Customer Reviews

Robot Visions

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like its companion _Robot Dreams_, this collection is in part an excuse to feature the haunting illustrations of Ralph McQuarrie and partly a well-chosen selection of the Good Doctor's short writings.

However, unlike _Robot Dreams_, this one really does concentrate on robots. It also includes a good chunk of Asimov's nonfiction on the subject -- and (unlike Heinlein) Asimov wrote very good nonfiction too.

Two things you should know before you buy this:

(1) It includes most of the contents of _I, Robot_, but not all -- and it also doesn't include the frame story (the interview with Susan Calvin). So even if you buy this, you'll still have to get _I, Robot_ if you don't already have it.

(2) It includes the robot stories that _aren't_ part of _I, Robot_ -- among them the very best Susan Calvin story, "Galley Slave".

At any rate, no Asimov fan will want to be without this one.

This is a companion book to "Robot Dreams," but unlike that book, all the stories in "Robot Visions" are actually about robots. Six of the stories also appear in the collection "I, Robot." The stories were written over a wide range of time, from 1940 to 1989, and they reflect the character of their times. (The way to check when a particular story was written is to look at the copyright page at the front of the book.) The stories cover a range of issues well, mostly hinging on the three laws of robotics that Asimov quotes and uses repeatedly. One might think going back to the well like this would result in repetetive stories, but that is not the case at all; robots are involved in these stories in jobs as mundane as checking galleys for publication to jobs as unforgiving as performing microsurgery, and in all cases Asimov carefully considers how the humans and robots--each acting on their motivations (the robots' is hardwired, of course)--interact with each other and the situations they are confronted with. One stands out: "The Bicentennial Man," about a robot who was unusually creative, and over a period of decades acts on his desire to become more independent and acquire more rights, going so far as to replace his robotic systems with organic ones in an attempt to become closer to being human.

The book includes a number of essays by Asimov about how he sees robots in the future, how he conceived of them in past stories, and what issues will crop up as mechanical intelligences become reality. These essays were written in the '70s and 80s, some apparently for American Airlines' in-flight magazine (again, check the copyright page). These essays are each relatively short, making them good bedtime reading when you're tired. The short stories earlier in the book vary in length, so they don't work as well for that purpose.

Including all of "I, Robot"'s stories, a whole new story and some other great sories (even features Daneel and Baley!), this is a great robot's collection. Incuding some articles from the master, it is a must-have for Asimov, robots and sci-fi fans.

This book is a great collection of Asimov's robot stories. Robot Visions was intended to be a companion to Robot Dreams. Both collections have older stories with a few new ones written for the book. You can really tell how Asimov thought about his beloved creation, the robots. The various stories show every point of view possible, from a robot's view or a man's. In the back of the novel, Asimov wrote several essays explaining his views on robotics. Definately a pleasurable read, whether you are a sci-fi fan or not.

Bought this book to add to the Asimov Books already read----half finished this book and it is a very good collection---easy read---

if you like Robot books the following may be of interest to you,

****Issac Asimov -
****The Robot Books
Asimov had a sugested reading sequence HE published in Prelude to Foundation --- for all the books he had written on robots
---am listing that here - they were not written in sequence as you see.

The Complete Robot - 1982
The Caves of Steel - 1954
The Naked Sun - 1957
The Robots of Dawn -1983
Robots and Empire - 1985
The Currents of Space - 1952
The Stars, Like Dust - 1951
Pebble in the Sky - 1950
Prelude to Foundation - 1988
Foundation - 1951
Foundation and Empire - 1952
Second Foundation - 1953
Foundation's Edge - 1982
Foundation Earth - 1983


peace and love----

This is more a complimentary book to I-robot than a stand alone collection. If you have not read I-robot, you should get that as well, as the two books are best consumed together and in close proximity to each other so that the differences between the two can be compared.

The book also includes some of Asimov's excellent non-fiction on the subject of robots, including his foundational theories about THE THREE LAWS.

If you like robots and you've not read this book, you owe it to yourself to get a copy. Asimov is the grandfather of modern science fiction when it comes to all things robotic, and this book is a fantastic place to dig into the wealth of Asimov's imagination on that topic.

The selected stories were entertaining, and in the best tradition of Assimov's Robots. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Leon

I found this collection to be very good, it has some of Isaac Asimov's best robot stories, as well as a collection of essays on robotics. Fans of Isaac Asimov or robots in general should definately consider reading this book.

I have been an Asimov fan for as long as I can remember. And this book is right up there with all of his others.

I read this book when I was 13 and I loved it, so I thought I'd get it for my daughter who was hooked on the Disney's Fairies Colletction(a great choice for little girls BTW) to see if she would share my love for Asimov's stories. She's loving it so much, she already told me I have to wait until she's done with it, to see "if I can borrow it"...
Asimov never ceases to amaze me!!