Dr. Susan Calvin's life has been hell for the past two
years: her father and her fiancé were both murdered
because of her father's involvement with The United
States Robots and Mechanical Men Inc. Susan only aspires
to an uneventful life, working at her chosen profession,
but it was not to be in the near future. Emergency alarms
go off at the hospital where Susan works, she rushes to
the premises, only to see a colleague has been
murdered, and Nate has been arrested. Nate, her friend in
need, Nate, the humanoid positronic robot that almost no
one knows is a lowly worker at the hospital. Nate is
indistinguishable from humans, and he is only one of two
of his kind remaining... Susan knows Nate cannot be the
killer; it's against his programming. The first law of
robotics states that "A robot may not injure a human
being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come
to harm"; it's immutable. Nate cannot lie either, but he
cannot say for sure if he did it. Then the doctor who
designed and programmed Nate's brain is held accountable
for the murder. Susan must help her friends, but her boss
is adamant in his refusal to let her have some free time,
and Susan quits.
Occasional SciFi readers, such as myself, need not fear
that their eyes are going to glaze over: Mickey Zucker
Reichert is clear and succinct in relating technical
stuff, as well as the events from the previous books, and
her imagining of a New York City in 2037 is entirely
believable. A feeling of authenticity permeates I, ROBOT:
TO PRESERVE. Whether the hospital environment, the police
work, the robots, everything feels real. The characters
all ring true, and Susan is a heroine anyone can relate
to. The author strikes the perfect balance between
suspense and SciFi, with an added pinch of romance thrown
in.
I, ROBOT: TO PRESERVE is a terribly exciting story. It
grabs you from the opening chapter and never lets go.
What I felt really distinguishes ISAAC ASIMOV'S I, ROBOT:
TO PRESERVE from a lot of what is out there is the
exceptional quality of the writing: the richness of the
vocabulary, flawless syntax (and not one four letter curse
word
in the whole book!). I was reminded of John Le Carre in
the sense of an author's complete mastery of her writing
skills. The story flows seamlessly, every character
possesses its own unique voice, every detail is crystal
clear, all the while keeping the reader completely
engrossed in the story. My only regret is not having
known about the two previous books. The legacy of the
great Isaac Asimov is safe while in the extremely capable
hands of Mickey Zucker Reichert; one can only hope for
more.
Inspired by Science Fiction Grand Master Isaac Asimov’s
I, Robot stories.2037: Robotic technology has evolved into the realm
of
self-aware, sentient mechanical entities. But despite the
safeguards programmed into the very core of a robot’s
artificial intelligence, humanity’s most brilliant creation
can still fall prey to those who believe the Three Laws of
Robotics were made to be broken...
N8-C, better known as Nate, has been Manhattan Hasbro
Hospital’s resident robot for more than twenty years. A
prototype, humanoid in appearance, he was created to
interact with people. While some staff accepted working
alongside an anthropomorphic robot, Nate’s very existence
terrified most people, leaving the robot utilized for
menial
tasks and generally ignored.
Until one of the hospital’s physicians is found brutally
murdered with Nate standing over the corpse, a blood-
smeared
utility bar clutched in his hand. As designer and
programmer
of Nate’s positronic brain, Lawrence Robertson is
responsible for his creation’s actions and arrested for the
crime.
Susan Calvin knows the Three Laws of Robotics make it
impossible for Nate to harm a human being. But to prove
both
Nate’s and Lawrence’s innocence, she has to consider the
possibility that someone somehow manipulated the laws to
commit murder...
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