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My writing became ever more direct and spare, and I think it was
The Caves of Steel
that lifted me a notch higher in my own estimation. I used it as a model for myself thereafter, and it was to be decades before I surpassed that book in my own eyes.
The Caves of Steel
that lifted me a notch higher in my own estimation. I used it as a model for myself thereafter, and it was to be decades before I surpassed that book in my own eyes.
What had brought Asimov's capabilities to fruition? Partly, one can guess, experience. Asimov had been writing science fiction for fifteen years and getting it published for fourteen when he began work on
The Caves of Steel.
Some writers, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and A. E. van Vogt, begin writing at the top of their form and never do it much differently; others, like Robert A. Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon, continue to improve until they attain full command of their writing skills and creative drives. For writers like the latter, the process seems to take about ten years, depending perhaps upon the age at which the writer begins to publish and the amount of writing done. Heinlein, for instance, started writing in 1939 at the age of thirty-two and came into his mature period in 1949. The first adult novel in which he demonstrated his integrated abilities,
The Puppet Masters,
was published in 1951 (two years before
The Caves of Steel
was serialized in
Galaxy
). Asimov, who was only eighteen when he went to see John Campbell for the first time and nineteen when his first story was published, was thirty-three when he began writing
The Caves of Steel.
The Caves of Steel.
Some writers, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and A. E. van Vogt, begin writing at the top of their form and never do it much differently; others, like Robert A. Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon, continue to improve until they attain full command of their writing skills and creative drives. For writers like the latter, the process seems to take about ten years, depending perhaps upon the age at which the writer begins to publish and the amount of writing done. Heinlein, for instance, started writing in 1939 at the age of thirty-two and came into his mature period in 1949. The first adult novel in which he demonstrated his integrated abilities,
The Puppet Masters,
was published in 1951 (two years before
The Caves of Steel
was serialized in
Galaxy
). Asimov, who was only eighteen when he went to see John Campbell for the first time and nineteen when his first story was published, was thirty-three when he began writing
The Caves of Steel.
Asimov also had gained confidence as he matured. He had become a successful author in many ways. Instead of creeping "pallid and frightened" into Campbell's office, he now was able to breeze into the office of any science-fiction editor in New York and "expect to be treated as a celebrity." His science fiction was beginning to appear in books with regularity, and he had some assurance that every novel he wrote would be published as a book.
I, Robot
and
Pebble in the Sky
had been published in 1950;
Foundation
and
The Stars, Like Dust,
in 1951;
Foundation and Empire
and
The Currents of Space,
in 1952 two books a year, alternating between Doubleday and Gnome Press. And his Lucky Starr juvenile novels, written under the pseudonym Paul French, were beginning to appear from Doubleday, starting with
David Starr: Space Ranger
in 1952.
Second Foundation
and
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids
were in the works for 1953. His first scientific book,
Biochemistry and Human Metabolism,
which was neither particularly satisfying (because it was a collaboration) nor particularly successful (but showed Asimov the possibilities of science writing), had been published by Williams &
Wilkins in 1952. Asimov also had completed a non-fiction book on his own, first called
The Puzzle of Life
and then
The Chemistry of Life.
Two publishers had rejected it, but he knew now that he could write nonfiction, and another publisher had approached him to do a book about science for teenagers.
I, Robot
and
Pebble in the Sky
had been published in 1950;
Foundation
and
The Stars, Like Dust,
in 1951;
Foundation and Empire
and
The Currents of Space,
in 1952 two books a year, alternating between Doubleday and Gnome Press. And his Lucky Starr juvenile novels, written under the pseudonym Paul French, were beginning to appear from Doubleday, starting with
David Starr: Space Ranger
in 1952.
Second Foundation
and
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids
were in the works for 1953. His first scientific book,
Biochemistry and Human Metabolism,
which was neither particularly satisfying (because it was a collaboration) nor particularly successful (but showed Asimov the possibilities of science writing), had been published by Williams &
Wilkins in 1952. Asimov also had completed a non-fiction book on his own, first called
The Puzzle of Life
and then
The Chemistry of Life.
Two publishers had rejected it, but he knew now that he could write nonfiction, and another publisher had approached him to do a book about science for teenagers.
Asimov had gained confidence in worldly ways as well. He had been promoted to assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine at the end of 1951, and he was beginning to think of himself as a writer rather than the research chemist he had considered himself for the last dozen years. He had earned $1,695 from his writing in 1949, more than $4,700 in 1950, $3,625 in 1951, and "an astonishing" $8,550 in 1952, the last amount being half again as large as his university salary, now $5,500. He had $16,000 in the bank; he owned his own car; and he and his wife were thinking about buying a house. They had a son, two years old.
