The Robots of Dawn

This is not my first foray into the robotic world of Isaac Asimov. I have, previously, read a number of his novels but never managed to continue my reading of the "Robots and Empire" series. Life must have gotten in the way and I'm glad I finally picked up The Robots of Dawn. Elijah "Lije" Baley is, once again, called to investigate a case involving robots. Roboticide has occurred and Baley must travel to the Spacer world of Aurora (World of Dawn) to discover who put the humaniform robot, Jander, out of commission. R. Daneel Olivaw, the only remaining humaniform robot, assists Baley with the help of a more traditional and older model robot, Giskard. Lije must overcome his fear of the open after having lived his whole life under the shelter of Earth's underground city and deal with the alien culture of the Aurorans in order to solve this case.

Asimov does a fantastic job of creating an interesting and incredibly readable detective/ science fiction/ robot story. He includes the science and theory behind the positronic brain, space exploration, and psychohistory (his concept of mapping out possible courses of humanity based on mathematical analysis) without the reader getting bogged down with details. Science fiction can be a great means of exploring social prejudices in a lighthearted manner and Asimov accomplishes this feat in The Robots of Dawn. The reader can see the distinctions between robots and humans, Earthmen and Auroran but in a medium that seems much easier to swallow than strict and modern social commentary. The Robots of Dawn reminds me of a futuristic Gulliver's Travels and it keeps you guessing to the very end.