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Sunday, 4 August 2013 01:40 am
Book Review: The Caves of Steel
Charging ahead, I finished the 209 pages (plus Isaac Asimov's own introduction) just in time for vacation. Much shorter than its threequel, The Robots of Dawn, which I read and reviewed nearly two years ago, and possibly a little better.
( The backdrop )
Oh, about time I got to the plot, right? Well, as in TRoD, police detective Elijah Baley must solve a murder mystery with high stakes for the future of Earthmen and perhaps humanity in general. The victim is a roboticist in Spacetown, the Spacer-filled neighbor to NYC. If the culprit is an Earthman as widely suspected, interplanetary relations will get even worse. To complicate matters, Spacers insist that the victim's own creation, R. Daneel Olivaw, who looks utterly human to Earthmen (tho the cover artist took liberties with telltale straight lines), be Baley's partner on the case. Not only does Baley hate robots, but for his career's sake, he'll have to solve the mystery first while appearing to be cooperative.
Basically, it's an odd but not silly Wunza Plot. "Lije" and Daneel offer interesting dynamics, almost like Dr. McCoy and Spock. One is decidedly bright but sometimes lets emotions and prejudices lead him the wrong way. The other remains patient, passionless, generally highly informed and talented, but oblivious to sarcasm and unclear on some of the more nuanced motives of humans. I like them both.
I've learned to expect nothing short of brilliance from Asimov, albeit not always agreeable. Here again I readily accept his focus on dialog over action. Little of his vision of the future is really questionable, tho I wonder how NYC's unique transit system could outdo modern alternatives. It helps my enjoyment that we see a lot more of Baley's wife, teen son, and boss, as well as broadly a greater sense of what people do in everyday life.
Much as I like to chase a book with a dissimilar one, I am taking a set of mysteries with me on vacation, namely the Father Brown collection by G.K. Chesterton. It's a tome, but the format makes it easy to shelve and resume much later if need be.
( The backdrop )
Oh, about time I got to the plot, right? Well, as in TRoD, police detective Elijah Baley must solve a murder mystery with high stakes for the future of Earthmen and perhaps humanity in general. The victim is a roboticist in Spacetown, the Spacer-filled neighbor to NYC. If the culprit is an Earthman as widely suspected, interplanetary relations will get even worse. To complicate matters, Spacers insist that the victim's own creation, R. Daneel Olivaw, who looks utterly human to Earthmen (tho the cover artist took liberties with telltale straight lines), be Baley's partner on the case. Not only does Baley hate robots, but for his career's sake, he'll have to solve the mystery first while appearing to be cooperative.
Basically, it's an odd but not silly Wunza Plot. "Lije" and Daneel offer interesting dynamics, almost like Dr. McCoy and Spock. One is decidedly bright but sometimes lets emotions and prejudices lead him the wrong way. The other remains patient, passionless, generally highly informed and talented, but oblivious to sarcasm and unclear on some of the more nuanced motives of humans. I like them both.
I've learned to expect nothing short of brilliance from Asimov, albeit not always agreeable. Here again I readily accept his focus on dialog over action. Little of his vision of the future is really questionable, tho I wonder how NYC's unique transit system could outdo modern alternatives. It helps my enjoyment that we see a lot more of Baley's wife, teen son, and boss, as well as broadly a greater sense of what people do in everyday life.
Much as I like to chase a book with a dissimilar one, I am taking a set of mysteries with me on vacation, namely the Father Brown collection by G.K. Chesterton. It's a tome, but the format makes it easy to shelve and resume much later if need be.