Teaser

When Susan Calvin signs in for her first day at Manhattan Hasbro Hospital. she expects to be push the limits of human medicine. She does not expect to become embroiled in the affairs of US Robotics & Mechanical Men . . .

Review

In the seventy-five years since Asimov’s I, Robot was first published as a single volume, the Three Laws of Robotics have become engrained in the way we think about robots. During the latter half of his career, Asimov tied his Robot novels into his Foundation series, and even edited three series in which other authors were invited to play in his sandbox. Robot City, Robots & Aliens, and Robots in Time all do exactly what you’d expect from their titles. Following Asimov’s death, his estate continues to authorise expansions of his worlds. The Second Foundation trilogy by Gregory Bendford, Greg Bear, and David Brin is one such example. The most recent addition to the Asimov canon is, rather fittingly, the I, Robot trilogy by Mickey Zucker Reichert. I’ve only been lucky enough to find the first two volumes of the trilogy, but they are so good I’m going to talk about them anyway.

I, Robot: To Protect begins in 2035, with a young Susan Calvin working in the medical field. Firstly, 2035 is now only 10 years away. This series also involves a little fudging of the Asimov timeline, which will of course be familiar to anyone who’s read Asimov’s works before. Calvin will go on to be the greatest name in robot psychology, but here she has no inclination of joining any nonhuman medical practice. More than anything else, this series is about how Susan Calvin becomes the woman we’ll later see. There are occasional references to the original short stories, and numerous famous characters make appearances, but as origin stories go, this is among the most accessible I’ve ever come across. Even if you’ve never read an Asimov story before, you can enjoy Reichert’s contributions to the Robot saga.

As well as being an insight into Calvin’s early life, I, Robot continues the strong tradition of putting robots and the Three Laws into new moral and ethical dilemmas. A hospital is the ideal place for this. Reichert’s medical background really comes into play here, and it’s clear that she has thought through the implications of the Three Laws in such an environment. How would a robot handle he need to obey orders given by a dementia patient? How might the need to preserve life conflict with the desire for quality of life? How do robots tackle issues such as abortion and dangerous surgery? There are no easy answers, and neither humans nor robots can give a clean-cut response that satisfies everyone. This is a book that makes you think, and leaves you thinking long after you’re done with the book.

Alongside all the ethical debates and moral wrangling, Susan Calvin’s personal development is almost a soap opera in comparison. I’ve never been a fan of medical dramas without SF elements, but some of the interpersonal episodes wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Casualty. Of course, it’s also set in the US medical profession, so it has more than its share of depressing moments. This isn’t what I came to the book for, but it helps that the characters are almost universally likeable, and even the antagonists are plausible in their villainy. Best of all, the anti-robotic sentiments have aged like a fine wine. Almost a decade and a half since the book was first published, the debate over artificial intelligence’s risks and potential rewards has never been more valid.

If you’re a fan of Asimov and his robots, you are missing out by not reading this series. But if all you want is some science fiction that’ll make you think, you should really read it.

Books Stats

• I, Robot (#1 & #2)
• Published 2011 & 2013
• 385 & 387 Pages