Robots And Empire

Description

Review: Exciting last book of Asimov's Robots tetralogy - This is a 2018 paperback edition of the fourth novel in Isaac Asimov's Robots series. The novel was first published in 1985. The present edition is published by HarperCollins Publishers in England. I am very happy that it is available on desertcart India. I like the production quality of all paperback Asimovs published by HarperCollins—the evocative, dichromatic artwork and the elegant Janson Text typeface. (This particular book doesn't even have that many typos, which can't be said about other Asimov books published by HarperCollins.) On its own, “Robots and Empire” is a fairly ordinary story. One day, about two hundred years after the death of Elijah Baley, the hero of the previous three Robots novels, it is discovered that not a single human being is left on the planet Solaria. The planet is now occupied only by robots. What has happened? Well, our friends Gladia, Daneel, Giskard are, apparently inexplicably, dragged into the investigation. But the question remains unanswered throughout the book. What happens instead is that an entirely different conspiracy is revealed, in which two Aurorans are trying to destroy Earth. I won't ruin the novel for you by telling if they succeed, but the end of the book is not climactic. I really wish Asimov has closed the Solarian loop. Nonetheless, the book is a very important, indeed critical, link in the epic 14-volume chain of novels by Asimov that culminate in the Foundation series of books. This is because it explains two things that are important to the subsequent story: (a) why is Earth a forgotten planet in the Galaxy and why is Earth full of radioactive pollution, and (b) why does Daneel Olivaw become so passionate, if that's the right word, about psychohistory and mankind's fate. If you have read any of the Empire or Foundation novels, these two questions surely must have bothered you. Well, “Robots and Empire” will set your mind at ease. This book, like Asimov's other books, are highly recommended. It is my wish that the 14 novels comprising the Robots, Empire, and Foundation series be translated into Hindi and other Indian languages. Review: Asimov's vision and concepts are very thought-provoking even in today's day and age - It's always strange to review something from a different era. However, with Robots and Empire, you can see how much Asimov's views and philosophy has changed and grown since I, Robot. For his vision and concepts alone, this book deserves a 5/5. Now, for the actual review. This book is about as long as Robots of Dawn, but the pace felt much faster. Where the previous book was a dragged-out mystery over 400 pages, this book is a much larger tale spanning a short amount of time but takes you on a journey to four different planets. The epicosity of this novel was nothing short of wonderful, and that last chapter almost made me choke. There couldn't have been a better ending to the larger Robots story than this. The characters is where Asimov usually gets criticised, but I never bother because the characters are mere conduits for his larger ideas. That being said, I did particularly hate Amadiro in this one. Not because he's a terribly unlikeable antagonist, but because his presence felt unnecessary, with him really being side-lined to the truly sinister and active conflicts raised by other characters. Asimov could've easily made him a more active villain instead, which would've been more compelling and satisfying, given his role in the previous book. I particularly liked Gladia, and how she grew as a character. It's not as nuanced, but the ideas it represents appealed to me. I also have to mention the Daneel-Giskard interactions. On one hand, they're fascinating, but they can be equally tedious to read. And the exact same things can be said about all the flashbacks. Overall, I wish this book were a little shorter. 250-300 pages would've made this a perfect 5/5. TL;DR: WHAT I LIKED: Asimov's vision, concepts, and philosophy. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Amadiro, some boring and tedious moments that slow the book down and dampen the experience.