"I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

"I, Robot" is a series of short stories, originally published in "Super Science Stories" and "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine in the 1940's that explore the fictional future development of robotics. The stories are framed around the recollections of Dr. Susan Calvin, head "Robopsychologist" at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. during an interview with a reporter from the Interplanetary Press. Dr. Calvin's stories follow the exploits of experimental roboticists Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan, researchers Alfred Lanning and Peter Bogert, Stephen Byerley, a robotic politician and of course Dr. Susan Calvin herself. The stories typically explore themes of human and robotic morality via the "three laws of robotics" (built into every positronic-brained robot) that loosely state that robots may not harm humans (or allow them harm via their own inaction), must obey humans and must not allow harm to come to themselves (in that order of priority). Interesting stories include a robot which becomes stuck between the opposing forces of the second and third laws while trying to retrieve a much-needed chemical substance at great personal risk, a self-learning skeptical robot that refuses to believe he was created by humans, and a mind-reading robot who lies to prevent humans undergoing emotional hardship (an interpretation of the first law).

I really wanted to say something good about this book, because it is a bit of a popular favourite, but I found it hard. On a positive note, it's a short and easy read with some nice ideas and a few moments that really shine. The philosophical reasoning of QT-1 in "Reason" was quite fun, as was the relationship between the little girl and her robot-companion in "Robbie". I found Asimov's optimistic perspective on robots having a really positive influence on humanity refreshing given the typical "frankenstein-complex" of robots turning on their masters typically found in science fiction.

Generally speaking though, "I, Robot" is rather dull (particularly the characters and the robots themselves) and there were ideas and concepts that didn't really work and that I think could of been explored with a bit more complexity. I thought "Runaround", "Reason", "Liar!" and "Evidence" were the only stories I really enjoyed; I felt the other stories followed too much of a formula of providing an almost unsolvable premise and ending with either (sorry to use the cliche) a deus-ex-machina or what I interpreted as a twisting of the laws to make things fit. A lot of the endings just didn't feel clever. It felt like there were so many more aspects of human morality and ethical dilemmas which could have been explored from the perspective of the robotic mind.

"The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon

"The Yiddish Policeman's Union" is set in an alternate reality in which the 1940 "Slattery Report" was passed in the United States congress and a temporary independent Jewish settlement was created in Sitka, Alaska. As a result, two million Jews were killed in the Nazi holocaust (rather than six million), the second world war continued into 1946 (when the atomic bomb was dropped on Berlin) and the state of Israel failed in 1948, and Jerusalem is still part of Palestine (amongst other small differences). After sixty years, the lease is up on Sitka and the "Reversion" back to Alaskan control of the territory is due in two months. The story's hero, Meyer Landsman, a homicide detective with the Sitka police, is down-and-out on his luck; living in a run-down hotel on a diet of alcohol and nicotine after separating with his wife two years ago and still dealing with the mysterious death of his younger sister last April, Landsman is struggling to hold on to his glory days as Sitka's finest. The novel opens as Landsman is called in to investigate the execution-style murder of man in the room down the hallway in his own hotel, Mendel Shpilman, the runaway son of Rebbe Shpilman, Sitka's most powerful religious man (and organised crime boss). To complicate matters. Landsman's ex-wife, Bina, is back in town after being promoted into the role of Landsman's new boss, and pressure "from the top" is calling for all eleven of Landsman's open cases to be closed in one way or another before the Reversion begins.

Landsman and his trusty half-Jew-half-Tinglit native American partner Berko Shemets, set off to investigate Mendel Shpilman's death and through the course of the novel uncover the real killers of his younger sister Naomi (who, by circumstance, was wound up in Mendel's affairs) and a plot between hardline Zionist Jews and the United States government to bomb the Dome of the Rock, a Jerusalem holy site, and setup a new Jewish homeland in the aftermath. Landsman and Shemets, with the help of Bina, track Mendel's killing back to the hands of Hertz Shemets, Berko's ex-FBI and counterintelligence agent father. After saving the day, Meyer and Bina reunite, ready to face an uncertain post-Reversion future together.

"The Yiddish Policeman's Union" is a great novel; I definitely wouldn't call it science fiction, perhaps speculative fiction, but really its just a cracker of a detective mystery novel. I was fooled into putting it on my list because it won both the Nebula and Hugo awards, but I'm glad I did, because its a great read. Chabon creates a fantastic array of characters in his world-that-never-was; I love how he brings out such rich colour to Jewish Sitka through the quirks and charms of its residents. Berko and Bina are great and Landsman evokes a great feeling of sympathy for his plight and really had me rooting for him the whole way through. Chabon has a poetic-like mastery of metaphors which he splashes around that brings real humour to the story; he really is a great writer (he did win a Pulitzer after all).

I would recommend this book to anyone really, particularly fans of the crime-mystery genre.