The Robots of Dawn

By Isaac Asimov

A millennium into the future two advances have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the Galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov's Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.

Detective Elijah Baiey is called to the Spacer world Aurora to solve a bizarre case of roboticide. The prime suspect is a gifted roboticist who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to commit the crime. There's only one catch: Baley and his positronic partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, must prove the man innocent. For in a case of political intrigue and love between woman and robot gone tragically wrong, there's more at stake than simple justice. This time Baley's career, his life, and Earth's right to pioneer the Galaxy lie in the delicate balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307490247

Reviews for The Robots of Dawn

[ajlewis2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audio version was very good for the first 3 books in this series. I especially liked the voice of the various robots. I enjoyed following the plot along and being surprised at the end.

I'm looking forward to the final book, Robots and Empire, and then on into the Foundation series once again.

[hskey-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Possibly even better than Caves of Steel, or the Naked Sun. This still retains the feel of classic, yet progressive science fiction - terrific dialogue, masterful transmissions of exposition and internal monologues, rational conclusions, not overused action and an ending that gave me goosebumps and had me dreaming of the stars. Absolutely fantastic.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third of Asimov's novels featuring Earth detective Elijah Bailey and Robot Daneel Olivaw. The first two were fairly short novels published in the 1950s, whereas this one was published in the 1980s and is twice as long. It is still distinctively Asimov, with the classic extensive exploration of the three laws of robotics and the differences between customs and attitudes of Earth and the Spacer world of Aurora, though it lacks the tight plotting of its predecessors, and some of the scenes are too drawn out. This is a novel of ideas par excellence, and sets the scene, very far into the future, for Asimov's Galactic Empire and Foundation series. Very good, though as a novel in its own right, not in the same class as The Naked Sun.

[jean_sexton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was another good science fiction mystery and, better yet, it was totally new to me. Elijah and Daneel make good partners. The book kept me guessing about the solution to the mystery. The only problem I had is that the book felt a tad contrived with the social situation, forming the triad between the other two settings. That was a minor niggle in the grand scheme of things.If you like science fiction and mysteries, start with The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun and follow up with this one. While it can be read as a stand-alone, some richness is lost.

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As the third in Asimov's Robot Series, this one is just as good as the previous. Baley once again faces seemingly insurmountable odds to solve a problem. At stake: Not only his reputation, his job, his life - but the fate of all humans on Earth. I enjoyed journeying to a new planet with Baley, seeing a new society through his eyes. As with the other novels, the mystery is balanced with Baley's growth as a person, as a human, as an Earthman. I'm eager to see where Asimov takes Baley next.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another enjoyable read from the Robots series. Though it is a new planet it continues to contain Asimov's belief in progress through technology and the American Dream.

[buffalogr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Deja vu. Robots of Dawn, #3 in the series, is so much like The Naked Sun, #2 in the series, I thought that I might have picked the wrong book, all over again. C'mon Asimov...what are you trying to say? The characters on this planet are so similar to the characters on the previous planet; one of them is even the same person. It insulted my senses. OK, this book has a lot of sex discussion in it. Perhaps, that's the author's intent...where is Earth headed? And, there's a twist at the end that's intriguing. Those things saved this book from death by 1 star.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mixes the sci-fi and mystery genres. A fun tale on a weird planet.

[dirac_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some of the issues raised in this novel were years ahead of their time. A good read. So far, my favorite among the three Robots books.

[themulhern · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was written 25 years after the previous book in the series. The purpose was, probably, to tie in these robot detective novels with the empire and foundation novels. These factors make it less palatable than the previous book. It mixes Asimov's 1950's style and characters with a bunch of 1980's style explicit sex. And the mystery is not "fair" anymore thus enforcing a preposterous ending.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The last of the Elijah Baley trilogy, in which New York City detective Lije Baley must deal with the culture of the spacers -- humans whose ancestors abandoned earth to form a galactic empire, who have become much more powerful than the crowded millions who remain on Earth. In so doing, he must cooperate with the robot detective, R. Daneel Olivaw. In this last in the series, Lije is middle aged, and must go to the planet Aurora -- center of the spacer world -- to solve a murder. He is reunited with the gorgeous Gladia, and the plot thickens to a point where Earth's fate hangs in the balance.

