Stuart

I think the original cover would have been better suited, as the movie has very little in common with the book other than the title and some scant homage to the laws of robotics.

This is a classic example of 1950's science writing, though thankfully omitting the sensationalism pervasive in many of the SciFi short stories written in that time period. Considering that it was written when vacuum tubes had not been replaced by transistors, slide rules and paper were used to make calculations, and precision parts were turned out by human eye/hand coordination, the author's vision was still predictive in the ways that matter (although, unfortunately, we still haven't invented the positronic brain). It's amazing to me that the story, 57 years later, still has validity and raises issues that will continue to inspire musing about our future. Those who enjoyed this for what it is should also enjoy "Caves of Steel".

I would have enjoyed this book if I had read it in print form, but I just couldn't get past the reader. Her enunciation was clear and her natural voice was great, but at many points her lack of phrasing served to drain the dramatic tension from the scenes. There was no concept of a pause when it was needed, and as mentioned previously, the male voices were just hard to listen to. The listening experience would have been fine or even good had she just spoken the male parts in her natural voice, and slowed down the reading pace where appropriate. I will continue to enjoy this author but likely will choose those books read by others. I'd be willing to try this reader again if she's revised her technique or reads a book who's narritive style is better suited for her.