I, Robot

Great book, SF classic.

IMPORTANT: The book does not resemble the movie in any great detail.
This is a must read for SF fans out there, packed in a very affordable package.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Very ahead of its time

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov is made up of a series of nine science fiction short stories that all are connected through a robot psychologist named Dr. Susan Calvin. The stories are told as if Susan Calvin is relaying them to a reporter, the narrator. The first story, ¿Robbie¿ is about a young girl who has a robot friend, but her mother disapproves of the relationship. Her mother tries desperately to keep them away from each other. In the next few stories, we are told of two scientists who are distraught with problems in development of labor robots. The two come across danger while trying to relieve the issues almost costing them their lives in the process. A common thread among each story is the Three Law of Robotics, which underlines and governs the way robots should behave as well as the interaction of humans and robots. In the next five stories, Susan Calvin is the main character and the stories talk about the evolution of robots. The stories also talk about her removal from humanity. She retreats due to a mind-reading robot that discovers her romantic feelings for a fellow colleague. Throughout the novel the robots show intelligence and understanding which in some cases surpasses that of the humans. Soon the humans begin to realize that the robots may have more power then they themselves have. Their ability to deduce and analyze creates a major problem for the humans and it seems as though the robots could remove the humans. After their creation it is evident that the increasing knowledge of the robots will be too much for the humans. Isaac Asimov wrote a break through novel many years ahead of its time. His creativity and shear brilliance is shown through his attention to detail and development of the story as a whole. It is good read for anyone interested in the mind versus machine aspect of entertainment.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Great book, no relation to the movie

The book is pretty old, and has a few plot holes, but it's still very entertaining and makes you think a bit. Note that while the movie claims to be based on Asimov's books, that's a big fat lie. The movie takes two elements from these short stories: robots, and the Three Laws of Robotics. That's it. The inclusion of the movie picture on the cover of the new edition is a travesty. It would be more appropriate to put the poster from Mel Gibson's 'Passion' movie on the cover of the Bible -- hey, at least they have some characters and story elements in common!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

AWESOME!!

This book is a collection of short stories tied together by a common theme that sets the stage for and ties together many of the other robot stories of Asimov and frames the three Laws of Robotics.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I, Robot; Better than the movie.

I, Robot is a fantastic book that takes place in a futuristic world. Humans and robots live in harmony under three rules and as long as these rules aren't conflicted there is peace. As the robots are becoming more intelligent and needing the humans less and less, there was an uprising... The heros in the book will have to stop them all before it's too late. This is a science fiction book that will be best for someone interested in that subject.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

'Robot' Runs Low On Power Batteris Not Included

You'll need to provide your own batteries to get 'I, Robot' up and running to speed. the famous three laws of robotics is the only groundbreaking contribution offered before the mechanics malfunction. Nothing of consequence happens that hasn't happened before or since. Questions of what defines selfawareness, what it is to be human and if such creations could eventually make humanity obsolete were explored in Fritz Lang's 1927 'Metropolis' and Karel Capek's 1921 'R.U.R. Rossum's Universal Robots.' Similar themes appeared in the 1970 release 'Colossus The Forbin Project' and again in 1984 with 'The Terminator' and following sequels. Considering the above mentioned works are far more eloquent than Asimov's entry it is no wonder the film adaption required required a major rework prior to reaching the big screen. Truth is, there's more talk than action. What is truly mindboggling is that Asimov, a holder of a PhD in biochemistry and author of over 400 books of diverse scientific and science fiction subjects, envisioned robots and computers as massive clunky creations. The total lack of inovative insight is shocking. Such harsh judgement is justified as great things are expected from those who are considered great, so when they fall so far short of these expectations there remains little to be said in their defense. Pass this one by.

1 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Better than the movie

This book and the movie of the same title have very few things in common. The plot of the movie is not one of those things. This book is a wonderful collection of 'hard sci-fi' short stories that explore the implications (and complications) inherent in Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. The movie is NOT based on any of the short stories in the book. In fact, the movie presents a rather apocalyptic view of intelligent robots in society, while the book attempts to show that robots would be a useful addition to society as long as the Laws work as advertised. The book is required reading for any true Science Fiction fan, but don't expect to find a preview of the movie. It ain't in there. (It's not a bad movie, really - it's kinda like 'Terminator meets Minority Report'.)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Still amazing after all these years!

Read this when I was twelve and loved it. Shared it with my son via Nook, now he loves it, too.

Holy crap

The best book and movie ever

Classic short stories from Asimov

This is a thematic collection of short stories from Asimov that chronicles events involving robots and various ideological "quandaries" that arise as the robotic presence in society evolves in parallel with technological sophistication. The stories are relayed by an aged, retired robot psychologist and span many decades, and this is the mechanism that links the stories that were originally published as a series of short stories 50-60 years ago.

It's an easy and enjoyable read, and because of the chapter independence, it's a great book if you don't have a lot of time for extended reading. Asimov touches upon interesting and sometimes thought provoking issues that occur as a consequence of robots being caught in situations that present a conflict among the three fundamental laws of robotics.

Lastly, ignore the book cover and any notion you may have regarding the movie version with Will Smith. While this book may have been a motivation for the movie plot in a completely generic sense, there is almost no correlation beyond that.

It's Asimov - one of the greats!

He was a genius and read and re-read his books.

Awesome

The book was better than the movie

Highly recommended - classic Asimov; none better at sci-fi.

Nobody writes science fiction better than Asimov, and this is a superb collection of many of his classic stories. A keeper for sure. Don't miss "The Runaround," source of the fundamental three laws of robotics.

Great read

Another fantastic, easy-to-read book that just pulls you in.

This cover should not have been used

As have already been pointed out but, I will say it too. The cover is misleading and will turn off people who have seen the movie. Thinking the book is the movie and not read it. The movie is BASED on the characters and idea of the short stories and is a completely different plot. The main robot character spans through the robot and foundation series. If you judge this book by its cover you will truely miss out on the wonderful story telling of Issic Asimov.

Love the book, despise the movie

When I was a girl, I was told after Asimov let one lf his books become a movie, he vowed never to do it again. After seeing how Hollywood ruined the I, Robot short story series, I can understand his feelings. I love Will Smith, but after seeing how he helped run one of my favorite short story collections, I still having feelings of resentment against him.

The book is a collection of short stories that can be viewed as a collection of Susan Calvin's memories. She discuss the three laws of Robotics and how they can present difficulties in our lives even when they are designed to protect us. The story about the "Get Lost" command is one of my favorites and is briefly referenced to in the movie.

If you read the book, you can see some of it's influences in the movie, but it really didnt do the book justice.

classic sci fi

I read this novel as a youngster and i would venture to say that this is a must read for all sci fi fans!!! Asimov set the tone with the 3 laws of robotics that are still being quoted today as if they are THE laws!!!! Don't be fooled by the cover pic, that movie is NOT what this book is about. This novel introduces the 3 laws and a prime character that reververates through all of Asimov's science fiction, Susan Calvin!!! The stories progress from the simple to the sublime and when you finish, you will realize why Asimov was and still is a master of sci-fi stories!! Read his Robot series, Foundation series and his biography and you will see that all his stories come from his life's experiences!!! READ THIS BOOK!!!

Love it!

Im 15 and i read it when i was 12 (im not saying its a kids book, it deff isnt, i had a college reading level then) and i fell in love with the book. It isnt like the movie....but WAYYYYY better :) its worth more than $20, but luckily it doesnt cost much at all! (Only a few $!) BUY IT!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I don't like movires anymore. Haha

Compared to the movie, this book is jesus. That is all.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

It's a classic because it's so well written. Enjoy!