Brilliant

Asimov shows all how it should be done, a genius piece of work, can’t wIt to read more

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

amazing

it was brilliant, really enjoyed it. William Hope is a genius with his voice acting

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great

I really like William hopes narration across the Asimov books. The characterisation makes it easy to follow.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Old but good

If you can bridge the mental gap of listening to a story built on 1950's logic, then this is amazing stuff.

I enjoyed the shift in perspective to that of a time before the internet and mobile phones, but I am sure not many will nowadays.

Nevertheless, the core principles of this story and a fundamental understanding of the sciences Asimov had makes this a worthy classic.

In essence what you have here are a series of stories describing a world in which robots take an increasing part of society, and the implications of this increase. An excellent thought experiment in novel form.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Awsome

Brilliantly written. Fantastically narrated by William Hope who really brings the book to life with this collection of short stories. Asimov was genius.
Andrew

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Beloved Classic Sci-Fi from my youth........

......ruined by awful narration!.

I purchased this audio book way back in September 2019 and today I FINALLY managed to listened to the whole audio book.

I LOVED these stories as a teenager. I still have the books that I purchased with my winnings from a school poetry competition.

I was very excited to get the audio book and settled down to listen.... and had to stop after the first chapter. I just could not stand the Narrators strange choice of character voices. I have tried many times to listen but gave up time and again. However today, 13/05/2021, at a loss for a new book to listen to while doing some DIY, I decided to try again.

The stories have not dated well. We are past the future dates Isaac Asimov set his stories in. It is very interesting to compare his vision of our future with how it actually turned out. Sums of money considered to be exorbitant when it was written are peanuts compared to today's. However you can suspend disbelief and accept them at face value and as classic piece nostagia. However time and again my immersion was broken by the awful narration. The worst being Dr Susan Calvins voice!. Every time she "spoke" I inwardly cringed.
This Audio book needs desperately to be re-recorded by a better Narrator. Personally Marc Thompson who narrates a lot of Star Wars books would be FAB.

If you are an Isaac Asimov fan looking for a trip down memory lane you will most likely enjoy that aspect but be prepared for a sub-par narrator with terrible character voices.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Asimov’s Robots

I ROBOT is a series of short stories written about robots and centring around Asimov’s “Three Rules of Robotics”. The tales were written over a ten year period beginning in 1940. The quality varies but generally improves as the series develops. When Asimov collected the pieces into a single volume, he created a rather artificial link by presenting them as a reminiscence of Susan Calvin who appears in each.

The first story, “Robbie” appeared in the September, 1940 issue of “Super Science Stories” under the title, “Strange Playfellow”. Supposedly set in the future, it presents a society of the thirties with futuristic gadgets thrown in. It is definitely the weakest piece in the collection.

The Powell and Donovan stories are better. They are essentially puzzle pieces working on the interplay of the Three Laws. Don’t look for much in the way of characterisation. Both Powell and Donovan are obvious stereotypes.

Susan Calvin is the star of the book. She is Asimov’s nod to feminism and while she is no more than an observer in “Robbie” and sometimes seems a blue-stocking stereotype she does grow and develop as a personality.

The final story is quite unusual. It seems less a story than a sociological meditation. I’m not sure that it works, but others will certainly differ,

William Hope’s narration is varied and flexible for male characters. Unfortunately he is not as successful for Susan Calvin. The. Tone he adopts for her is nasal, grating and quite unpleasant. Considering Susan’s importance in many of the tales and all of the interludes, this was a case for having both a male and female narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Classic Asimov

Great story, it let's you feel how the future could be.
Narration was good too. Set the right tone for the story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

great vison of the future from the past

amazing how could the author foresee things that will happen in the far future. I do believe that many of what is in the book will come true

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The Godfather of Science Fiction and robotics.

A fabulous collection of robot stories which pose moral dilemmas and conundrums for mechanical men.

Disappointed in the narrator's choice of tone and character voices. Some were quite annoying and grating.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!