The Caves of Steel (The Robot Series Book 1)

I loved this book. It offered a look at an alternate future where overpopulation has fractured man into two camps. Earthlings never trusted their robot creations, preferring to keep them hidden or out of sight. Spacers embraced robots and looked to them for security and performing all the small tasks to which we're accustomed. The result is that people on Earth have lived in climate-controlled covered cities that sprawl not only above ground but below, and lived there so long that the act of being outside and exposed to nature brings forth anxiety attacks. Earthlings feel safe when they know there's people and walls all around them. Spacers, on the other hand, have taken over 50 other worlds and place more emphasis on privacy and independence, with the unacknowledged exception being their dependence on robots to watch over and protect them.The world-building in this series of novels is very deep and detailed. All citizens of Earth are given the necessities to live, but only just enough. You get basic food, a place to sleep, and a little bit of access to recreational services. Everyone is classified according to their jobs and contributions, and the higher a classification you have, the more you are entitled to. Higher classifications get better and bigger apartments and a wider selection of food. And with food being served in cavernous cafeterias, sometimes one even gets to occasionally prepare their own meals in their own kitchens, if their rating is high enough. Bathrooms are rarely in the apartments assigned to citizens, and instead are large and sprawling communal areas where different societal norms have taken hold. Women tend to chat and socialize extensively in their "Personals", while men, in an attempt to afford each other privacy, have developed a deep aversion to acknowledging in any way other residents (never look at someone, and never ever speak inside a Personal). The difference between the two sexes almost seems a bit sexist, but in reality just reflects some of the views towards the sexes that exist even to this day. Later books in the series where life is shown on Spacer worlds shatter these conventions and seem foreign to our protagonist. All in all, it's a fascinating background in which the story unfolds.And the story is a simple murder mystery. Elijah Baley is a detective in NYC's police department. NYC, incidentally, has grown over the centuries, and grown so large that cities like Trenton, NJ are considered boroughs and are part of the enclosed city-structure. There is a settlement of Spacers called Spacertown outside of NYC, and a prominent roboticist has been murdered. This creates a bit of a political crisis. Spacers have advanced their technology and can enforce their will upon Earth and Earthlings, who have been content to just live in their covered cities. Spacers tend to strongly dislike Earth, and there is a very real and substantial fear that Spacers may take control of Earth. Having one of their prominent citizens murdered will only enhance this, and it's up to Detective Baley to resolve this murder. He is assigned a partner in the form of R. Daneel Olivaw, a humaniform robot (one so lifelike it's hard to tell apart from a human). Daneel is one of only two robots in existence who are like this. Baley must get over his inherent dislike of robots that all Earthlings feel and work with Daneel to find the murderer and quell the rising unease between Earth and the Spacers.Isaac Asimov is not exactly a poet with his writing, but he's very effective and clear and professional, and his world-building is superb. His attention to details draws the reader in and makes for a very effective mystery. Like all good sci-fi writers, he doesn't lose sight of the story during the process of introducing the reader to the science. By the time the story is resolved, the reader does enjoy Baley and Daneel, and has the pleasure of looking forward to reading more about them in the two follow-up stories, "The Naked Sun" and "The Robots of Dawn". Those two take place on two different Spacer worlds, and in some wonderful writing, the differences in those worlds is as dramatic as the difference is between the futuristic Earth of "The Caves of Steel" and our own present Earth. If you enjoy science-fiction that introduces new advanced concepts and worlds and ideas, but still enjoy being not so far removed from our own world that everything is unfamiliar, this is a wonderful story in which to indulge.

“There were some eight hundred Cities on Earth, average population, ten million.Each city became a semiautonomous unit, economically all but self-sufficient. It could root itself in, gird itself about, burrow itself under. It became a steel cave, a tremendous, self-contained cave of steel and concrete.”This was my first go and foray into the world of Isaac Asimov, which is a pity because I have been missing out for years. Asimov’s The Caves of Steel is one of the novels in his Robot Series, and the novel’s title is sort of a metaphor to describe the basic structure of these “mega” cities with vast populations. I think most notable about the novel is the way Asimov can visualize, create, and set up with society and world, with the humans, robots, and Spacers. Likewise, the novel sprinkles in various thinking points and philosophical questions that make for a thought-provoking read.Interestingly, the novel is set up as both a mystery/crime as well as a science-fiction. The basic premise involves veteran New York City police detective Elijah Bailey being assigned the investigation of a suspicious murder of one of the prominent Spacers. As part of the investigation, Bailey teams up with a robot, R. Daneel, to help him search for the suspect and solve the crime.As mentioned earlier, it is interesting to see how the robots and humans coexist with each other and must live in the same society. We see this in Bailey’s natural distrust and dislike of the robots. His skepticism about his robot partner is one of the conflicts we follow, and this is explored more deeply as we move along in the novel. Bailey’s negative attitude about his fellow robots seems to be a microcosm of angst brewing within the general populace. One key scene early on that illustrates this is a near riot at a store that Bailey and Daneel get called to investigate. Human resentment over robots taking jobs in the work industry is one such factor in this friction.And, while the mystery itself might be pedestrian (that is, until the final few chapters where the book seems to hit another gear), all is forgivable because the book is such an engaging and compelling read in various other ways. The idea and set up of society that Asimov projects is quite fascinating and imaginative. He spends quite a bit of time giving background and context to how things work and the basic history of where we are. One point illustrating this is when Bailey must cross lines and had into Spacetown with Daneel as part of his investigation. Bailey’s point of view and perspective sheds light on how things operate in Spacetown.I thought both the science fiction and mystery elements were fused together nicely and worked in tandem with each other. The momentum really picks up in the final chapters as we head towards the conclusion. I also thought it was effective how Asimov does enough to give the book a sense of closure, yet also keeps the door open by setting up the next installment in the series.

