To be asked to write a trilogy about Susan Calvin’s early years as a fledging psychiatrist would, i imagine, have most writers running for the hills. You have to know you’re going to annoy the hell out of the die-hard Asimov fans, as well as many others. But Mickey took it on and, IMHO, didn’t do too bad a job.
Susan’s life and career has to start somewhere, and if you are a die hard Asimov fan who believes that no one should be adding anything to Robots and Foundation then just don’t read it: no one is forcing you to. This book is not necessary to fully enjoy and appreciate the pure Asimov storyline, it’s just a little extra for anyone wanting a little background on one of Asimov’s characters.
That said, i did enjoy reading it. At no point did i feel like giving up and reading something else and i have dived straight into the second book in the trilogy.
Some people have criticised the romance bit in this book, but i think it goes to show how Susan is so naive to the real world outside of her studies, and is totally lacking in a lot of social skills.
Anyway, like i said, i enjoyed it, so you might as well. Just don’t expect Asimov, it isn’t.
And if you do enjoy it, there’s To Obey to read next.