He had matured in other ways. His social insecurity, particularly with women, had eased with success, and he had adopted a good-humoredly "gallant" approach to all women of all ages. He had even enjoyed his first extra-marital encounter and felt he had acquitted himself well.
What novel was the focus of all these maturing influences?
The Caves of Steel
is placed in a time about three thousand years in the future. Earth is a homogeneous society of eight billion people who live in Cities with populations of twenty million or more. The open country outside the Cities is given over to agriculture and mining, performed entirely by robots. Earthmen, as Asimov calls them, have worked out efficient systems of living and supplying the necessities of life and accommodating themselves to the pressures of everyday existence. On fifty other inhabited planets, however, live the Spacers, once settlers from Earth but now quite different from Earthmen: the Spacers have normal lifespans of up to 350 years, are free from infectious diseases, control their births not only in quantity but in quality, and, though few in number, are militarily powerful because they have many machines and robots and depend upon interstellar travel. Upon previous occasions they have sent down their "gleaming cruisers from outer space" into Washington, New York, and Moscow to collect what they claimed was theirs. They have constructed a "Spacetown" adjacent to New York. In Spacetown, a Spacer has been murdered. The plot revolves around the investigation of that murder by Elijah ("Lije") Baley, a detective on the New York City police force with a C-5 rating, who is forced by the Spacers to accept as a partner a humanoid robot, R. Daneel Olivaw.
is placed in a time about three thousand years in the future. Earth is a homogeneous society of eight billion people who live in Cities with populations of twenty million or more. The open country outside the Cities is given over to agriculture and mining, performed entirely by robots. Earthmen, as Asimov calls them, have worked out efficient systems of living and supplying the necessities of life and accommodating themselves to the pressures of everyday existence. On fifty other inhabited planets, however, live the Spacers, once settlers from Earth but now quite different from Earthmen: the Spacers have normal lifespans of up to 350 years, are free from infectious diseases, control their births not only in quantity but in quality, and, though few in number, are militarily powerful because they have many machines and robots and depend upon interstellar travel. Upon previous occasions they have sent down their "gleaming cruisers from outer space" into Washington, New York, and Moscow to collect what they claimed was theirs. They have constructed a "Spacetown" adjacent to New York. In Spacetown, a Spacer has been murdered. The plot revolves around the investigation of that murder by Elijah ("Lije") Baley, a detective on the New York City police force with a C-5 rating, who is forced by the Spacers to accept as a partner a humanoid robot, R. Daneel Olivaw.
The novel was based on an idea suggested by Horace Gold. Gold had
serialized
The Stars, Like Dust
(
Tyrann
) beginning in the fourth issue of
Galaxy.
Campbell, however, had published
The Currents of Space,
Asimov's subsequent novel, in part at least because Asimov felt guilty about the fact that six of the first eight issues of
Galaxy
had contained Asimov fiction. Gold wanted Asimov's next novel. He suggested a robot novel. At first, Asimov didn't want to do it; he didn't know if he could carry a whole novel based on the robot idea. Gold suggested an overpopulated world in which robots are taking over human jobs. Asimov thought that was too depressing and was not sure he wanted to handle a heavy sociological story. Finally, in view of Asimov's liking for mysteries, Gold suggested that "he put a murder in such a world and have a detective solve it with a robot partner. If the detective doesn't solve it, the robot will replace him."
serialized
The Stars, Like Dust
(
Tyrann
) beginning in the fourth issue of
Galaxy.
Campbell, however, had published
The Currents of Space,
Asimov's subsequent novel, in part at least because Asimov felt guilty about the fact that six of the first eight issues of
Galaxy
had contained Asimov fiction. Gold wanted Asimov's next novel. He suggested a robot novel. At first, Asimov didn't want to do it; he didn't know if he could carry a whole novel based on the robot idea. Gold suggested an overpopulated world in which robots are taking over human jobs. Asimov thought that was too depressing and was not sure he wanted to handle a heavy sociological story. Finally, in view of Asimov's liking for mysteries, Gold suggested that "he put a murder in such a world and have a detective solve it with a robot partner. If the detective doesn't solve it, the robot will replace him."
