The Caves of Steel
{4.5/5} “Before the Cities, human life on Earth wasn’t so specialized that they couldn’t break loose and start all over on a raw world. They did it thirty times. But now, Earthmen are all so coddled, so enwombed in their imprisoning caves of steel, that they are caught forever.”
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, published in 1953
A Spacer has been killed in New York, and the task of solving the murder comes to Lije Baley. He must partner with a robot, though — R. Daneel Olivaw. When he meets Olivaw for the first time, he’s startled to find that he doesn’t look like any robot he’s met before — he looks human.
It’s about farsighted people trying to help all of humanity. It’s about people who are happy working with robots and people who aren’t.
Asimov always has big ideas. Here the murder investigation and the big ideas dovetail together in a way that is delightful.
This is the 2nd time I’ve read it.
I’ve read 16 books by Asimov, and I will read at least 3 more. I previously reviewed Pebble in the Sky.