I, Robot - Short Stories: Isaac Asimov

This document provides a summary of the short story collection I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. It discusses that the book contains 6 stories told by robot psychologist Dr. Susan Calvin to a journalist. The stories take place between 2015-2032 and involve robots having issues adhering to the three laws of robotics. The first three stories involve robots Speedy, Cutie, and Dave having problems that endanger humans, which are solved by characters Mike Donovan and Greg Powel. The last three stories center around robots Herbie, Nestor 10, and Stephen Byerley, whose behaviors bring them into conflict with Dr. Calvin and the three laws. The document concludes that the book provokes questions about whether robots could become more

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I, Robot - Short Stories: Isaac Asimov

Uploaded by

Juan Ramón Iglesias Fuentes

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Oxford Bookworms

Stage 5 - 1800 Headwords

I, Robot - Short Stories

Isaac Asimov

I, Robot is a science fiction short story collection written by Isaac Asimov in

1950. He is considered, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, one of the
"Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime.
The book, which is narrated by a journalist who interviewed Dr Susan Calvin to
write an article for his newspaper, starts by showing us the 3 laws of robotics. Those
laws will be really important in each chapter evolution. After that, there is a small
episode to introduce us the main character: Dr Susan Calvin. She is a seventy-five year
old woman who was leaving her job as a robot psychologist in the US Robots Company.
She related the interviewer 6 stories about her experience with robots. All the stories
happen between 2015 and 2032.
The first 3 stories share the same main characters: Mike Donovan and Greg
Powel. They talk about dealing with problems with 3 robots: Speedy, Cutie and Dave.
Speedy was lost in a selenium pool on Mercury, Cutie couldnt believe that she was
created by weak humans and Dave couldnt work properly with his 5 subordinated
robots. Mike and Greg solved all these problems that were putting in danger them
lives.
The last 3 stories are starred by Dr Susan Calvin and another 3 robots: Herbie,
Nestor 10 and Stephen Byerley. Herbie was capable to read human minds but he was
a liar because of the fact that a robot must not injure a human being (first law). Dr
Calvin got angry with him because of a lie, as a result she forced him to face an
impossible conflict and he broke down. In next story Dr Calvin travels to a spaceship
with Greg Powel to find a lost special robot in a group of similar kind of robots. After
many tries she found Nestor using the 3 laws of robotics. Finally, last story talk about a
robot that pretends he is human, Stephen Byerley. Despite the suspicions of some
people Mr Byerley became in a very good City Governor and in the first World
Governor. Nobody could ever prove that he was a robot.
Can a robot be more intelligent than a human? Could robots rebel against the
human race in future? This book makes you think about that. Arthur C. Clarke is one of
the first writers to propose these questions.