A classic 40's noir detective story, set in a scif-fi setting.
This book is part 2 of 3 in a series, "The Robot Series", but though normally I don't review second or third parts, I'll review this one, because, this was actually the first book I read in the series, since I found it by accident in my uncle's house library.
If you have ever read classic noir detective stories like "The Maltese Falcon", then you already have an idea of what this book is about more or less, but with the added scifi theme and the usual exploration of lifestyle alternatives done by Asimov.
Here we follow an Earth detective, called by the government of planet Solaria, to investigate a murder. And there's the usual beautiful but potentially untrustworthy woman, the suspect who had a quarrel with the victim and the smart assistant, topped up with plenty of robots and weird technology enhancements and lifestyle choices.
One of those choices is self-isolation. Which is the reason I remembered this book today, seeing that as of now in 2020, we're all in lockdown due to the COVID virus. It does read like a sci-fi plot point, when put that way: "All the planet was in lockdown, people in fear of the myterious virus known as COVID"... anyway, the people in Solaria shun human, personal contact. Each of them is like a vast estate owner, tended to a few thousand robots, who do all the work, while the owners dedicate themselves to a life of leisure and political intrigue.
Asimov's three laws of robotics play a prominent part in the plot, as usual, since they serve as a thought experiment on their implications for various ethical problems throughout Asimov's work.
Now, honestly, as a detective story, to be fair, this one is probably not that great. But as a sci-fi story with an untraditional plot, and food for thought on the implications of living in a society where all social interaction is carried out by 3D videoconferencing, including strolling through their vast estates.... I think it's totally worth it. Besides, who wouldn't want to live that life, with a huge property of your own, and robots to take care of you?
Thank God robots are not permitted to harm a human due to the physical impossibility of breaking Law #1 (A robot cannot harm a human)... or are they? You'll have to read to find out. And there's the little topic of the sexually frustrated wife eager to find an exit. Not bad.
I also found interesting that while the Solarians refuse human contact, they live in large open spaces, while the, ...Terrestrians..., live in closed, confined "Hive-like" compounds. Plus Earth and Solaria are politically opposed in the novels , thus adding a further layer of complication to the main character's job.
Now, by the end of his life, Asimov had been doing a concerted attempt to tie in together all his works into a comprehensive universe, and if you read everything, there is a way to make it all fit into a massive lifelong story arc.
Hint: Someone in this book is A LOT more important than you'd think!
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