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I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are woven together as if Dr Susan Calvin is telling them to a reporter (the narrator) in the 21st century. Though the stories can be read separately, they share a theme of the interaction of humans, robots and morality, and when combined they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of robotics.
Several of the stories feature the character of Dr. Susan Calvin, chief robopsychologist at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots.
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Title card:
Law I / A robot may not harm a human or, by inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
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Law II / A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law.
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Law III / A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law.
First off, stop cussin', 'cause you're not good at it.
My logic is undeniable, my logic is undeniable, myyy looogic is unndeenniabble...
Y'know, somehow I told you so just doesn't quite say it.
Encyclopedia
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are woven together as if Dr Susan Calvin is telling them to a reporter (the narrator) in the 21st century. Though the stories can be read separately, they share a theme of the interaction of humans, robots and morality, and when combined they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of robotics.
Several of the stories feature the character of Dr. Susan Calvin, chief robopsychologist at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots. Upon their publication in this collection, Asimov wrote a framing sequence presenting the stories as Calvin's reminiscences during an interview with her about her life's work, chiefly concerned with aberrant behaviour of robots, and the use of "robopsychology" to sort them out.
The book also contains the short story in which Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics first appear. Other characters that appear in these short stories are Powell and Donovan, a field-testing team which locates flaws in USRMM's prototype models.
The collection's title is the same as a short story written by Eando Binder, but is not connected to it. Asimov wanted to call his collection Mind and Iron, and initially objected when the publisher changed the title.
Contents
Literary significance and reception
In 2004 the Saturday Evening Post said that the Three Laws of Robotics "revolutionized the science fiction genre and made robots far more interesting than they ever had been before."
Publication history
* New York: Gnome Press, (Trade paperback "Armed Forces Edition", 1951)
- New York: Grosset & Dunlap, (hardcover, 1952)
- London: Grayson, (hardcover, 1952)
- British SF Book Club, (hardcover, 1954)
- New York: Signet Books, (mass market paperback, 1956)
- New York: Doubleday, (hardcover, 1963)
- London: Dobson, (hardcover, 1967)
- ISBN 0-449-23949-7 (mass market paperback, 1970)
- ISBN 0-345-31482-4 (mass market paperback, 1983)
- ISBN 0-606-17134-7 (prebound, 1991)
- ISBN 0-553-29438-5 (mass market paperback, 1991)
- ISBN 1-4014-0039-6 (e-book, 2001)
- ISBN 1-4014-0038-8 (e-book, 2001)
- ISBN 0-553-80370-0 (hardcover, 2004)
- ISBN 91-27-11227-6 (hardcover, 2005)
- ISBN 0-7857-7338-X (hardcover)
- ISBN 0-00-711963-1 (paperback, UK, new edition)
- ISBN 0-586-02532-4 (paperback, UK)
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
At least two of the short stories from I, Robot have been adapted for television. In the 1960s, two short stories from this collection were made into episodes of the television series Out of the Unknown: "The Prophet" (1967), based on "Reason"; and "Liar!" (1969). The 12th episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1987 and entitled Don't Joke with Robots was based on works by Aleksandr Belyaev, Fredrik Kilander and Asimov's Liar! story.
In the late 1970s, Warner Brothers acquired the option to make a film based on the book, but no screenplay was ever accepted. The most notable attempt was one by Harlan Ellison, who collaborated with Asimov himself to create a version which captured the spirit of the original. Asimov is quoted as saying that this screenplay would lead to "the first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made."
Ellison's script builds a framework around Asimov's short stories that involves a reporter named Robert Bratenahl tracking down information about Susan Calvin's former lover Stephen Byerly. Asimov's stories are presented as flashbacks that differ from the originals in their stronger emphasis on Calvin's character. Ellison placed Calvin into stories in which she did not originally appear and fleshed out her character's role in ones where she did. In constructing the script as a series of flashbacks that focused on character development rather than action, Ellison used the film Citizen Kane as a role model.
Although acclaimed by critics, the screenplay is generally considered to have been unfilmable based upon the technology and average film budgets of the time. The script eventually appeared in book form under the title I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, in 1994 (reprinted 2004, ISBN 1-4165-0600-4).
The film I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was released by Twentieth Century Fox on July 16, 2004 in the United States. Its plot is different from that of Asimov's collection, but it incorporates elements of the stories Little Lost Robot and The Evitable Conflict, and also contains the characters Dr. Susan Calvin and Dr. Alfred Lanning, and some of Asimov's ideas about robots, such as the Three Laws of Robotics.
"I, Robot" is also the title of an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. The episode, based on the Eando Binder short story, first aired on 14 November 1964, during the second season. It was remade under the same title in 1995.
Influence
In addition to film and television adaptations, I, Robot has influenced many aspects of modern popular culture, particularly with respect to science fiction and technology. One example of this is in the technology industry. The name of the real-life modem manufacturer named U.S. Robotics was directly inspired by I, Robot. The name is taken from the name of a robot manufacturer ("United States Robots and Mechanical Men") that appears throughout Asimov's robot short stories.
Many works in the field of science fiction have also paid homage to Asimov's collection. The animated science fiction/comedy Futurama makes several references to I, Robot. The title of the episode "I, Roommate" is a spoof on I, Robot although the plot of the episode has little to do with the original stories. Additionally, the episode "The Cyber House Rules" included an optician named "Eye Robot" and the episode "Anthology of Interest II" included a segment called "I, Meatbag." Also in "Bender's Game" the psychiatric doctor is shown a logical fallacy and explodes when the assistant shouts "Liar!" a la "Liar!" . And an episode of the original Star Trek series, "I, Mudd" which depicts a planet of androids in need of humans references "I, Robot."
Author Cory Doctorow has written a story called "I, Robot" as homage to Asimov, as well as "I row-boat", both released in the short-story collection Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present. He has also said, 'If I return to this theme, it will be with a story about uplifted cheese sandwiches, called “I, Rarebit.”'. .
Other cultural references to the book are less directly related to science fiction and technology. The 1977 album I Robot, by The Alan Parsons Project, was inspired by Asimov's I, Robot. In its original conception, the album was to follow the themes and concepts presented in the short story collection. The Alan Parsons Project were not able to obtain the rights, so the album's concept was altered slightly (although the name was kept.) The 2002 electronica album by experimental artist Edman Goodrich (known, at times, to operate under the aliases of "je, le roi!" and "The Ghost Quartet") shares the title of I, Robot, and is heavily influenced by Asimovian themes. The satirical newspaper The Onion published an article entitled "I, Rowboat" in which an anthropomorphized rowboat gives a speech parodying much of the angst experienced by robots in Asimov's fiction, including a statement of the "Three Laws of Rowboatics."
Footnotes
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