In his autobiography Asimov recalled that "when I wrote it [
The Caves of Steel
], I did my best to ignore this business of robots replacing human beings." Fear of such replacement had been ridiculed in
I, Robot,
where the difficulties of introducing robots on Earth was caused by fundamentalist religious groups and labor unions, and prejudices against robots were voiced by silly, ignorant, or malicious people. Asimov's resistance to the concept was understandable. If the novel was to work, however, much of the philosophic, even historical, development of the robot in
I, Robot
had to yield to new imperatives. Every person, even sensible persons such as Baley, had to be anti-robot, and yet robots had to be common enough on Earth for Earthpeople to fear their takeover of human jobs. After "Robbie" in
I, Robot,
Asimov had never allowed robots openly on Earth. This may explain, in part, why
The Caves of Steel
is set so far in the future. Asimov further rationalized the use of robots on Earth by placing responsibility for their increasing presence on Spacer pressure. As for robots replacing human workers, "that was typically Gold and not at all Asimov," Asimov said, " but Horace kept pushing, and in the end, some of it was forced in, but not nearly as much as Horace wanted.''
The Caves of Steel
], I did my best to ignore this business of robots replacing human beings." Fear of such replacement had been ridiculed in
I, Robot,
where the difficulties of introducing robots on Earth was caused by fundamentalist religious groups and labor unions, and prejudices against robots were voiced by silly, ignorant, or malicious people. Asimov's resistance to the concept was understandable. If the novel was to work, however, much of the philosophic, even historical, development of the robot in
I, Robot
had to yield to new imperatives. Every person, even sensible persons such as Baley, had to be anti-robot, and yet robots had to be common enough on Earth for Earthpeople to fear their takeover of human jobs. After "Robbie" in
I, Robot,
Asimov had never allowed robots openly on Earth. This may explain, in part, why
The Caves of Steel
is set so far in the future. Asimov further rationalized the use of robots on Earth by placing responsibility for their increasing presence on Spacer pressure. As for robots replacing human workers, "that was typically Gold and not at all Asimov," Asimov said, " but Horace kept pushing, and in the end, some of it was forced in, but not nearly as much as Horace wanted.''
Gold was at least as good in suggesting ideas to writers as Campbell. He gave Frederik Pohl the idea for "The Midas Plague" and Alfred Bester the idea for
The Demolished Man,
which became a turning point in Bester's science-fiction career. Now he gave Asimov the idea for what may, with some justice, be called Asimov's best science-fiction novel. What pleased Asimov most about it, however, "was that it was a pure murder mystery set against a science fiction background. As far as I was concerned it was a perfect fusion of the two genres, and the first such perfect fusion. A number of people agreed with me in this."
The Demolished Man,
which became a turning point in Bester's science-fiction career. Now he gave Asimov the idea for what may, with some justice, be called Asimov's best science-fiction novel. What pleased Asimov most about it, however, "was that it was a pure murder mystery set against a science fiction background. As far as I was concerned it was a perfect fusion of the two genres, and the first such perfect fusion. A number of people agreed with me in this."
The Demolished Man,
which is a murder mystery and, in a sense, a detective story, had appeared in
Galaxy
eighteen months before
The Caves of Steel,
but it was not a formal mystery. Other murder mysteries had been published in which science fiction played a part: Anthony Boucher's
Rocket to the Morgue
(1942), for instance, or Mack Reynolds's
The Case of the Little Green Men
(1951). Scientific detectives were common earlier in the century, such as R. Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke. Sam Moskowitz devoted a section of his
Science Fiction by Gaslight
to "Scientific Crime and Detection," including stories such as L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace's "When the Air Quivered" from
The Strand Magazine
(December 1898), and Warren Earle's "In Re State vs. Forbes'' from
The Black Cat
(July 1906). Moskowitz also cited Edwin Balmer and William B. MacHarg's
Luther Trant, Psychological Detective
and Arthur B. Reeve's Craig Kennedy. But none of those stories was like
The Caves of Steel,
in which the murder mystery and the subsequent attempt to unravel the mystery and discover the murderer function as the central structure around which all the other events arrange themselves.
which is a murder mystery and, in a sense, a detective story, had appeared in
Galaxy
eighteen months before
The Caves of Steel,
but it was not a formal mystery. Other murder mysteries had been published in which science fiction played a part: Anthony Boucher's
Rocket to the Morgue
(1942), for instance, or Mack Reynolds's
The Case of the Little Green Men
(1951). Scientific detectives were common earlier in the century, such as R. Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke. Sam Moskowitz devoted a section of his
Science Fiction by Gaslight
to "Scientific Crime and Detection," including stories such as L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace's "When the Air Quivered" from
The Strand Magazine
(December 1898), and Warren Earle's "In Re State vs. Forbes'' from
The Black Cat
(July 1906). Moskowitz also cited Edwin Balmer and William B. MacHarg's
Luther Trant, Psychological Detective
and Arthur B. Reeve's Craig Kennedy. But none of those stories was like
The Caves of Steel,
in which the murder mystery and the subsequent attempt to unravel the mystery and discover the murderer function as the central structure around which all the other events arrange themselves.
