Time Was: Isaac Asimov's I-BOTS [Hardcover]

Steve Perry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Isaac Asimov's I-Bots | Publication Date: June 23, 1998

The Year is 2013, and Zac Robillard is on the run...with five stolen I-Bots. A brilliant inventor working for WorldTech Corporation, he had single-handedly orchestrated the next step in robotic evolution by developing a team of fantastic cybernetic creatures; specimans which define the strength and nobility of robots with the emotional and psychological complexity of humans. But just when satisfaction seemed within reach, Zac discovers that WorldTech's hidden agenda is to use his precious creations as killers for hire. Now Zac and the I-Bots are caught in a lethal game of cat-and-mouse with WorldTech's owner, Annabelle Donahoe, who pursues them with a fierce determination that borders on psychological obsession.

At the heart of the story are the I-Bots themselves : Pys-4, their brooding leader; the beautiful and vain Radiant, capable of manipulating all forms of energy; Itazura, the warrior jokester; Killaine, the group's reluctant mother figure, and Stonewall, the quietest and strongest I-Bot.

Time Was Isaac Asimov's I-Bots, written by two of the field's rising stars, Steve Perry and Gary A. Braunbeck, is based on a concept originated by the grand master of science fiction himself, Isaac Asimov. Asimov, the most recognized SF writer of all time, first created and then popularized our modern concept of the robot in his famous novels and short story collections. Books like Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and I, Robot defined the robot for generations of readers. But, in his conception of the I-Bots, Asimov began to take his unique vision of the robot in a revolutionary new direction. While Asimov was not able to write the I-Bots' story himself, Perry and Braunbeck have crafted his vision into a gripping suspense-filled novel.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Time Was begins in the near future with the I-Bots executing a corporate break in, hired to expose flaws in the company's security system. "Dressed in black, with dark wool caps pulled down to just above their eyes, they were more than just invisible in the night--they were the night, and all its attendant shadows. Sometimes--not often, but sometimes--Psy-4 found this ninja-like approach a little melodramatic.... Psy-4 stopped, crouched, then signalled the other two I-Bots to move forward ... liquid smooth and soundless. The way Psy-4 liked it."

Predatory forces--some corporate, some criminal--circle the I-Bots like sharks, the young machines and their creator, Zac Robillard, barely managing to stay one step ahead. In this novelization, authors Steve Perry and Gary Braunbeck faithfully adhere to the background story of the comic book while adding emotional and psychological depth to the characters. Time Was is based on a concept of Isaac Asimov's, who first created and popularized our modern concept of robots as sentient, emotive machines, and captivated the imagination with a future of possibilities. --Jhana Bach

From Publishers Weekly

In the manner of the ongoing series extending Asimov's Foundation novels (Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, etc.) comes this pastiche based on the late, great SF master's Three Laws of Robotics. Set in the early 21st century, the novel features five I-Bots, robots as psychologically complex as humans and therefore less bound than their brethren by the Three Laws. The robots find it unendurable to be used as professional assassins, however?and exceedingly difficult to escape the corporate power trippers who wish to use them that way. The robots here are well drawn, and the action scenes are as intense, vivid and bloody as readers have come to expect from Perry (The Digital Effect, etc.), here writing with Braunbeck (Things Left Behind). But the mayhem is not well integrated into a coherent story, and it creates a tone very unlike that laid down by Asimov's relentless rationality. The story also depends heavily for its emotional impact on the tension between the I-Bots' independence of mind and the Three Laws. Those laws were a seminal SF concept in their time, 50 years ago, but they have long since been overtaken in both SF and in real-world cybernetics, and are possibly not well known by many younger SF readers. This is a good example of a pastiche that exhibits much competence but that doesn't quite succeed as either homage to the original author or as an independent development of his themes.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (June 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061052957
• ISBN-13: 978-0061052958
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,684,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm married, got kids, grandkids, dogs, all like that. Ex-hippie, long-time martial artist, duffer on the guitar.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I-Bots was a fun book to read., April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Time Was: Isaac Asimov's I-BOTS (Hardcover)

I-Bots was a fun book to read. It stayed within the boundaries of the Asimov universe. It was an exceptionally action oriented book which sets it apart from other books in the Asimov universe. I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read. I liked it so much, I read it in one night. The book has well developed characters. The plot was well thought out with many exciting twists and turns.

5.0 out of 5 stars why are there not more?, January 5, 2009

By 

Natasha C. Hill "Universal Horror Film Buff" (Maryville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time Was: Isaac Asimov's I-BOTS (Hardcover)

This book was good-I loved it-and the characters came so much to life but I'm a huge fan of Steve Perry anyway and there's not much he writes that isn't good. I first met him reading the Alien vs Predator series and enjoyed him immensely so have followed his Aliens books and Predator book. I'm also a HUGE Asimov fan and I felt like this book did him justice. A good combination and I'm stunned that there are not more books for these characters. All I could find was a few comic books. We need more of Psy-4 and Stoner. Highly recommend this book-loved it!