[weakley_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A more modern novel that keeps the 50's classic feel of the first two books. Great twist at the end that sets us up for the Foundation series.

[iamandypieters · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is Elijah Baley's third murder mystery. This time he must solve the mystery of the humanoid robot Jander. Elijah is helped once more by R. Daneel and by another robot, R Giskard. Together they must investigate the murder in order to clear the good name of Dr. Fastolfe. With the fate of Earth and the galaxy hanging in the balance, the stakes have never been higher for Elijah.

[ashishg_50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yet another robotics science-fiction mystery story.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A robot/scifi mystery. Lije Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw must travel far from Earth to solve a robot related mystery. Exactly what happened on Aurora? A fun exploration of the relation of human to robot and the 3 Laws of Robotics.

[kurt.rocourt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the one book where I figured out what was going on before I got to the end. It revealed itself but wasn't made obvious until the last chapter. It's tied too much to the Foundation novels so the finale becomes easy to see. That is if you've read the Foundation novels first. Its a good story, though slower than other books I've read from Asimov. I still think it's better than other books I've read but my picking up on the culprit takes Aaron little something off this book for me.

[delta351 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are a lot of interesting concepts in this book, esp regarding the use of robots. Some issues include robot vs human exploration of space, as companions, and varying levels of artificial intelligence. Asimov crafts a brilliant society on Aurora, and the contrast w the other Spacer planets and Earth are insightful as to where we are headed as a planet.

[clong_818048 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I consider myself an Asimov fan, and I recognize that he's generally an author you come to looking for great ideas more than great characters. Having said that, this book really didn't work for me on any level. I found it contrived and long-winded. If you cut out all of the references to the design and use of "personals" (i.e., bathrooms), as well as the almost comically bad sex and clueless ruminations thereon, you would have a significantly shorter and moderately better novel. As I was reading the second half of this book I couldn't get out of my head the notion that Asimov had written an 84 point outline of the plot, and then turned the project over to a robot with the assignment to write a chapter on each. At least there were a couple of scenes that left me chuckling thinking about a Daneel/Elijah slash treatment. This is my 27th science fiction book read to date this year; maybe a little break would be in order?

[nesum_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My wife prefers the Robot novels while I prefer the Foundation ones. In this book, the two begin to merge. That is not to say that the future Foundation books do not read like Foundation books, or that this novel seems more like a Foundation one, but it is here that the Robot books begin to write the history of the Foundation ones. Psychohistory makes its beginnings here, as does the concept of a Galactic Empire.Standing on its own, this mystery is the best of the Lije Baley and Daneel Olivaw (I adopt the custom of Aurora by leaving the "R." off Daneel's name) books, though it honestly starts off weak. Yet the second half of the book is exciting, stimulating, and more human than most of Asimov's books (I do love his work, but his great flaw is the coldness of his characters). The solution is clever, and better than most mystery novels offer. A good and thoughtful read.

[dannyhanson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great ending to the Robot Series. Very typical of Asimov's style. This was the wordiest of the series and I think Asimov put in a lot of unneeded dialog.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent job by Asimov. It was a whodunit that kept me guessing almost to the page it was explained. Asimov seems to enjoy taking parts of our society and basing a whole society on it, and showing the foibles of to narrow a view.Extremes are dangerous and should not be followed by a society at large. Instead it should use them as posts to guide down the middle.

[redthing · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read The Caves of Steel before this one!Elijah Baley takes off to Aurora to solve a crime (In my opinion, his most difficult investigation). Highly reccommended for any SF reader!