Baley is assigned to the case by an old friend, Julius Enderby, the Commissioner of Police, because the situation with the Spacers is so delicate and Enderby can trust Baley's discretion. Moreover, Baley's loyalty and sense of duty register so high that he can be relied upon to work with a robot.
The case is complicated by the fact that entry to Spacetown is controlled by the Spacers, who put every entering Earthman through a decontamination process that Earthmen consider demeaning. No weapon can be sneaked into Spacetown. Daneel, however, has a possible solution: the Spacer was killed by a group of conservatives called the Medievalists, who want Earthmen to return to a simpler way of life and who resist the introduction of robots. Daneel points out that one of them, with a weapon, could have left New York from one of the hundreds of ancient exits and reached Spacetown by crossing open country. Baley says that is impossible for an Earthman; conditioned by life within the City, he could not cross open country for any reason. A robot, on the other hand, could cross open country but could not kill because of the First Law.
As in every well-made detective story, Baley considers a number of suspects and possible explanations. Because Daneel has been constructed to resemble his maker, the murdered Spacer Roj Nemennuh Sarton, Baley at first accuses Daneel of being Sarton, but Daneel proves he is a robot by opening his arm to reveal his mechanical workings. Later, still desperate to put the blame on the Spacers, Baley accuses
Daneel of committing the murder and hiding the blaster in his food sac, but Earth's leading robot expert, Dr. Gerrigel, by questioning Daneel, finds that his First Law is intact.
Daneel of committing the murder and hiding the blaster in his food sac, but Earth's leading robot expert, Dr. Gerrigel, by questioning Daneel, finds that his First Law is intact.
Sammy, the office robot who replaced one young office worker, is found by Dr. Gerrigel with his brain destroyed. Baley is likely to be accused of Sammy's destruction because Baley complained about him and had access to the "alpha-sprayer" that did the destruction. Baley has only an hour or so before the Spacers terminate the case. He confronts Enderby with evidence that the Commissioner himself is guilty both of Sarton's death and of Sammy's destruction. Enderby had planned to destroy Daneel and had Sammy carry the blaster across open country to Spacetown. Enderby shot Sarton, thinking he was Daneel, and returned the weapon to Sammy before the crime was discovered.
The murder and its detection, though ingenious, are not the primary interest of the novel. No one ever gets worked up about Sarton's death. The Commissioner is agitated and later this becomes one clue to his guilt but the Spacers are calm. The possible consequences are more important than the murder itself, and the consequences are science fictional. First, the Spacers have the power to inflict indemnities on Earth if they are offended; and second, the entire New York police force will be humiliated and Baley may lose his job, his hard-won status, and his privileges.
There are even larger consequences: a group among the Spacers, for instance, is forcing the introduction of robots on Earth in order to upset the Cities' economy and to create a group of displaced men who eventually will want to emigrate to unsettled planets. That group believes that the fifty Spacer worlds are too stable and have lost their desire to colonize new planets. Earthmen may be able to develop a new, more desirable collaboration of humans and machines that the Spacers call C/Fe (pronounced "see fee"), for carbon and iron which are the basic elements for the two kinds of human and robot existences. But other Spacers oppose the plan and may be able to seize upon Sarton's murder as an excuse to stop the effort.
Even this conflict does not reach the heart of the appeal of
The Caves of Steel
for the science-fiction reader. That resides in something more basic that is not even in the human-robot collaboration, reluctant as it is on Baley's part, attractive as it is to the reader in the contrast it presents between Baley's emotionalism and Daneel's unmoved intellectualism (a bit like the later relationship between
Star Trek
's Jim Kirk and Mr. Spock). The basic concern is the Cities themselves and the people who live in them.
The Caves of Steel
for the science-fiction reader. That resides in something more basic that is not even in the human-robot collaboration, reluctant as it is on Baley's part, attractive as it is to the reader in the contrast it presents between Baley's emotionalism and Daneel's unmoved intellectualism (a bit like the later relationship between
Star Trek
's Jim Kirk and Mr. Spock). The basic concern is the Cities themselves and the people who live in them.
BOOK: Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction (Revised Edition)
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