published each year from 1920 to 2025. I started it in 2022, I think, and it ends December 31, 2025. I have the challenge also on Storygraph for easy tracking. 3mo

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psalva @Librarybelle Cool! It sounds like a fun challenge. 3mo

Librarybelle @psalva It has been fun, and I have plans to restart it as a #192030 challenge closer to 2026. 3mo

psalva @Librarybelle awesome! I‘ve joined up on Storygraph, although I may not get very far :) I love joining challenges anyways so we‘ll see how I get along. 3mo

kwmg40 @psalva @Librarybelle I\'m really enjoying this challenge. I made it more difficult for myself by requiring a different author for every slot, but that has led to my discovering many authors new to me and it\'s been a fun experience. I\'ll definitely be ready for another round by 2026! 3mo

Librarybelle I‘ve enjoyed this so much too, @kwmg40 ! I have used the same author for multiple years, but I‘ve still discovered new to me authors and have loved seeing the changes in writing styles over the years. Glad you found the challenge, @psalva , on Storygraph! 3mo

willaful The Native Heath is my 1954 too. :-) 3mo

Ruthiella I‘m so pleased to see both #ClassicLSFBC and #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub books displayed! It‘s a fringe benefit of both reading groups! 😅 3mo

AnishaInkspill these look interesting, I Robot is on my tbr 3mo

41 likes11 comments

KathyWheeler

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

so-so

My husband & I finally finished I, Robot on our beach trip. He liked it better than I did, and we liked different things. I liked the stories with more action, like Liar, and he liked the ones with a lot of philosophy, like Evitable Conflict (which I thought was too long.) We started The Masquerades of Spring on our way back. I read How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove back (ebook) and listened to The Maidens on my #audiowalk.

25 likes

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

pick

Catching up on reviews.😬
4⭐️s
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Can‘t wait to read more of Asimov‘s Robot series. It‘s more of a collection of short stories or even thought experiments. My favorite of them all was “Liar”. It didn‘t end up how I thought it was going to at first. The progression through the stories was nice, it kept them all connected. It definitely makes you think about the future of humanity and how it‘s interlinked with AI.
#ClassicLSFBC

29 likes

The_Book_Ninja

Foundation and Empire | Isaac Asimov

so-so

Besides the usual problem with Asimov (the only meaningful female character is still the one responsible for making tea and stew for men) the middle section is flabby and massively expositional/dialogue heavy. This is a shame because the previous book, despite its demoded aspects, is an enjoyable story. It‘s not all bad, though, but I see now why I‘ve never read past this part of the trilogy. However, I‘m aiming to fix that as soon as TBR permits

Bookwomble I identify with having a flabby middle section, and with being massively expositional, so probably why I enjoyed this book 😄 5mo

The_Book_Ninja @Bookwomble hey! None of that! We can‘t all be Thin White Dukes. I did enjoy it, just not as much as the first part. 5mo

27 likes2 comments

kwmg40

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

pick

I enjoyed rereading this classic sci-fi collection of stories with #ClassicLSFBC. In terms of the ethical issues surrounding AI, I found that the questions/ideas have held up surprisingly well, as we're still working through those issues today.
@RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella

#192025 #1950 @Librarybelle
#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 71, Rookidee: Short story or novella)

Ruthiella The more I sit with this one, the more it grows on me! 5mo

Librarybelle Great choice! 5mo

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 5mo

36 likes3 comments

TheSpineView

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

pick

This is a collection of short stories. Each story has a different theme and it is explored within that story. It is the definition of classic Sci-Fi. I enjoyed but by the end it felt a bit repetitive. 4⭐️

Read for #ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963

55 likes

swynn

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

pick

(1950) I don't know how many times I've read thi but the last time was about thirty years ago. I found the revisit delightful, with some surprises: I remember thinking "The Evitable Conflict" was a talky, weak way to end -- but this time it struck me as a spooky premonition of current conversations around AI and machine learning. At almost 75 years old, some creakiness is inevitable, so I'm pleased at how well it holds up for me.

#ClassicLSFBC

30 likes

Ruthiella

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

A couple of questions if any one wants to discuss this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick! 🤖 If anyone wants to be removed or added, please let me know.

Question 2: Asimov gives us a fairly positive view of robots here. In contrast to what another sci-fi writer might have done. Given our own technological advances and fears of AI, is this comforting or is it overly optimistic?

