"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it." (James Bryce)

Monday, January 22, 2018

ROBOTS OF DAWN (Isaac Asimov)

I am not usually a fan of Science Fiction, but Asimov's futuristic mystery was a pleasant surprise.  Featuring Earthman Elijah Baley and robot R. Daneel Olivaw as sleuths, the story revolves around the roboticide of R. Jander Panell, a humaniform robot on the planet Aurora.  Jander's creator, Dr. Fastolfe, is the main suspect in this unusual case, and he calls upon Baley to help track down the identity of whomever managed to short circuit the robot, believing that his political rivals will use Jander's "death" against him since presumably only he has the technological knowledge to have done away with the robot.

The most interesting aspect of this novel is, by far, the future cultural developments imagined by Asimov.  Baley lives on Earth, a planet scorned and considered germ-ridden by Aurorans, who have managed to eradicate illness.  Because most people on earth live in cities protected by domes, Baley is severely agorophobic and faints when confronted with too much "outside."  He is happy to be reunited with Daneel, a humaniform robot with who he had previously collaborated on a case that was sensationalized as a "hyperwave" drama.  His other robot protector is R. Giskard Reventlowe, owned by Fastolfe and once close to fastolfe's daughter, Vasilia.

Sexual and family relationships are viewed very differently on Aurora than in our current culture and it is not unusual to "offer" one's self to another as an expression of gratitude or to pay bag a favor.  Parent -child relationships are merely biological, with little in the way of emotional bonding.  As for the mystery of Jander's death, Asimov offers numerous possibilities, all of which Baley follows up on while struggling with his fears on Aurora.  I found the ending logical, but unexpected.  This is a long novel, over 400 pages, and it takes a while to get into the story.  Take the time and you won't regret it!

No comments:

Post a Comment