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Author:
Isaac Asimov
By Collins
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $14.45
Our Price: $8.17
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780586062005
ISBN: 0586062009
Label: Collins
Manufacturer: Collins
Number Of Pages: 512
Publication Date: 1994-01-10
Publisher: Collins
Studio: Collins |
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Product Description
Isaac Asmiov's classic novel about the decline and fall of Solaria. Gladia Delmarre's homeworld, the Spacer planet Solaria, has been abandoned - by its human population. Countless robots remain there. And when traders from Settler worlds attempt to salvage them, the robots of Solaria turn to killing...in defiance of the Three Laws of Robotics. Pax Robotica Long ago, Gladia's robots Daneel and Giskard played a vital role in opening the worlds beyond the Solar system to Settlers from Earth. Now the conscience-stricken robots are faced with an even greater challenge. Either the sacred Three Laws of Robotics are in ruins - or a new, superior Law must be established to bring peace to the galaxy. With Madam Gladia and D.G. Baley - the captain of the Settler traders and a descendant of the robots' friend Elijah Baley - Daneel and Giskard travel to the robot stronghold of Solaria...where they uncover a sinister Spacer plot to destroy Earth itself.
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Ties Robot and Empire series together, 2009-09-02
Asimov did a great job with this book, written in 1985, to tie up the Robot series of books, and lay the groundwork in as smooth a transition to the Empire books as possible without being too revisionist (with regards to the Earth). Not bad considering that the books, which would later be grouped together as the Empire novels, were written about 30 years earlier. This book has a fast pace and a smooth flow, and I would recommend it to any fan of Asimov's, especially those who enjoyed Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and The Robots of Dawn.
 Asimov reels me back in, 2010-08-06
Robots and Empire is the final novel in Asimov's robot universe. Though I haven't read the Empire or Foundation novels (at the time of this review), it is quite clear that Robots and Empire fills in some gaps from his previous works and links the Robot novels to the Empire and Foundation novels. Asimov also strays from the 'whodunit' platform and instead creates a more complex story where we already know who the 'good' and the 'bad' guys are.
Please note that this review might contain spoilers from previous novels -
Robots and Empire takes place some 200 years after the death of Elijah Baley. Amadiro, who is the head of the Robotics Institute is still quite peeved at Elijah and, well, Earth in general. With the help of Amadiro's new right-hand man Mandamus they devise a plan to destroy Earth. R. Daneel Olivaw and Giskard together must try and stop this. Although Elijah Baley doesn't play a role in solving this problem he does come alive through the recollections of other characters.
Robots and Empire was a nice surprise. For me the previous novel Robots of Dawn was the weakest in the series, however in my opinion Robots and Empire might just be the strongest. What I like most about this book is that Asimov breaks away from the murder mystery plotting and instead creates a sprawling story where we get to follow multiple threads. Asimov does a masterful job weaving these threads together. This book spans over 450 pages, which is quite long for an Asimov book, however the story moves at a break-neck pace so it goes by very quickly. Robots and Empire is considerably more complex than the other robot novels are as far as plotting, though it is still an easy read.
One of my few complaints surrounds a robot character Giskard. Giskard has the ability to read and manipulate human emotions. The problem is that he is used all too often to get characters out of sticky situations. He's almost a walking, talking deus ex machina. The other complaint I have is that Asimov can get a little repetitive, which may account for some of the extra pages.
Though I do have a few complaints on the whole this novel is quite good and is probably my favorite in the series. I highly recommend it! But you must read the other Robot novels to get the most enjoyment out of this one.
How the Robot Casaer's began. (Giskard then Daniel), 2009-03-22
Daniel replaces Giskard as the new mind reading robot. Giskard was the first robot Casaer and Daniel has become the second.
The zeroeth law allows Robots to interpret humanity according to psychohistory. Giskard can violate the three laws of robotics, if the urgency to save humanity exceeds the directives of the three laws. The first three laws presuppose humanity possesses the higher morality and knows best their future. The zeroeth law enslaves humanity to the mind altering capabilities of Giskard and now Daniel.
A Robot can kill and maim and destroy. Giskard destroyed the female robot, whose intent was the destroy Gladia Solaria. Next, Giskard altered the neural pathways of Vasilia Aliena when she attempted to take possession of Giskard. Self defense rational was a high enough reason too forfeit the first three law of Robotics. Next, Giskard tampers with Amadiro brain and allows Mandumus (a descendant of Elijah Baley) too using the nuclear intensifier to radiate the earths crust and force earth people to migrate out into space over the next twenty decades. Giskard's actions shutdown part of his positron brain because of irreconcibile problems associate with the immoral act. Giskard can not divorce himself from the pain and suffering caused from the plot. Giskard then transfers his mind reading ability to Daniel. Daniel becomes the new robot emperor.
The sneaky Elijah Baley had a child with Gloria Solaria. The descendants settle a world called Baley World. Robots think humans are Solarians. Settlers and Spacers are not consider humans. Gloria visits Baley World with her lover, D.G and speaks Solarian to them. Gladia is the daughter of Fastolfe. Fastolfe developed two positronic robots, one being Daniel. Fifty humanoid robots were built by Fastolfe, but all deactivated.
Mandumus descends from Elijah Baley and equally immoral. Mandumus joins Amadiro and tell him of his plot to rid the world of humans. Mandumus wants the humanoid robots reactivated. Amadiro took the director of Robotic Institute position from Fastolfe. Amadiro plans to use the nuclear intensifier, at three mile Island, to destory the earth's crust resulting in mass genocide. Giskard damages Amadiro's brain, and carries out an alternate strategy, force exodus.
Beautifully done., 2010-03-25
I really enjoyed it. It's got great pacing and interesting characters and worlds. He was a master world and society builder. And of course it had Asimov's wry humor. Asimov's sci-fi always has an instructive quality as well. In his autobiography he says he enjoyed writing nonfiction more than fiction and this helps give his sci-fi a unique quality, as if it's grounded in real science, much more so than for other writers.
Possible Spoiler Alert:
An interesting note is that he used Three Mile Island as the symbol of nuclear disaster since the book was published in 1985, before the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
Another future for mankind, 2010-03-14
Part of the Robot and Empire series, by Asimov. Begins on an overcrowded and environmentally-challenged Earth. The population lives almost entirely underground and suffers from agoraphobia when exposed to the open landscape. This is also the profile for the protagonist of the book, the previous Asimov-hero and policeman Elijah Baley.
This book follows Baley on his second trip into outer space, to the Earth's first-settled Spacer world, Aurora. As with his first space trip, Baley must unwind a web of daunting intrigues to solve a crime, this one of roboticide committed on Aurora. If he is successful he will pave the way for Earth's further development of space. If not, mankind's expansion throughout the universe will grind to a halt.
Asimov uses a successful formula of crime, investigation and solution around which to entwine his streamlined thoughts of humanity's constant need to explore and tame the unknown.
Another great Asimov view of one of mankind's possible futures.
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