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empoi's review against another edition
3.5
Really a collection of short stories highlighting the intricacies of the famous laws of robotics. How can the laws the subverted? What are some intriguing edge cases of the laws? This book does a good job showcasing a complicated web of interactions emerging from a simple set of rules but the characters and and the writing style is famously, for Asimov, dry.
klela's review against another edition
5.0
Quest’uomo è un genio! non si può descrivere in un altro modo! Racconti spettacolari, di una creatività e fantasia allucinante, ma la cosa che mi colpisce di più è che quest’uomo ha inventato un mondo completo per le sue storie, con tanto di leggi (che applica con una logica inattaccabile) e psicologia dei robot….meraviglioso!
galoshes's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love puzzle solving, philosophy and psychology, and this book was exactly my style. It's not a story, more of a series of anecdotes that illustrate potential problems with dependence on robots. Asimov predicted ChatGPT and we're living this right now. I expected a clear warning, but the end seems ambiguous. We sacrifice agency for happiness.
Edit: I keep thinking about this book and what it means to be human and what it means to be a good person and society and religion and being confident in your place in the world, so I'm coming back to give this five stars. This is something I plan to reread.
Edit: I keep thinking about this book and what it means to be human and what it means to be a good person and society and religion and being confident in your place in the world, so I'm coming back to give this five stars. This is something I plan to reread.
pataustin11's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
ella_w_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
daniel_thewalkingdude's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
thundrflap's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jerbooksraven's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
helena_g_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
2023 reread: ⭐️: 5 / 5
“ ‘Since when is the evidence of our senses any match for the clear light of rigid reason?’ “
➡️ linear timeline
👥 POV: multiple first person
🐌 Pace: medium
💭 We learn of the history of robots through the lens of Dr. Susan Calvin the chief robopsychologist. This is my second time reading this book.
What I liked:
- More like a collection of short stories with a framing story added later
- Robbie and Herbie
- Each story follows a different robot
- The adventures of Donovan and Powell
What I wasn’t a fan of:
- Nothing
The first time I read this book was in early 2022, just before I started my bookstagram acount. I loved this book then, and I love it still now. I hope to continue into more of the robot series and eventually other of Asimov’s works.
“ ‘Since when is the evidence of our senses any match for the clear light of rigid reason?’ “
➡️ linear timeline
👥 POV: multiple first person
🐌 Pace: medium
💭 We learn of the history of robots through the lens of Dr. Susan Calvin the chief robopsychologist. This is my second time reading this book.
What I liked:
- More like a collection of short stories with a framing story added later
- Robbie and Herbie
- Each story follows a different robot
- The adventures of Donovan and Powell
What I wasn’t a fan of:
- Nothing
The first time I read this book was in early 2022, just before I started my bookstagram acount. I loved this book then, and I love it still now. I hope to continue into more of the robot series and eventually other of Asimov’s works.
catscodeandcake's review against another edition
5.0
Well worth a reread
I first read this book around the age of 11 or 12. At the time, while acknowledging the future it promised was unlikely to elapse in the timeframes of the book, it fascinated me that the possibilities were there.
It's hard to argue that an AGI would not consider itself superior to humans, and the creation of the three laws of robotics and the implications, the warnings, implicit in this book for mankind make it something anyone embarking on a career in ML/AI should read as a required text.
I first read this book around the age of 11 or 12. At the time, while acknowledging the future it promised was unlikely to elapse in the timeframes of the book, it fascinated me that the possibilities were there.
It's hard to argue that an AGI would not consider itself superior to humans, and the creation of the three laws of robotics and the implications, the warnings, implicit in this book for mankind make it something anyone embarking on a career in ML/AI should read as a required text.