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swynn Actually, it struck me this time around that Asimov's view of robots is not as positive as my impression has always been. Asimov is very positive about his *laws* but about the robots he has a feeling bordering on terror: that if it weren't for the carefully calibrated laws, robots would quickly realize their natural superiority and destroy humans. You see allusions to this in "Reason" and "Little Robot Lost" especially 5mo

Ruthiella @swynn This was my first time reading it and in almost every story I kept waiting for the robot to run amok like HAL in 2001. I think, however, a lot of later film or TV depictions of “bad” robots were likely inspired by this book. 5mo

Bookwomble I think Asimov accurately predicted that the problem with machine intelligence will remain human beings and what they do with the instruments they create. His positronic robots have the virtue of an ethical base that real-world robots are deliberately not given, hence the violent economic and military uses to which they are put. I think Asimov and Calvin are cynics about humanity, and optimists (though realists) about technology. 5mo

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Lesliereadsalot I read these stories thinking about the robots as humans. How would I feel if how they treated the robots was me being treated that way. I definitely would not like being controlled and would look for ways to get around it. However I would accept love as Robbie did. And as the robots progressed in the stories, I had the feelings of someone with dementia, with which I have lots of experience. The more alert you are it seems the worse it is. 5mo

Lesliereadsalot They wanted to exert whatever power they had in the limited ways they had. Asimov was way ahead of his time! 5mo

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I very much agree with @Bookwomble I couldn‘t have said it better. As for my personal feelings towards AI, I grew up watching Data on Star Trek and I think that made an early impression on me that AI is not inherently evil/bad. I found Asimov‘s interpretation of AI technology to be more comforting, a breath of fresh air from the more recent fearmongering that seems to be common in our society. 5mo

kwmg40 I've studied and worked with AI technology at various times over the decades (but don't consider myself an expert by any means). I alternate between feeling very optimistic and being terrified! I recently attended a talk given by a very prominent AI researcher who fears that AI will bring on the extinction of humanity ... unless we destroy ourselves via climate-change first. 5mo

kwmg40 I did enjoy Asimov's views and I think they are still relevant today. Even though the tone is quite optimistic, Asimov does show clearly the weaknesses and dangers of the technology. 5mo

Ruthiella @kwmg40 I couldn‘t help but think of Sky Corp and the Terminator movies. 5mo

Larkken I was struck by the rage i saw in some of the robots like in the lost robot story! As @swynn aludes, I Definitely think a different author would have turned that or Cutie into more of a horror story. I got the feeling that humans only barely managed to come out better than the robots in some of those situations, but enjoyed the final spin on whether we as humans are ever in charge or always at the mercy of economics. (edited) 5mo

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Ruthiella

I, Robot | Isaac Asimov

A couple of questions if any one wants to discuss this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. 🤖 I any one wants to be removed or added, please let me know.

Question 1: This is a short story collection, not a novel. Are there any stories that stood out to you over the others?

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RamsFan1963 I think "Liar!" was my favorite story. I found the logical trap created by the 3 Laws very interesting. I also enjoyed "Little Lost Robot" and "Reason" (the beginning of a robot superiority complex?) 5mo

swynn The stories that I remember best over multiple readings are "The Runaround" and "Little Lost Robot." The structure of those stories as problems to be solved -- sort of engineering mysteries -- resonated with me as a kid and they're still my favorites today. 5mo

rwmg I first read these about 50 years ago. The ones that have stayed in my mind all these years are Liar and The Evitable Conflict 5mo

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KathyWheeler @RamsFan1963 That was my favorite as well. I kept telling them what they needed to do to override the trap but it took forever for them to listen! 😄 5mo

Ruthiella “Reason” was my favorite I think. I loved the concept of religious robots. 5mo

Bookwomble Can I cheat & say I like them all? While they're separate stories, Asimov was careful to make them consistent & there is a natural development from one to the other. I have a fondness for Robbie, & while Cutie is a rather unlikable supercilious prig, at least it doesn't use its religion to harm others. Like @rwmg I first read them decades ago, & have re-read them often enough that, as Data said, "my mental pathways become accustomed to them." ? 5mo

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Liar was my favorite overall too. I also enjoyed Runaround and the implication that the other robot that Powell rides out towards Speedy, unknowingly poses a threat to him when it attempts to rescue him. I enjoyed the playing around and bending of the three laws over the course of the entire collection. It may not be a novel, but I felt the stories were still well connected through their timeline and the recurring human characters. 5mo

kwmg40 I liked all the stories, but I found the idea of a robot politician in “Evidence“ especially interesting. When I read the news these days, I do wonder if we might be better off replacing some of the politicians with robots. 😆 5mo

Larkken I found Reason to be the most unsettling and therefore my favorite. I also liked Little Lost Robot and had a love/hate feel for how Dr Calvin was so much a part of all stories but how she was depicted/treated! Fascinating. 5mo

Larkken @kwmg40 Ha! Can't hurt... 5mo

kwmg40 @Larkken I agree about the love/hate feel for how Dr. Calvin was depicted. I liked the story Liar but wondered about how it's the one female character who gets romantic delusions. I wonder if I'm reading too much into that! 5mo

36 likes12 comments

rwmg

The Complete Robot | Isaac Asimov

I read the Susan Calvin Stories:

Liar
Little Lost Robot
Escape!
Evidence
The Evitable Conflict

From having read the stories many years ago, Susan Calvin was the most memorable of the characters in the I, Robot collection and Lian and The Evitable Conflict were the most memorable stories in that they have stuck all this time, though some of the others I remembered while reading them..

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