harlanellison

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. 2mo

Librarybelle Oh! You‘re so close! Great job! 2mo

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. 2mo

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psalva @Librarybelle Cool! It sounds like a fun challenge. 2mo

Librarybelle @psalva It has been fun, and I have plans to restart it as a #192030 challenge closer to 2026. 2mo

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. 2mo

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! 2mo

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! 2mo

willaful The Native Heath is my 1954 too. :-) 2mo

Ruthiella I‘m so pleased to see both #ClassicLSFBC and #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub books displayed! It‘s a fringe benefit of both reading groups! 😅 2mo

AnishaInkspill these look interesting, I Robot is on my tbr 2mo

41 likes11 comments

Twainy

Greatest Hits | Harlan Ellison

Gift … on my Amazon Wish List as a total cover buy … 🖤

RamsFan1963 I keep seeing this at BAM, I'm going to pull the trigger and buy the darn thing, even if I don't read it for months. 2mo

Twainy @RamsFan1963 months … it might be years for me. My MBR is so huge! 😆 I might read it slowly over time. 2mo

RamsFan1963 @Twainy I was trying to be optimistic. I use such a random selection method to pick my next TBR shelf read, it could easily be years 2mo

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Twainy @RamsFan1963 since I go through a book a day …. MBR … might be read … I usually have a list to choose from of like 40-60 a month … I add library & new editions at the drop of the hat. I just picked up 3 Indie Horror books and 3 ARCs. At the end of the month I take the unread & move them to the next month and load a bunch more. I feel like I have access to endless books 😁 2mo

TieDyeDude I\'ve had Dangerous Visions on my TBR for a bit now. I love that cover! 2mo

Twainy @TieDyeDude that trilogy of books is absolutely fluorescent! Review!!! So we can see if we need to read them also. 😁 2mo

23 likes6 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

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! 4mo

Librarybelle Great choice! 4mo

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 4mo

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

The_Book_Ninja

Greatest Hits | Harlan Ellison

pick

A Greatest hits? Ellison is somewhat a rock-star, the irascible, messy type, like Jonny Rotten or Axl Rose but with talent. It seems he could be a massive asshole. Appropriately, current Lord of Assholia, Neil Gaiman, did an intro (which I skipped). When Ellison hits, his work is exciting and visceral; experimental and fun. A couple of his misses are in this collection, they‘re dull and recondite. A great fathers-day gift from my daughter @she_she

Bookwomble I've not read much by Ellison, and what I've read about him is not endearing, but he said one of my favourite things: "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your *informed* opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.” 4mo

The_Book_Ninja @Bookwomble He‘s certainly divisive. He was on the correct site of the civil rights movement and he was against the war in Vietnam, but he basically sexually assaulted Connie Willis in the name of “banter” and, for reasons I can‘t find on the internet, misguidedly supported an accused peodophile who subsequently turned out to be guilty. Of the new-wave sci-fi authors he‘s probably up there with Dick but it seems his legacy is not quite as wrought 4mo

24 likes2 comments

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 4mo

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. 4mo

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. 4mo

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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. 4mo

Lesliereadsalot They wanted to exert whatever power they had in the limited ways they had. Asimov was way ahead of his time! 4mo

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. 4mo

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. 4mo

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. 4mo

Ruthiella @kwmg40 I couldn‘t help but think of Sky Corp and the Terminator movies. 4mo

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) 4mo

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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?) 4mo

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. 4mo

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 4mo

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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! 😄 4mo

Ruthiella “Reason” was my favorite I think. I loved the concept of religious robots. 4mo

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." ? 4mo

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. 4mo

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. 😆 4mo

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. 4mo

Larkken @kwmg40 Ha! Can't hurt... 4mo

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! 4mo

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