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Since his trip off-world to the planet Solaria, plainclothesman Elijah Baley has founded a group of people who go outside the cities in their spare time. Although he still finds being outside difficult, he hopes that the younger members of the group, such as his son Bentley will one day get the chance to settle on another planet.Since he has been trying unsuccessfully to get permission to travel to the planet Aurora, Elijah Baley is pleased to be summoned there to find out who 'killed' a humaniform robot, and he is even happier to meet up with his old friend R. Daneel Olivaw again. But the case has political ramifications, and failure to clear Hans Fastolfe's name could mean that Earthmen will never get the chance to live on other worlds.

[cecrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a pleasant surprise. I half expected him to turn the series on its head like he did with the Foundation trilogy in "Foundation's Edge". Instead it was true to form, recapturing all the character and style of the original novels from thirty years earlier - a major (and welcome) accomplishment. I'm very glad I read all three Robot novels back-to-back (starting with "The Caves of Steel"). I've heard 'Robots and Empire' is a bridging novel to the Empire trilogy (although linkages to that and the Foundation novels have already begun to appear) that isn't quite the same as these, so I'll save that for when I need another Asimov fix in the future.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lije Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw return in a third book. This time, they're sent to the Spacer world of Aurora, and are investigating a case of roboticide, in which a robot resembling the humaniform Daneel has been deactivated beyond the point of repair.Plots within plots untangle as Lije and Daniel weave their way through each tale spun by the suspects. Though is the real robotocidist who we think it is?A wonderful book for fans of Asimov, especially other books of Lije and Daneel. Also recommended for science fiction mystery buffs.

[tronella_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not usually a fan of detective novels, but an Asimov detective novel in which many of the main characters are robots? I'm totally sold.Also: Elijah/Daneel omg so in love.

[sgsmitty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very good read. Typical Asimov, I love the set up for typing things together with Foundation. This was a audio book for me.

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I see why I loved the book when I first read it: it explored our culture from the outside and drew us along as it, in turn, explored an outside culture. In fact, without meaning to do so, I think Asimov gave me a beginner's lesson in both sociology and logic.But looking at this book as a purely "mystery" genre, it is fairly tedious. I'm not sure how I would have felt if I began with this series. Instead, I began with the [Foundation Trilogy] and was hooked forever after. So much so that I can face a little tedium in my decision to retread Asimov's Robot/Foundation oeuvre.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Asimov is known as a prolific author--but not particularly in terms of adult science fiction novels. Really, less than a couple of dozen--and he's best known for his Foundation and Robot novels. There was almost three decades between the first three Foundation books and Foundation's Edge. There he linked those two universes, Robot and Foundation. I read Foundation's Edge before this book written a few years later, and found myself liking this one quite a bit more.The reason is Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw and their partnership. Asimov is known more for his mind-expanding ideas and world-building than prose or characterizations. I can often remember the basic premise and pay off of his various novels--but rarely the characters, particularly by name. I finished reading Foundation's Edge only days ago, and already I'd have to go find the book to list the names of the central characters. That's not the case here--both characters have a voice, a certain depth and appeal that means they stayed with me--as did this novel even decades after a first read. Elijah Baley as an Earthman, a police detective with both brilliance and vulnerabilities trying hard to overcome fears and prejudice. Olivaw is a "humaniform" robot from a "Spacer" world where, unlike Earth, robots are common. He reminds me quite a bit of Data of Star Trek's Next Generation and was no doubt one of his literary ancestors. No doubt it helps this is the third outing with these two--I'd recommend reading The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun first. And as a late novel Asimov obviously had a lot of fun dropping in references to earlier novels and stories--something that for a fan like me was quite fun--and more than fun Asimov makes you think about what it means to be human. And I quite like the mix of mystery and science fiction.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lije Baley returns to Aurora (scene of the second robot mystery The Naked Sun) to investigate the murder of a humaniform robot