I, Robot (short story)
| "I, Robot" | |
|---|---|
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| Author | Eando Binder |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Published in | Amazing Stories |
| Publication type | Science fiction magazine |
| Publication date | January 1939 |
"I, Robot" is a science fiction short story by Eando Binder (nom de plume for Earl and Otto Binder), part of a series about a robot named Adam Link. It was published in the January 1939 issue of Amazing Stories, well before the related and better-known book I, Robot (1950), a collection of short stories, by Isaac Asimov. Asimov was heavily influenced by the Binder short story.
The story is about a robot's confession. Some weeks earlier, its builder, Dr. Charles Link, built it in the basement. Link teaches his robot to walk, talk and behave civilly. Link's housekeeper sees the robot just enough to be horrified by it, but his dog is totally loyal to it. The robot is fully educated in a few weeks, Link then names it Adam Link, and it professes a desire to serve any human master who will have it. Soon afterwards, a heavy object falls on Dr. Link by accident and kills him. His housekeeper instantly assumes that the robot has murdered Dr. Link, and calls in armed men to hunt it down and destroy it. They don't succeed; in fact, they provoke the robot to retaliate, both by refusing to listen to it and by accidentally killing Dr. Link's dog. Back at the house, the robot finds a copy of Frankenstein, which Dr. Link had carefully hidden from the robot, and finally somewhat understands the prejudice against it. But in the end the robot decides that it simply isn't worth killing several people just to get a hearing, writes its confession, and prepares to turn itself off.
Binder's story was very innovative for its time, one of the first robot stories to break away from the Frankenstein clichés.
Three of the Adam Link stories were adapted by Al Feldstein and illustrated by Joe Orlando in 1955 issues of the EC (Entertaining Comics) publication Weird Science-Fantasy. Published were "I, Robot," in issue #27 (January-February); "The Trial of Adam Link," in #28 (March-April); and "Adam Link in Business," in #29 (May-June).
A decade later, Binder adapted eight of the stories for Creepy magazine over 1965-1967, and Orlando provided new artwork. The stories were "I, Robot" (issue #2); "The Trial of Adam Link" (#4); "Adam Link in Business" (#6); "Adam Link's Mate" (#8); "Adam Link's Vengeance" (#9); "Adam Link, Robot Detective" (#12); "Adam Link, Gangbuster" (#13); and "Adam Link, Champion Athlete" (#15).
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