My Rating - 8/10
Science fiction at its best!
This book is a series of interlinked short stories, describing a future where robots become an aid to the human kind. Governed by three simple laws:
- A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or the Second Law.
And how these simple laws lead to pretty complicated problems. The stories are like the best from the mystery genre, giving the reader ample chance to revel in the mysteries, before giving simple scientific and yet ingenious solutions. It is like learning a theory in physics, and then being constantly awed by the insights obtained from its applications and implications, when applied to practical problems.
As with Asimov, the style of writing is very simple and easy-to-read. You cannot help but get a bonding growing with the robots. And you cannot help but admire some of the best minds behind their advancement. The stories encompass the development of robots from non-vocal simple aids to those that are beyond any human capacity to explain. Always bound by the three laws, they are human being's best friends.
A must-read in the genre.
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