Review by clifton hill (2008-08-24)
As a fan of Asimov's I found this a difficult read. I've loved his Robot series and his Foundation series from cover to cover. But this was a collection of experiments for Asimov, put together ultimately I assume due either to their novelty in the time and day or due to his rising star.

I knew before reading the book that the movie had no relation to it. I had seen the movie a year or two prior and had enjoyed it as a fun romp that understood Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics," while having lots of great action. So, going in to read the book I had no real expectation. But what I found was that Asimov had obviously written this collection of short stories to help him work through concepts and explore how the laws of robotics though great on paper could still experience problems in real life. At times it is amusing and interesting. But the writing is not as consistent as in his later books, including character actions that are not always true to themselves. Ultimately I don't believe he really intended this for print, though of course as most were written back in the 40's I would presume that the novelty of the concept was enough to make it salable, and these may very well have been his first stories published (I'm not sure) so perhaps it was merely a young writer getting his feet wet.

I wouldn't recommend this book beyond a curiosity, even die hard Asimov fans may not find this to be worth their time, though at least it is short.

Review by kadambi (2008-01-27)
This is definitely a page turner. Asimov entertains, again!!

The sequence of short stories, told from Susan Calvin's point of view reads like a history of robots and their development and the impact on human societies. All the stories have clever twists to the three laws, except for the first on "Robbie", which I didn't like very much.

(This review refers to the 1950 version titled “I, Robot”)

Review by ropie (2005-08-08)
Asimov is certainly at his best with short stories and I,Robot is a good example of his talents in this area. Generally the stories here are interesting and there is a naive charm to them (they were after all written between the ages of 19 and 29) that enables an easy digestion of some fairly complex ideas about the interaction between robots and humans.

Taken individually, the chapters 'Runaround', 'Reason' and 'Evidence' were my favourites though the book works well as a whole. It reads like a collated document of important milestones in the development of robotics and the 'robopsychology' of regular character, Susan Calvin, who is one of Asimov's more interesting and well-rounded characters.

The issue of 'datedness' always has an impact on older science-fiction and I,Robot has its share of anacronisms and vague feelings of chauvanism common to many in the genre at this time. However, scientifically and socially the concepts Asimov writes about here are every bit as interesting as they were then, if not more so now in our age of computer-dependance.

Review by mrdude (2005-02-11)
I have found that this book is almost always labeled as a collection of short stories about robots. This is a sad misconception in my opinion. The novel is written from the point of view of Dr. Susan Calvin, a "Robosychologis" for U.S. Robotics who is being interviewed by a young reporter. The "collection of stories" is actually her accounts of several problems concerning the development of new robots throughout her carrier.

I found the book quite enjoyable. Like most of his works, Asimov poses problems and then walks the reader through the solution. In many ways I would say this book follows much of the same form as the first book of the original foundation trilogy. The only downside I found was a lack of character development and action. Like other works I have read by Asimov, he is more concerned with the logic and science behind his writing than any amount of story telling. Therefore, he leaves out a lot of information about the characters in his books. For one, the identity of the interviewer is never revealed to the reader so he is merely used to link the stories together. Personal information about most of the other characters is quite sparse as well. As far as action goes, he seems to enjoy telling stories with least amount of this actually occurring as possible. Most of the book is spent explaining and working through problems, through dialog or experiments. In short, his characters pose a problem they are dealing with, gather information, run tests and experiments, discuss everything in great detail and then present their solution. This could be tedious and boring to some readers but all in all I would still suggest this book for those who are ready for something stimulating to read.

(Review also posted at the IBDoF)

Review by Ranic (2004-06-13)
Asimov is truly in his element with this book. His collection of stories flow together to present seamless accounts of solutions to unforseen problems with robots despite 3 seemingly infallable laws of robotics. Each and every story is a pleasure to read. On several occasions I found myself trying to solve problems or rationalize certain actions alongside the characters: a testament to Asimov's skill as a writer.

Review by rootbeer (2003-03-11)
This is, in my opinion, Asimov's best work. The stories in I, Robot detail the relationship between human beings and artificially intelligent robots in a way no other science fiction writer has come close to matching. The Three Laws of Robotics are still the most important contribution to the genre anyone has made. Asimov is at his best here, exploring the way humans and robots can work together, putting a robot's speed of calculation and sheer strength next to a human being's determination, imagination, and vision to make a team vastly more powerful than the sum of its parts. Asimov also reveals that the Three Laws, although seemingly infallable, do in fact have loopholes, and these can make robots behave in peculiar ways.