The Robots of Dawn

The Robot Series, Book 3

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1983 Isaac Asimov (P)2014 Random House Audio

One of my all time favorites.

The crime of roboticide needed to be solved to save Dr. Fastolf, the Earth and Bailey. But in the end the crime was just a mechanism to explore the human psyche.

Asimov read in a non-destructive way

What more can be said, it is Asimov which should not need a review as at this point the importance of his work is established. The narrator is recorded well and gives a decent performance that doesn't insist upon itself or distract from a classic story.

great narration

great narration with separate voices for each character that really helped immerse you in the story.

fantastic story with clever twists

Unexpected situations, great sci-fi narrative. I enjoyed it throughly. The climax is intense and some of the twists clever and unexpected.

Good Asimov yarn, but sometimes tedious

Intellectual exploration of the ramifications of the 3 laws of Robotics underpins the story which, if you like to hear complex musings on such things (as I do), is great. Even so, I thought it was sometimes tedious. The mystery was interesting and I liked the main character, yet he and other characters seemed only 2 to 2.5-dimensional.

From the mind of a true craftsman!

Also kudos to Mr. Dufris for his entertaining characters and their voices. Makes sleep unwelcome!

Brilliant

Detective mystery, sci-fi plausibility, social mores casually unfolded. A classic, presented in voice only, in a brilliant, entertaining fashion.

Asimov at his best

Asimove's Robot series remains the golden standard of science fiction. Clear and fresh after all these years, written with brilliant logic yet with bouts of tenderness that will leave you dabbing your eyes for the actions of machines, this is a great story.

Dufris' performance is well done and never grates as some audiobook performances do, especially after a marathon session!

So good!

Despite some awkward bits (Asimov can’t write women well, and his sex scene was amateurish), this book is a great bridge between his robot novels and his Foundation novels. It’s a very interesting mystery, with seemingly no solution. It’s resolution was surprising, but fits in the overall story arc of his series. It was a very satisfying ending!

Better than the First

I read the book in hard copy many years ago. Listening to the story brought back the memory, but in a more lifelike manner. The story teller is superb. Voices were spot on to be able to recognize the characters without the verbal “said” callout. Great job. Perhaps I’ll listen again a few years from now. Thank you.