I do not normally read science fiction, but Caves of Steel was recommended to me by a friend so I gave it a try. No I am looking forward to reading the rest of the I Robot series.

In the future of Asimov's Caves of Steel, human society has been spit in two. On the Outer Worlds, 50 planets that had been colonized by humans, populations are low and humans work hand-in-hand with robots. On Earth, the population has exploded out of control, and the humans live in giant city-hives (the Caves of Steel mentioned in the title), and they never venture into the open air. They live in a tightly controlled socialist system and most humans detest robots as job-stealers. Elijah Baley, a police detective, gets a call from the New York City police commissioner. A Spacer, as the inhabitants of the Outer Worlds are known, has been murdered by an Earthman. If the crime isn't solved, then there will be terrible diplomatic problems for Earth which may even lead to the invasion of Earth by the Spacers. To help him out, he is given a Spacer partner who also happens to be an advanced robot. Can he get along with his partner? Can he avert the destruction of human society on Earth?This is a very easy read. It's easy to see why Asimov is considered to be one of the best science fiction writers of all times. He keeps the plot twisting and surprises you in the end. Recently, we've been bombarded with the image of robots as out-of-control menaces. It's refreshing to see a robot as a true helper and friend fo mankind. I would like to see more emphasis on this type of robot in the future of science fiction. It give us more to think about when the danger in a story comes from human attitudes rather than from blood-thirsty robots. You really have to think about how you would react if you were placed in a similar situation. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

So many great stories and futures from Asimov but this one stands out. You can easily visual the future of earth portrayed in this novel.

Isaac Asimov has a way with inspiring you into various worlds of wonder. The man was incredibly intelligent and used the knowledge he gained from his diverse studies to develop intricate worlds with beautiful story telling. While I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as the short story compilation "I, Robot", it was still an excellent story with memorable characters. The only other similar sci-fi I have read would have to be the C. S. Lewis Space Trilogy. This story has a bit less meta going on and is a bit more matter of fact, however I still enjoyed it and bought the sequels as well. These are sort of crime beat murder-mystery novels but without the quirky detective, and is more straight forward. There are conflicts, worries, tension, and surprises that feel a bit more deep because of the more serious characters involved and I'm sure they'll be important in the sequels as well.Asimov is a great author, and while this book may not necessarily be a classic must read, it is still very enjoyable to anyone interested in Science Fiction, robotics, artificial intelligence, ethics, philosophy, and programming.The book came in perfect condition, no defects or deformations, no printing errors, no upside down pages or anything of the like. The story is interesting but not ground breaking, and so I've decided to give it four stars for being a great product but not the best.

Liked it and appreciated it for its prescience about human problems. Asimov was a visionary. Love the robot stuff.Figured I'd start at the beginning of Asimov's journey with establishing the foundations of his now-canon robot ideas, as much as I dislike the writing style of early sci fi (it's usually unreadable for me).So. It wasn't terrible, but still. Disliked it for use of dated words and presentations. Could have cheerfully lived without any biblical stuff (can't I escape this even in robot sci fi?), and use of "golly" or "gosh" from the obedient teenage son and "Jehoshaphat" as a "curse word" from the dad. Please. And the wife crying and acting like Lucy Ricardo, oh, that was painful. I was a 60s kid and was continually disappointed back then for idiotic tv, movie, and book depictions of women. This is no exception. Child-woman, terrified of society and husband's disapproval! I never met any in my family...and seldom anywhere in general life either.But. This kind of junk is always part of old science fiction. Grit your teeth and move on. This is the way men wrote fiction then. (Most women too, trying to meet common expectations for their readers.) These bigger ideas trapped in the silly sexist pages still deserve a hearing, in all fairness. These writers were products of their time, as we ALL are. Someday people will be laughing at MY pretensions.So, fellow and sister explorer. Read it for the ideas and not for the stupid dialog. Asimov was a brilliant man, and this is clearly an early but earnest effort. He is a better writer than he sounds from this review. He can tell a story, and he's learning here.So try it. I found myself rewriting the dialog as I went, and still could work with the story. But try the story...take the journey with Asimov and his ideas.

This is the first robot saga that has subsequently been integrated into so many later novels by Asimov. When he wrote The Caves of Steel, did he imagine where his writing talents would lead?

The book hooks you from the beginning with an amazing story and unexpected twists. Completely worth it. I recommend it.

Offert en anglais à un ami mais déjà lu en français en ce qui me concerne.Excellent ouvrage, très bon point d'entrée dans le Cycle des Robots.Très bonne intrigue et analyse de société dans un contexte futuriste.

I’m rereading these and I find them still a classic look at potential of integrating robots , and it’s inherent problems not at all dissimilar for me to racial related problems.Read deep read light , still a great read.love the new covers too

Good read. I liked the mid century feel of the book. Like popular mechanics when I was a kid.. Simple relationships and a neat look at how we saw the future when I was young. Good story and all it held my attention throughout . Recommended to all Sci Fi lovers. I chose this rating due to the timelessness of the story line. Will reread the rest of the series.

Ho regalato questa versione del libro ed è stata molto apprezzata sia per la rilegatura che per lo stile ASIMOV vintage. Consigliato per chi ama il genere e vuole avere un pezzo da collezione.