I, Robot by
Isaac Asimov
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
I liked this novel. It's totally different from the movie- so much so that's it's really unexpected. The only thing in common with the movie is the three laws of robotics.
First of all, the main character is a robotics psychologist, Susan Calvin! That's awesome. She solves a number of problems with various different models of robots by trying to use logic traps. There are some definite feminist elements in the book, as the men don't take her concerns seriously, and she has to deal with that on top of solving the problem at hand.
Also, there are more disturbing issues of racism and subjugation present in the book as well. It seems fairly intentional. The engineers regularly call the robots "boy" and do other things that call up an ugly human history. Asimov even takes a swipe at the death penalty.
The book was written in 1950, so the Calvin is born in 1982, and she's robot problem-solving from when by the time she's 38, 2020. Get ready robot psychologists! Of course in reality, we don't follow the laws of robotics at all. Drones are used mostly for the purpose of harming humans. And Asimov didn't anticipate the internet or network connections so reality is much more frightening than science fiction.
I, Robot is very interesting and worth considering, but it was also a fun read. So either way, I recommend reading it.
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The Relativity of Wrong by Isaac Asimov
