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From: OC.TREI@CU20B.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Robots and Empire (non spoiler review)
Message-ID: <3783@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 13:16:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.3783
Posted: Wed Sep 25 13:16:53 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 07:02:23 EDT
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: Peter G. Trei 

 
                ROBOTS AND EMPIRE by Issac Asimov
              Doubleday, $16.95, ISBN 0-385-19092-1
 
     As has been apparent since FOUNDATIONS EDGE, Issac has been
trying to forge a link between the worlds of his robot stories
and his classic FOUNDATION trilogy. In RaE, he continues the
process started in THE ROBOTS OF DAWN, setting up a situation in
which the Spacer Worlds of the Elijah Baley/robot stories (50
planets, lightly populated by extremely long-lived aesthetes
served by robot retinues, with Earth in the background) can
evolve into the Galactic Empire (entire galaxy colonized by
humans of ordinary lifespan, no robots whatsoever, and Earth
lost). He manages this rather clumsily, needing to resort to deus
ex machina devices.
 
     Gladia, who we met in tRoD and THE NAKED SUN, has lived 160
quiet years on Aurora since her last involvement with Elijah
Baley, the Earth police detective who cleared her of sabotage and
murder during her youth, incidently clearing the way for the
short-lived people of Earth to set up their own interstellar
colonies. They have done so with vigor, and the new Settler
worlds now exist in an uneasy balance with the older,
non-expanding Spacer worlds.
 
     Fastolfe, Gladia's mentor, chairman of Aurora, and architect
of the plan under which Earth has been allowed to send out new
settlements has died. The new regime is under the control of his
arch-rival Amadiro, who is extremely hostile to Earth and its new
colonies. 

     Gladia is asked by the new government to go with a Settler
to her former home planet of Solaria, which has recently dropped
completely out of the Spacer communication network and appears to
be depopulated.

     I will not divulge further plot elements, save to say that
it involves Aurora, Solaria, a Settler planet called Baleyworld,
and the Earth. Giskard and Daneel, the robots from the TRoD, play
central roles.

     The plot moves, but I wonder if I would have bothered if
this novel were not part of Issac's magnum opus; it frequently
slams to a halt while the two robots discuss in redundant detail
the 3 Laws of Robotics and how their actions are restricted by
them.  These discussions, and the way the robots perception of
their own roles change as a result, are as much the raison d'etre
of this book as is spanning the gap between the two series.

     I rather wonder why Asimov is trying to do this: link the
very different worlds of the robots and the Foundation into one.
What does he have to gain by it? Is it an intellectual challenge,
or is he just out of ideas? The last really original book I
remember from him was THE GODS THEMSELVES, which was at least 10
years ago.

     There is a massive hook left for a sequel, but at least it
is not a cliffhanger. I can certainly stand to wait a year or two
till it comes out. As for the present volume, it is probably about
a +1 on the -4..+4 scale.

					Peter Trei
					oc.trei@cu20b.arpa
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