Yet another month has passed between book completions, although in my defense I did not get a copy of Robots and Empire until mid-December and it’s a longer book than the previous three.
Many of the characters from The Robots of Dawn make return appearances in this novel, but our hero Elijah Baley is no more, having lived his short Earthman lifespan while the Spacers and robots from the previous novel continue their much-longer existences. The robots Daneel and Giskard have center stage here and are the most thoughtfully and completely fleshed out (irony intended). Asimov imbues them with more humanity this time; they have evolved their thinking about themselves and of their human ‘masters.’ I feel that this is somehow inconsistent with past descriptions of how robot positronic ‘brains’ function, despite other clear indications that they can be re-programmed. I’ll have to go back to I, Robot to see if there is anything about how set in metal are their characteristics and capabilities. Regardless of what’s come before, though, Asimov has decided that flexibility is a necessity, for both humans and robots.
Other characters are less interesting. Is Amadiro really harboring a 200-year old grudge that drives his every action and decision? Perhaps it’s the only thing that keeps him going, as Lady Gladia relates how difficult the centuries of life can be as they turn to tedium and boredom for many Spacers. As for the plot and pacing, though, I very much enjoyed the movement from planet to planet as an organizing principle, as the protagonists move from one piece of the puzzle to the next as they leap through hyperspace from Aurora to Solaria to Baleyword and finally to Earth.
Mid-way through the book, I found myself wondering about the underlying philosophy that galactic expansion is ultimately the only path forward for humanity. Is stagnation the only other option? What about developing better and more dynamic societies and capabilities on the planets they have already colonized? Could there be a better balance between Earth’s caves of steel and Solaria’s inhuman isolation? I see parallels to this in the very real struggles we have on this Earth with respect to our economy. It’s taken as a given that economic expansion is a desirable outcome, but as I wrote in a letter to The New Yorker many years ago, this has certainly not reduced the number of humans who live poor, short, and difficult lives. Wouldn’t solving those problems be a worthy goal?
Looking ahead, several changes to this project are forthcoming. First, I’ve started reading the next book--The Currents of Space--on my new Kindle. My lovely wife gave it to me for my birthday a few weeks ago, pre-loaded with several of the upcoming books in the series! I’m going to experiment with keeping notes on the book in the Kindle as I read, although I’m already feeling that my patience for clicking through the virtual keyboard to pick out a few words is wearing thin; my basic model has neither a physical keyboard nor a touch screen. I have also turned on the feature where it highlights passages that have been highlighted by many other readers, but I don’t see any of these yet; there may not be enough folks reading old Asimov novels on Kindle for this to be meaningful.
The second change is that I have not previously read these next three books, although I think I began at least one of them many years ago. On top of that, the Galactic Empire novels, as they are known, take place in reverse order from which they were written. As I read forward in Foundation time, I’ll be going backwards in the writer’s output and, possibly, his thought-process about the whole story arc. Should be interesting!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Robots of Dawn review
My apologies for the long delay in posting a review of The Robots of Dawn. It took me a while to locate a copy in a nearby library, and then I just got busy with life. Asimov's third Robot novel is also a big longer than the previous two. The most notable difference, though, is that it was written nearly 30 years after The Caves of Steel. Asimov's skill as a writer certainly improved in three decades; the reduced number of utterances of 'Jehosaphat!' was a welcome change. The passage of time also provided Asimov with a plot device that would have been unthinkable in the '50's: sex.
Where The Naked Sun touched lightly on the issues of sex and reproduction, they play a central role in the plot of this novel. The frankness of the discussion was surprising to me on re-read, as I likely read this book first in my early to mid-teens. Nothing inappropriate occurs and I'm no prude, but the contrast with the previous novel was striking. I do like that sex is a driving factor in the actions of the characters in this novel; it's certainly true in life, and there's no reason to exclude it from science fiction. [Ursula Le Guin certainly understands this. Read the stories in The Birthday of the World.]
Gladia Delmarre makes a return appearance in the role of minor antagonist, but with far greater importance to the overall plot. He also introduces a new female character and gives her a more substantial role and both she and Gladia greater character development. Still, Asimov's work still tilts heavily to male roles. You'd think he could have at least introduced on female robot.
SPOILER ALERT!! SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK AND DO NOT WISH THE ENDING REVEALED!!
I found the deus ex machina resolution to Jander's death a bit unsatisfying, but I'm struggling to identify why. It certainly fits with components of other Foundation universe writings (see, for example, part 2 of my review of The Caves of Steel). Maybe I have a simplistic view of story-telling, or don't like to be surprised or shown to be incapable of solving the 'mystery' before I reach the end of the book. I'm curious to hear what other readers thought of the ending. I also think that the denouement of the political struggle between Fastolfe and Amadiro was far too pat. This was a matter of galactic importance and Amadiro yields after a few difficult minutes with the Chairman and 'the Earthman?' Where'd his backbone go all of a sudden?
