The Rest of the Robots
Encyclopedia
The Rest of the Robots is a collection of eight short stories
and two full-length novel
s by Isaac Asimov
. The stories, centred on positronic robots
, are all part of the Robot Series
, most of which take place in the Foundation universe. Another collection of short stories about robots, I, Robot
, was re-published in the previous year, which is why Asimov chose to title the collection as The Rest of the Robots. None of the short stories in this collection were in I, Robot, however all of them were later included in The Complete Robot
, and both novels about Elijah Baley
were also published separately.
The texts in the collection were grouped into 4 chapters, differentiating their central themes. The first chapter, The Coming of the Robots, included some of Asimov's earliest robot stories, where the Three Laws of Robotics
were not yet explicitly defined. The following chapter, The Laws of Robotics, included stories that were written after the explicit formulation of the three laws, however both stories include elements that place them outside the Foundation universe. In the story "First Law
", alien
s and direct disobedience of the First Law of Robotics are described, while in the other story, "Let's Get Together", robots are used as weapons in the Cold War
. The story "Victory Unintentional
" in the first chapter also falls outside the Foundation canon, due to the mention of aliens.
The third chapter, Susan Calvin includes stories where robopsychologist
Dr. Susan Calvin
makes an appearance. These four stories are representative of Asimov's robot short stories, following his traditional themes of aversion and distrust of robots by the general public and issues arising from the robots' interpretation of the Three Laws. The final chapter, Lije Baley, consists of the two novels with detective Elijah Baley
, whom Asimov affectionately calls Lije.
While the original hardcover edition of this book included the two novels, some paperback editions have included only the eight short stories. Some of these shorter paperback editions, but not all, have been called Eight Stories from the Rest of the Robots.
In 2002, the story "Satisfaction Guaranteed" was adapted for the BBC Radio 4
Afternoon Play slot.
praised the collection as "a fine book of entertainment," but faulted Asimov's extensive annotations, saying they "[suck] the juice out of some very vivacious writing indeed, and [embalm] one of science fiction's most ebullient personalities."
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
and two full-length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The stories, centred on positronic robots
Positronic brain
A positronic brain is a fictional technological device, originally conceived by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. Its role is to serve as a central computer for a robot, and, in some unspecified way, to provide it with a form of consciousness recognizable to humans...
, are all part of the Robot Series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series is a series of short stories and novels by Isaac Asimov featuring positronic robots.- Short stories :Most of Asimov's robot short stories are set in the first age of positronic robotics and space exploration...
, most of which take place in the Foundation universe. Another collection of short stories about robots, I, Robot
I, Robot
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are...
, was re-published in the previous year, which is why Asimov chose to title the collection as The Rest of the Robots. None of the short stories in this collection were in I, Robot, however all of them were later included in The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot is a collection of 31 science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1939 and 1977. Most of the stories had been previously collected in the books I, Robot and The Rest of the Robots, while four stories had previously been uncollected and the rest had been...
, and both novels about Elijah Baley
Elijah Baley
Elijah Baley is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Robot series. He is the main character of the novels The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn, and of the short story "Mirror Image". He is seen in flashbacks several times and talked about frequently in Robots and Empire,...
were also published separately.
The texts in the collection were grouped into 4 chapters, differentiating their central themes. The first chapter, The Coming of the Robots, included some of Asimov's earliest robot stories, where the Three Laws of Robotics
Three Laws of Robotics
The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by the science fiction author Isaac Asimov and later added to. The rules are introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although they were foreshadowed in a few earlier stories...
were not yet explicitly defined. The following chapter, The Laws of Robotics, included stories that were written after the explicit formulation of the three laws, however both stories include elements that place them outside the Foundation universe. In the story "First Law
First Law
"First Law" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in the October 1956 issue of Fantastic Universe magazine and later collected in The Rest of the Robots and The Complete Robot...
", alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s and direct disobedience of the First Law of Robotics are described, while in the other story, "Let's Get Together", robots are used as weapons in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. The story "Victory Unintentional
Victory Unintentional
Victory Unintentional is a humorous science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in the August 1942 issue of Super Science Stories and included in the collections The Rest of the Robots and The Complete Robot...
" in the first chapter also falls outside the Foundation canon, due to the mention of aliens.
The third chapter, Susan Calvin includes stories where robopsychologist
Robopsychology
Robopsychology is the study of the personalities of intelligent machines. The term and the concept were popularised by Isaac Asimov in the short stories collected in I, Robot, which featured robopsychologist Dr...
Dr. Susan Calvin
Susan Calvin
Dr. Susan Calvin is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Robot Series. She was the chief robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots in the 21st century...
makes an appearance. These four stories are representative of Asimov's robot short stories, following his traditional themes of aversion and distrust of robots by the general public and issues arising from the robots' interpretation of the Three Laws. The final chapter, Lije Baley, consists of the two novels with detective Elijah Baley
Elijah Baley
Elijah Baley is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Robot series. He is the main character of the novels The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn, and of the short story "Mirror Image". He is seen in flashbacks several times and talked about frequently in Robots and Empire,...
, whom Asimov affectionately calls Lije.
While the original hardcover edition of this book included the two novels, some paperback editions have included only the eight short stories. Some of these shorter paperback editions, but not all, have been called Eight Stories from the Rest of the Robots.
In 2002, the story "Satisfaction Guaranteed" was adapted for the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Afternoon Play slot.
Contents
- The Coming of the Robots
- "Robot AL-76 Goes Astray" (1941)
- "Victory UnintentionalVictory UnintentionalVictory Unintentional is a humorous science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in the August 1942 issue of Super Science Stories and included in the collections The Rest of the Robots and The Complete Robot...
" (1942)
- The Laws of Robotics
- "First LawFirst Law"First Law" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in the October 1956 issue of Fantastic Universe magazine and later collected in The Rest of the Robots and The Complete Robot...
" (1956) - "Let's Get Together" (1957)
- "First Law
- Susan Calvin
- "Satisfaction Guaranteed" (1951)
- "Risk" (1955)
- "Lenny" (1958)
- "Galley SlaveGalley Slave"Galley Slave" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Galaxy, December 1957, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. Asimov identified it as his favorite among those of his robot stories featuring the character of Susan Calvin.The story is a...
" (1957)
- Lije Baley
- The Caves of SteelThe Caves of SteelThe Caves of Steel is a novel by Isaac Asimov. It is essentially a detective story, and illustrates an idea Asimov advocated, that science fiction is a flavor that can be applied to any literary genre, rather than a limited genre itself. Specifically, in the book Asimov's Mysteries, he states that...
(1953) - The Naked SunThe Naked SunThe Naked Sun is an English language science fiction novel, the second in Isaac Asimov's Robot series.-Plot introduction:Like its famous predecessor, The Caves of Steel, it is a whodunit story, in addition to being science fiction...
(1956)
- The Caves of Steel
Reception
Algis BudrysAlgis Budrys
Algis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...
praised the collection as "a fine book of entertainment," but faulted Asimov's extensive annotations, saying they "[suck] the juice out of some very vivacious writing indeed, and [embalm] one of science fiction's most ebullient personalities."