Book Review: Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov

Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov

Mass Market Paperback, 12th Edition, 206 pages

Published 1997 by Voyager (first published February 1954)

Retro Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2004)

I read this series of novels decades ago, but decided now was the time to re-read them. As a grown-up reader of sci-fi Asimov is not really on the top of my list but growing up he was my first sci-fi love. The Caves of Steel is an Asimovian spin on the detective noir that introduces the characters of Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw. They will be the main characters of three more books that take place in the same universe but hundreds of years before the Foundation series. While Asimov spent much of his career exploring the artificial human the Baley and Olivaw books are not only some of his best robot novels but some of his best Asimov novels period, end of story.

Part of the charm is the simple premise, but for a novel written in 1954 it has fantastic sci-fi world-building. That is not a surprise for Asimov readers, his world-building has never been a problem. It is at the core of this story because the massive over-populated earth which has turned to crowded domed cities is constantly in conflict with the Spacers, the people spread over 50 worlds with an economy that depends on robot labor. What helps this stand apart from the other books in the Asimov catalog are the characters. That aspect is often a weaker part of Asimov stories.

Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw are both excellent characters and their interplay is very rewarding to follow. Without trying to give away the many twists and turns in the book I will say that COS works before the human drama parallels the galactic conflict. We have seen plenty of cop movies and books where two partners are thrown together and hate each other. Of course they grown to understand each other. In this case, the cops in question are a human Baley and Olivaw a robot. The understanding is not so simple. It is a trope we have seen, but remember this book is 70 years old.

Speaking of the age of this book, the one real bummer of this novel is how women are depicted. Made more complicated by the fact that Alec Lee's biography Astounding pointed out the fact that Asimov while a genius writer was a creep with women in this era. Baley's wife in this novel is a poorly conceived and offensive character that will have you cringing as you read it. It is not OK for any era.

This does really hurt the book for me, it lost a star in my rating entirely for that one flaw. I could have looked past it if it also didn't affect the plot, sadly it did. That said the majority of the themes and the story are very, very strong. It is also a great introduction to a series. This series certainly could be updated with a few changes and work every bit as it did all those years ago.

I listened to the audiobook, and intend to read the next two at some point. The performances were good but I am not a big audiobook person.