The next novel, Robots and Empire, is the last to take place in the near-future, if I remember correctly, before we jump ahead to the era of the Galatic Empire. I have a feeling that I may be unhappy with the degree to which this book will explain and tidy-up what comes in the novels that follow, because it was written after the main Foundation novels. Still, the experiment must go on!
Where The Naked Sun touched lightly on the issues of sex and reproduction, they play a central role in the plot of this novel. The frankness of the discussion was surprising to me on re-read, as I likely read this book first in my early to mid-teens. Nothing inappropriate occurs and I'm no prude, but the contrast with the previous novel was striking. I do like that sex is a driving factor in the actions of the characters in this novel; it's certainly true in life, and there's no reason to exclude it from science fiction. [Ursula Le Guin certainly understands this. Read the stories in The Birthday of the World.]
Gladia Delmarre makes a return appearance in the role of minor antagonist, but with far greater importance to the overall plot. He also introduces a new female character and gives her a more substantial role and both she and Gladia greater character development. Still, Asimov's work still tilts heavily to male roles. You'd think he could have at least introduced on female robot.
SPOILER ALERT!! SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK AND DO NOT WISH THE ENDING REVEALED!!
I found the deus ex machina resolution to Jander's death a bit unsatisfying, but I'm struggling to identify why. It certainly fits with components of other Foundation universe writings (see, for example, part 2 of my review of The Caves of Steel). Maybe I have a simplistic view of story-telling, or don't like to be surprised or shown to be incapable of solving the 'mystery' before I reach the end of the book. I'm curious to hear what other readers thought of the ending. I also think that the denouement of the political struggle between Fastolfe and Amadiro was far too pat. This was a matter of galactic importance and Amadiro yields after a few difficult minutes with the Chairman and 'the Earthman?' Where'd his backbone go all of a sudden?
The next novel, Robots and Empire, is the last to take place in the near-future, if I remember correctly, before we jump ahead to the era of the Galatic Empire. I have a feeling that I may be unhappy with the degree to which this book will explain and tidy-up what comes in the novels that follow, because it was written after the main Foundation novels. Still, the experiment must go on!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Naked Sun review
This novel continues to explore the sociological consequences of robots and humans in a mixed society. Like The Caves of Steel, it follows a traditional detective story formula, ending with the protagonist facing down a room full of potential perpetrators. True to form, he works through motive, opportunity, and means (after stating explicitly that he will do so) with respect to eachh suspect until springing the surprise deduction of the true culprit on the assembled. I don't point this out to find fault. Mostly, I'm surprised by how this novel reads to me in middle-age, compared to what I noticed about it when I was a teenager. Then, plot was the only thing I cared about. Now, with far more reading under my belt, I can evaluate it on its other merits and characteristics.
I did not enjoy this novel as much as Caves of Steel, perhaps because I found the extreme sociological characteristics of the Solarians to be a bit of a stretch. Certainly one of the roles of science fiction is to present a "what if" scenario for consideration, but the best of the genre succeeds in finding a balance between something radically new and something plausible as an extrapolation or extension of what already exists. As presented by Asimov, the Solarians were a bit too extreme. This is a minor flaw, though.
Although the timeline of the novels I included in my previous post note the original publication date of each work, it didn't fully occur to me until mid-way through The Naked Sun that it was written AFTER the first two Foundation novels. I was marveling at the way these two early Robot Novels seemed to pre-figure the Foundation series when I realized that this was not an instance of incredible foresight or extensive planning, but instead an effort to go back and lay the groundwork for what was already published. I imagine that, for a reader with no prior knowledge of the Foundation universe, reading the books in publication order would have certain advantages over reading them as I am. Given that I've read most of the works at least once, I don't think I can render an opinion as to a preferred approach.
On to The Robots of Dawn!
I did not enjoy this novel as much as Caves of Steel, perhaps because I found the extreme sociological characteristics of the Solarians to be a bit of a stretch. Certainly one of the roles of science fiction is to present a "what if" scenario for consideration, but the best of the genre succeeds in finding a balance between something radically new and something plausible as an extrapolation or extension of what already exists. As presented by Asimov, the Solarians were a bit too extreme. This is a minor flaw, though.
Although the timeline of the novels I included in my previous post note the original publication date of each work, it didn't fully occur to me until mid-way through The Naked Sun that it was written AFTER the first two Foundation novels. I was marveling at the way these two early Robot Novels seemed to pre-figure the Foundation series when I realized that this was not an instance of incredible foresight or extensive planning, but instead an effort to go back and lay the groundwork for what was already published. I imagine that, for a reader with no prior knowledge of the Foundation universe, reading the books in publication order would have certain advantages over reading them as I am. Given that I've read most of the works at least once, I don't think I can render an opinion as to a preferred approach.
