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)

Gallery