Asimov
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A i robot

I, Robot is a science-fiction fixup novel written by Isaac Asimov.

It is a collection of nine short stories that originally appeared in the magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950, and were then woven together into novel form and published by Gnome Press in 1950.

Blurb[]

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.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov's trademark.

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction (links the stories together)
  2. "Robbie" (1940, 1950)
  3. "Runaround" (1942) (First appearance of the three laws of Robotics)
  4. "Reason" (1941)
  5. "Catch That Rabbit!" (1944)
  6. "Liar!" (1941)
  7. "Little Lost Robot" (1947)
  8. "Escape!" (1945)
  9. "Evidence" (1946)
  10. "The Evitable Conflict" (1950)

Characters[]

  • Susan Calvin
  • Gregory Powell
  • Michael Donovan
  • Stephen Allen Byerley
  • Gloria Weston
  • Robbie
  • Grace Weston
  • George Wesston
  • Mr. Struthers
  • Speedy
  • Robot SPD "Speedy" 13
  • Robot QT "Cutie" 1
  • Robot Descartes
  • Robot DV "Dave" 5
  • Robot DV 5-2
  • Alfred Lanning
  • Peter Bogert
  • Milton Ashe
  • Robot RB "Herbie" 34
  • The Brain
  • Kallner
  • Gerald Black
  • Robot NS "Nestor" 2 10
  • Walensky
  • Abe Levver
  • Lawrence Roberston
  • Francis Quinn
  • Harroway
  • Lenton
  • Vincent Silver
  • Ching Hso-ling
  • Licoln Ngoma
  • Szeczowska
  • Hiram Mackensie

Mentioned[]

  • Euclid
  • W.S. Gilbert
  • MacDougal
  • McGuffy
  • Robbins
  • McAdams
  • Morbid M. Cadaver
  • Sam
  • Pete
  • Beelzebub
  • Satan
  • Napoleon Boneparte
  • Adam Smith
  • Karl Marx
  • The Machines
  • Rama Vrasayana
  • Fransisco Villafranca

Planets and locations[]

  • Earth
    • Northen Region
      • United States of America
        • Columbia
        • New York City
          • Long Island
          • Hudson River
          • Central Co-ordination Office
        • Museum of Science and Industry
        • Roosevelt Building
        • New Jersery
        • US Robots
          • Susan Calvin's Office
          • Executive's Lounge
        • Washington
      • Evanstron
        • 335 Willow Grove
      • Mexican Canal
      • Ottowa
      • North Pole
      • Scandanavia
      • Iceland
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • Eastern Region
      • Ceylon
      • Tientsin
        • Hydroponics plant
      • Java
      • China
        • Shanghai
      • India
      • Burma
      • Indo-China
      • Szechuan
      • Calcutta
      • Batavia
      • Bangkok
      • Mespotamia
    • Tropic Region
      • Capital City
      • South America
        • Argentina
        • Chile
        • Uruguay
      • Africa, south of the Atlas
        • Nigeria
          • Capital City
      • North America, south of the Rio Grande
      • Asia
        • Arabia
        • Iran
    • European Region
      • Europe
        • British Isles
          • Great Britain
            • England
        • France
        • Germany
        • Austerlitx
        • Almaden
        • Geneva
        • Russia
        • Greece
          • Crete
        • Rome
      • Africa
        • Egypt
      • Western Asia
        • Syria
        • Asia Minor
    • Antartica
  • Luna
    • Lunar Base
  • Mars
  • Mercury
    • Mercury Sunside
      • Sunside Mining Station
  • Space Station
  • Solar Station No. 5
  • Saturn
  • Ceres
    • Ceres Penitentiary
  • 27th Asteroidal Grouping
    • Hyper Base
      • Radiation Building 2
        • Compartment C

Organizations[]

  • United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation
  • Solar Minerals
  • Encyclopedia Tellurica
  • Interplanetary Press
  • Fundementalists
  • Federation of Earth
  • World Steel
  • House of Bourbon
  • House of Hapsburg
  • Catholics
  • Protestants
  • Society for Humanity
  • Board of Directors
  • Soviet Union
  • Consolidated Cinnabor
  • Congress

Titles[]

  • Doctor
  • Robopsychologist
  • General Manager
  • Master
  • Robot
  • Prophet of the Master
  • Mathematician
  • Head Psychologist
  • Mathematical Director
  • Major-General
  • Director-Emeritus of Research
  • Director of Research
  • Saint
  • Mayor
  • Regional Co-ordinator
  • Regional Vice Co-ordinator
  • World Co-ordinator
  • Chinese Republic
  • Madame
  • Machine

Events[]

  • First Mercury Expedition
  • Second Mercury Expedition
  • Robot Bans
  • Lefebre-Yoshida Mars Expedition
  • Last World War
  • Golden Age
  • Atomic Age
  • Japanese Invasion of the Chinese Republic
  • Chinese Civil War of the '40s
  • Fall of Rome

Gallery[]

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