On to The Robots of Dawn!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Caves of Steel review, part 2
One of the other thoughts I want to share about Caves of Steel relates to gender roles. My first impression was that the story is almost completely populated by male characters, and the only female character is largely of no consequence. How typical, I thought, of a book from the fifties. I then started going through (just in my head) Asimov's other works that I've read, wondering if this is typical of him. Although there are a few counter examples (e.g. Susan Calvin, although she had the personality of a stereotypical male scientist), it does seem that his world is largely occupied by men. Should we forgive him this as a product of an earlier time, when in reality there were few women police officers, engineers, executives, astronauts, etc?
My mention of Susan Calvin brings me to the topic of my reading list for this venture (in a roundabout way, stick with me). I did some research on the origins of Foundation and how it grew from three 'original' novels to seven, with an expanded universe of fifteen novels and a collection of short stories authored by Asimov, plus additional novels and stories written by others after his death in 1992. The Wikipedia page titled “Foundation Series” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series) contains a listing of Asimov’s works from the Author’s note in Prelude to Foundation, the last Foundation book published while Asimov was alive (the last, Forward the Foundation , appears to have been completed before his death and published posthumously. It is from this list that I am working (see below).
Having read I, Robot several times, I chose not to re-read it in its entirety. I did review the final story in that collection, though, and was struck by how it prefigured some of the underlying concepts in Caves of Steel and the Foundation novels themselves. The crux of that story (The Evitable Conflict is that the artificial intelligences that plan and control all human economic activity have concluded that they can allow harm to some humans for the greater good of all humanity. The aforementioned Susan Calvin opines that this was inevitable, and that she realized from the development of the first positronic brain that humanity would ultimately follow these entities into an unknown, but presumably better future. The trajectory of human society, and its evitable nature, is the key question explored throughout Foundation. Should be a good ride!
List of Foundation works, in Asimov’s suggested reading order (with publication date in parentheses).
The Complete Robot (1982) and/or I, Robot (1950)
Caves of Steel (1954)
The Naked Sun (1957)
The Robots of Dawn (1983)
Robots and Empire (1985)
The Currents of Space (1952)
The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
Pebble in the Sky (1950)
Prelude to Foundation (1988)
Forward the Foundation (1993) [unpublished at the time this list was created]
Foundation (1951)
Foundation and Empire (1952)
Second Foundation (1953)
Foundation's Edge (1982)
Foundation and Earth (1986)
My mention of Susan Calvin brings me to the topic of my reading list for this venture (in a roundabout way, stick with me). I did some research on the origins of Foundation and how it grew from three 'original' novels to seven, with an expanded universe of fifteen novels and a collection of short stories authored by Asimov, plus additional novels and stories written by others after his death in 1992. The Wikipedia page titled “Foundation Series” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series) contains a listing of Asimov’s works from the Author’s note in Prelude to Foundation, the last Foundation book published while Asimov was alive (the last, Forward the Foundation , appears to have been completed before his death and published posthumously. It is from this list that I am working (see below).
Having read I, Robot several times, I chose not to re-read it in its entirety. I did review the final story in that collection, though, and was struck by how it prefigured some of the underlying concepts in Caves of Steel and the Foundation novels themselves. The crux of that story (The Evitable Conflict is that the artificial intelligences that plan and control all human economic activity have concluded that they can allow harm to some humans for the greater good of all humanity. The aforementioned Susan Calvin opines that this was inevitable, and that she realized from the development of the first positronic brain that humanity would ultimately follow these entities into an unknown, but presumably better future. The trajectory of human society, and its evitable nature, is the key question explored throughout Foundation. Should be a good ride!
List of Foundation works, in Asimov’s suggested reading order (with publication date in parentheses).
The Complete Robot (1982) and/or I, Robot (1950)
Caves of Steel (1954)
The Naked Sun (1957)
The Robots of Dawn (1983)
Robots and Empire (1985)
The Currents of Space (1952)
The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
Pebble in the Sky (1950)
Prelude to Foundation (1988)
Forward the Foundation (1993) [unpublished at the time this list was created]
Foundation (1951)
Foundation and Empire (1952)
Second Foundation (1953)
Foundation's Edge (1982)
Foundation and Earth (1986)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Caves of Steel review, part 1
I’ve already finished reading Caves of Steel, facilitated by a small bit of insomnia a couple of nights ago. There are several topics I find interesting to consider.
