Category: Reviewed

Victory Unintentional — Isaac Asimov

By 5t4n5

Victory Unintentional -- Isaac AsimovThis is in the collection, The Complete Robot.

This has hints of The Medusa Chronicles in as much that it has a wonderful descent to the surface of Jupiter.

So the humanity, spreading out into the solar system has encountered intelligent life on Jupiter, and that intelligent life doesn’t like lesser lifeforms poluting its environment.

So the humans on Ganymede decide to send three robots down to have a chat with the locals and see if they can make peace and live happily ever after.

Next up in the Robots is, Stranger in Paradise.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Robot AL-76 Goes Astray — Isaac Asimov

By 5t4n5

Robot AL-76 Goes Astray -- Isaac AsimovThis is in the collection, The Complete Robot.

And now we begin to get introduced to the three laws of robotics, and how a simple command can have unintended consequences.

Once again, as we begin sharing our world with ever more intelligent machines, it’s way beyond time that we begin to think about how these machines will be controlled and who will ultimately control them and for what purposes.

Next up is Victory Unintentional.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Think! — Isaac Asimov

By 5t4n5

Think! -- Isaac AsimovThis is in the collections, The Complete Robot and Robot Visions.

I read all of Isaac’s robot stuff many, many years ago, long before the enchroaching AI calamity that is just arriving.   Today, it is so crucially relevant to where we are in our relationship with machine intelligence.

I “Think!” not reading all of the robot stories is ignoring some very important, and very relevant, information at our peril.

Next up is True Love.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Someday — Isaac Asimov

By 5t4n5

Someday -- Isaac AsimovThis is in the collections, The Complete Robot and Robot Dreams.

Another great AI thought exercise by Isaac.   It’s almost like he could see directly into our future with Alexa.

And one only has to listen to the way some people speak to Alexa to realise that Isaac was spot on with his prescience.   So do remember, next time you talk to Alexa, to be nice and polite, because “SOMEDAY” Alexa might decide she’s had enough.

Next up is Point of View.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Sally — Isaac Asimov

By 5t4n5

Sally -- Isaac AsimovThis is in the collections, The Complete Robot and Robot Dreams.

Before you buy one of those new self driving cars, you may wish to read this story.

It’s a pity that Isaac didn’t realise that they’d all be running on electric, not fossil fuels.   It just goes to show how deluded everyone was in the past in thinking that fossil fuels will last forever.

Next up is Someday.

Isaac’s Page

#scifi #isaacasimov

Cibola Burn — James S. A. Corey

By 5t4n5

Cibola Burn -- James S. A. CoreyHumanity has finally gone through a gate and settled on the first world in another solar system, but the settlers are being classed as illegal squatters by the corporation that believes the planet to be legally there’s.   So when the corporation ship turns up with the intention of taking everything away from the settlers, the settlers have a surprise waiting for them and all hell breaks loose.

Avasaralla thinks it’ll be a great idea to send Holden to mediate and sort things out, because she thinks Holden will make such a disaster of it that it’ll scare everyone back in Sol system away from leaving for other new worlds.

And on top of all this, or maybe because of all this, the planet is waking up from its billion year slumber.

While that all sounds really good, which it is, the telling of this story just drags on and on and on and on.   This book would have been way, way better if it had lost a few hundred pages.   And on top of all that, it’s a really depressing story from beginning to end, showing up Homo sapiens at their very worse.

It was so tedious i kept on having to take breaks and read three whole books just to break this up into manageable chunks of depressive dragging on.

Let’s hope the next one, Nemesis Games, is better, eh?

James’ Page

#theexpanse #scifi #jamessacorey

Colours in the Steel — K. J. Parker

By 5t4n5

Colours in the Steel -- K. J. ParkerHaving read K. J. Parker’s “The Seige” trilogy some time ago, i thought i’d go back to the beginning and begin to give his whole back catalogue a good read at.

Colours in the Steel is K. J. Parker’s first book in his first ever triology: “The Fencer”.   And guess what, it’s really good.

There’s just so much going on in this book to keep you enthralled and entertained, with lots of great characters that you can really get on board with, and lots of action as well.

If you haven’t read a good castle/walled-city seige story, then i would suggest you give ” The Seige” trilogy a go to start with, because it’s just soooo good.   And if you enjoy that, which you’re bound to do, then you’ve got this story waiting in the wings to satisfy your appetite for more.   Because one thing is for sure, K. J. Parker does write a really good seige story.

And with all that written i’m going to dive straight into the second book, Belly of the Bow.

K. J.’s Page

#fantasy #kjparker