The Naked Sun
{4.5/5} “His teeth chattered when he tried to talk and he had to force his words out in little bits. It hurt his eyes to look so far at a horizon so hazy green and blue and there was only limited relief when he looked at the pathway immediately before his toes. Above all, he avoided looking up at the empty blue, empty, that is, for the the piled-up white of occasional clouds and the glare of the naked sun.”
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov, published in 1956
There’s been a murder on Solaria, one of the Outer Worlds. Lije Baley has been requested specifically, after his handling of the Spacer murder. He really doesn’t want to go, but it’s his job. He’s also asked to keep his eyes and ears open, for Earth. When he arrives at Solaria he meets his old friend R. Daneel Olivaw.
This is the sequel to The Caves of Steel.
It’s about a world where robots outnumber humans ten thousand to one. It’s about how different worlds have different customs. And it’s about facing your fears.
I like how Baley deliberately says outrageous things to provoke a reaction.
If you have editions of Asimov’s novels with his introductions in them, they are delightful.
I’ve read 17 books by Asimov.