First, although I’m not much of a literary critic, this novel from earlier in Asimov’s career seems, to me, a bit simplistic. The plot device he employs in the concluding chapters—wherein the detective delivers a lengthy exposition on the entire case and neatly ties together the facts, clues, and deductions in front of both the perpetrator and several witnesses—is predictable, cliché, and, in some ways, lazy. I also find fault in another plot device, but leave that for the section labeled “Spoilers” below.
Second, the characters are flat stereotypes and detective novel stand-bys: the slightly eccentric professor, the smooth criminal, the politically harried superior officer cum older brother/father figure, the worried wife, etc. Perhaps this and my previous comment should be considered in light of this novel being a detective story as much as a science fiction story. The detective genre definitely has its conventions, in which I admit I’m not that versed.
On the other hand, Asimov does what science fiction writer often do best, by painting a picture of a possible future based in part on projecting the current hopes and fears of a society along emerging trends and technologies. Thus, a novel written in 1953 and taking place a thousand years in the future assumes a complete dependence on nuclear fission for power (technological advancements having solved the waste disposal problem, of course). For me, one of the best parts of reading old science fiction is seeing how well futurists of the past predicted the future. Because video display technology was in its relative infancy at the time, for example, Asimov’s world is full of paper that can be read and produced by machines, but contains little in the way of visually presented information.
My favorite future technology used in the book is the moving sidewalks, or “strips” that have completely replaced personal motor vehicles and streets and highways. Explored by others (including Robert A. Heinlein), the network is something I’d love to experience or see realized in a movie or other visual medium
SPOILER ALERT!! Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want the ending of the novel spoiled!
As I mentioned above, I found the conclusion of the novel a bit formulaic. It was obvious to me early in the book (and not just because I read it 25 years ago) that the culprit would likely be a character who is presented as the least likely to have committed the crime, someone in position of authority.
I’d appreciate any comments on my posts, your opinions of the book, or your interpretations. I think I’ve got one more post about Caves of Steel before moving on to The Naked Sun.
First, although I’m not much of a literary critic, this novel from earlier in Asimov’s career seems, to me, a bit simplistic. The plot device he employs in the concluding chapters—wherein the detective delivers a lengthy exposition on the entire case and neatly ties together the facts, clues, and deductions in front of both the perpetrator and several witnesses—is predictable, cliché, and, in some ways, lazy. I also find fault in another plot device, but leave that for the section labeled “Spoilers” below.
Second, the characters are flat stereotypes and detective novel stand-bys: the slightly eccentric professor, the smooth criminal, the politically harried superior officer cum older brother/father figure, the worried wife, etc. Perhaps this and my previous comment should be considered in light of this novel being a detective story as much as a science fiction story. The detective genre definitely has its conventions, in which I admit I’m not that versed.
On the other hand, Asimov does what science fiction writer often do best, by painting a picture of a possible future based in part on projecting the current hopes and fears of a society along emerging trends and technologies. Thus, a novel written in 1953 and taking place a thousand years in the future assumes a complete dependence on nuclear fission for power (technological advancements having solved the waste disposal problem, of course). For me, one of the best parts of reading old science fiction is seeing how well futurists of the past predicted the future. Because video display technology was in its relative infancy at the time, for example, Asimov’s world is full of paper that can be read and produced by machines, but contains little in the way of visually presented information.
My favorite future technology used in the book is the moving sidewalks, or “strips” that have completely replaced personal motor vehicles and streets and highways. Explored by others (including Robert A. Heinlein), the network is something I’d love to experience or see realized in a movie or other visual medium
SPOILER ALERT!! Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want the ending of the novel spoiled!
As I mentioned above, I found the conclusion of the novel a bit formulaic. It was obvious to me early in the book (and not just because I read it 25 years ago) that the culprit would likely be a character who is presented as the least likely to have committed the crime, someone in position of authority.
I’d appreciate any comments on my posts, your opinions of the book, or your interpretations. I think I’ve got one more post about Caves of Steel before moving on to The Naked Sun.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Trying something new
I am starting this blog to record my thoughts and observations as I read through all the novels in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" universe. I've been a big fan of Asimov's since I started reading science fiction as a teenager, and have read most of these novels at one time or another. I have always wanted to undertake a re-reading of this narrative in its "correct" chronological order, rather than publication order or some random sequence dictated by when I happened upon one of the novels in a library or bookstore.
The idea to generate "reading notes" on this came from a casual remark by a fellow Asimov fan who, when I noted that I was about to begin this effort, said that he'd "be curious to hear my reflections." To be honest, it never occurred to me to share those reflections publicly. But, taking a page from a friend who has kept a public booklog for over 15 years and is approaching 800 books (96db), I might as well give it a try. [For those of you who do surf over to Kevin's booklog, don't expect a similar level of erudition or insight, or skillful programming here.]
My next entry will report on my research into the sequence of novels and decision on where to start.
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