I, Robot is a collection of Isaac Asimov's earliest Robot stories. It's one of those classic, almost legendary books. Which pretty much makes it impossible to review properly.

The first thing it's important to note is that these stories are old. The book was published in the 50s and it contained short stories that Asimov had written in the 40's. And inevitably that age shows.

The descriptions of the robots seems quaint. The failure to anticipate that computers would be commonplace long before sophisticated robots. These are the sort of things that are inevitable when you're dealing with near future science fiction written sixty or more years ago. As perhaps is the mannerisms of the characters.

Putting that aside though, the format of these stories is fairly predictable. In each case a puzzle is set up. One that has something to do with the Three Laws of Robotics. And by the end our protagonists have figured out what conflict or combination of the laws is causing the robot to behave as it does.

Individually these stories are really not that compelling. The world building is minimal (with the exception of the last story The Evitable Conflict) and only Evidence really connected with me on its own merits.

Taken as a whole though. As an exploration of the Three Laws. As a foundation for what was to come. This is essential reading. Not Asimov's best work by any means but a sign of the future. And not just in his own works. The Three Laws are now embedded in popular culture. You can't really address robots without touching on those laws.