Book review : The complete robot by Isaac Asimov

      Comments Off on Book review : The complete robot by Isaac Asimov

As a nerd there are some books that should be read. Otherwise you are not a nerd. I finished Lord of the Rings a couple of years ago. (Yes while the film was in the cinema..). Another author I still had to read besides Tolkien was Isaac Asimov. So I finally got around to read The Complete Robot.

This book contains short stories about robots and specifically the three laws of robotics:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Each story was very well told, pointing out how a robot can function with these laws. Resulting in some weird situations which are completely logical when you apply the three laws. It also tells about the fear of having these robots among us on earth. Some stories are completely stand alone. Others are part of a long chain of stories with a handful characters returning from time to time like the robotpsychologist Susan Calvin (from a young woman to legend who has been dead for centuries) and some others.

All in all a very fun read.