Complete Collection of Short Stories About Robots (Volume 1, Volume 2)

Author: Isaac Asimov (USA) / Han Sheng Magazine
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This is a complete collection of short stories about robots written by the world-renowned science fiction master, Isaac Asimov. The included short stories are: "A Child's Best Friend," "Sally," "One Day," "Perspective," "Thinking," "True Love," "AL-76 Lost," "Victory of the Heartless," "Stranger in Paradise," "Photocarving," "The Separatists," "Little Machine," "When We Are Together," "Mirror," "The Three Hundredth Anniversary Incident," "Law," "Spinning," "Reason," "Catch Rabbits," "Tricksters," "Guaranteed Satisfaction," "Leni," "School Custodian," "Disappearing Act," "Adventure," "Escape," "Evidence," "Avoidable Conflict," "Female Intuition," "You Pity Him," "The Dream of a Robot," "Positronic Man," and more, totaling thirty-two short stories. These short stories vary in length, and the robots they depict each have unique characteristics, making the stories distinctive. For example, in "Sally," a robot car (automatic car) is described as a very beautiful and feminine car, which the owner affectionately calls "her" Sally. Sally is the owner's cherished pet, receiving meticulous care and attention. However, the beautiful Sally attracts the covetous gaze of a man named Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is a villain with a strong temper. After failing to obtain Sally, he forcibly abducts her. The owner of Sally quickly summons other robot cars to retrieve her. Sally was originally an autonomous robot car, but Gilgamesh forces manual operation to control her. Sally does not yield and, during a chase by many robot cars, manages to throw Gilgamesh out of the car and surrounds the other thugs with the robot cars, eventually scaring them unconscious until the police arrest them. The leader of the robbers, Gilgamesh, is killed when he fires at the automatic bus (robot car) he is fighting, and is crushed to death by the bus. Another example is "Positronic Man," which tells the life story of a positronic man (advanced robot). The positronic man is named Andrew Martin, and he was initially a conventional robot, serving as a butler and steward for a family of four. Later, the master sees that the birthday gifts Andrew made for the eldest daughter and the youngest daughter are exceptionally exquisite and realizes they were made by Andrew himself, earning him the master's favor. The master then asks Andrew to create many wooden artworks, which earn him a significant amount of money. To make Andrew more capable, the master completely updates all his components except for his positronic pathways. When Andrew earns nearly 600,000 yuan for his master, he decides to use his hard-earned money to buy back his freedom. The master, of course, is unwilling to let him "buy his freedom," and the entire family strongly opposes the robot's desire for "freedom." However, Andrew is determined and refuses to live like other robots—he wants to be a member of humanity and live in society. Afterward, Andrew seeks advice from a law firm, the court, a robot psychologist, and a social ethicist, asking how he can obtain "human citizenship." In the end, Andrew is willing to sacrifice his life to join humanity and become one of them. His actions ultimately gain human recognition, and before his "death," he finally hears the announcement by the world president that he has been accepted into humanity. In these diverse short stories, the images of various robots are vividly portrayed, their joys and sorrows, how they interact with humans, and the confusion they bring to human society all make the stories uniquely interesting and inspire endless imagination. Among the many robot short stories, there is an eternal topic: the "Three Laws of Robotics." This is one of Asimov's most significant science fiction theories, and it can be said that the "Three Laws of Robotics" are the criteria for the existence and development of intelligent robots. In form, the Three Laws of Robotics possess the aesthetic beauty of a mathematical formula, with concise and clear meanings that are interconnected, instantly revealing the "subordination" relationship. Logically, however, they contain numerous "paradoxes," leading people to lose themselves in the maze of "existence" and "meaning" while experiencing both shock and enlightenment. The Complete Collection of Robot Short Stories is a work that combines both aesthetic beauty and thrilling pleasure.