Isaac Asimov's Caliban
Cover of the first edition
|
|
| Author | Roger MacBride Allen |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Ralph McQuarrie |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Robot series |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
|
Publication date
|
March 1993 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 312 |
| ISBN | |
| Preceded by | Robots and Empire |
| Followed by | Isaac Asimov's Inferno |
Isaac Asimov's Caliban (1993) is a science fiction novel by Roger MacBride Allen, set in Isaac Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation universe.
The book is set on a planet in Asimov's Foundation universe, and focuses on a cultural and legal dilemma posed by the Three Laws of Robotics after a roboticist is apparently assaulted by one of her robots. This event threatens to cause a global panic, because the planet's entire way of life relies on the belief that robots are incapable of harming or disobeying humans.
The book is set at a point in history where humanity is spread among many planets and divided into two main cultures. There are the Settlers, who reject robotics as an affront to human potential, and the Spacers whose lives are saturated by robotics.
The planet Inferno is a Spacer planet, though some characters are Settler visitors and provide a perceptual counterpoint to the Spacers' belief in their own superiority. The robots produced on this planet have their Three Laws integrated into every neural pathway, such that even seeing harm done to a human can physically destroy a robot's brain. They are thus incapable of rebellion or disobedience, and are even unable to think anything which is contrary to the instructions of humans. Their total servitude and extreme intelligence have had severely damaging effects on the mental and physical health of the human population.
Robots have taken over many basic tasks such as driving cars and even dressing humans. The main character, Alvar Kresh, decides to do an 'experiment' in which he tells his robot not to wake him up in the morning. On waking (late), he immediately realizes that he does not know where his clothes are stored, and that the clothes have fasteners which are specially designed for a robot's hands to operate. Ultimately he manages to get his clothes on but cannot fit them properly.
The planet's leading roboticist, Fredda Leving, gives a speech in which she notes that robot labor has undermined not only human productivity but human leisure as well. She explains that in many performance halls, all but the lead actors in a play are normally robots. And since nobody goes to the theatre, many of the seats are filled with robots to make the house look packed. "So at home on your screen what you see is a theatre full of robots applauding a stage full of robots." She notes another example of a woman who has a robot with enough intelligence to fly a spaceship, yet the robot's whole job is to brush the woman's teeth and hold the toothbrush in between. Over-reliance on robotics is presented as a waste of intelligence and human potential.
...
Wikipedia