The Caves of Steel

this is probably the best book ive heard on audible in over 2 years of listening! excellent story, beautifully performed. an excellent listen. pls can we have more of asimov read by this narrator? move over scott brick, your throne is taken!

After giving 3 stars to the last couple 70s scifi I've listened to (Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Hellstrom's Hive), I was prepared to have to do the same for this but I was pleasantly surprised.

The narrator is very good - his characters all sound different and he's consistent so you'll know each time he changes voice which character he's being.

The story is not just scifi, it's a detective story set within a futuristic world, and a pretty engaging detective story at that. Sure, there are some moralistic tones throughout (i.e. there is commentary/criticism on population overgrowth, food shortages, etc), but they don't overcome the story itself.

In all fairness, I'd probably only give it 3.5 stars but since that's not an option and it's significantly better than other 70s scifi I've heard, and I actually do plan on listening to more in this series, I gave it the 4 stars.

The Caves of Steel is a classic Asimov robot novel. His utterly transparent style of writing can be off-putting to some folks who prefer a more literary style and a lot of flowery prose. With Asimov's writing, there is no "overhead"; it's as if the text goes straight down a pipeline to your brain. This is a great reading of this excellent book. Yes, some of the characters are thin, but the interaction between Bailey and Daneel, which is really what the book is all about anyway, develops slowly and in a very complex and, to me, satisfying manner. The hopeful tone for the future, which is common in Asimov's work and something he shared with Gene Roddenberry, is a welcome change from some "doom and gloom" authors. I enjoyed this book when I first read it MANY years ago, but hearing it read was at least as good as the original reading.

Just a side note: when I bought the book, it was a single volume containing BOTH this book and The Naked Sun and I think it would be great if both books were offered for a single credit.

AND: need all 3 books of the original Foundation Trilogy. I'm certainly not going to download part 1 until all 3 are available.

I read this book many years ago when I was a kid. I loved all of the 'I, Robot' series which Asimov eventually tied into his 'Foundation' books. What an incredible achievement! The Caves of Steel is a good murder mystery, and a good yarn. I enjoyed hearing it again. I would recommend it.

In my teenage years, I really enjoyed Asimov's Robot books. When this title appeared at Audible (and on sale!) I snatched it up. The length is perfect - listen in two evenings, after work, or in a long afternoon.

The reader does a very good job using different voices and reading meter for the characters. He does this with tone inflection, surprise, suspicion at the right places, and other narrator skills that help a beloved story come alive.

"I, Robot" is really the first of Asimov's robot books, but this one is the first novel, so it is really Number 1 and 2. I came to know Elijah Bailey like a good friend, and his partner R. Dannel Olivaw has enough character to shown him more than just a robot. Come join their first adventure together! See Elijah battling prejudice, which could be likened to all prejudices that society needs to overcome. At the same time, we see what a good friendship can mean and give to us.

Caves of Steel is one of the better examples of classic Science Fiction from the early days. Asimov is truly a master with his forward thinking story lines that have been followed and copied by later masters of Sci-Fi like K. Anderson, Bova, Bear, Frank Herbert and others. He was writing this stuff when no one else had even envisioned these storylines. This is good stuff.

Back in my youth, I useto lock myself in my room to complete an Asimov book over a lazy weekend. The Caves of Steel brings back great memories. I love being able to revisit the stories. I drive a lot and being able to make my drives more enjoyable with this book is AWESOME! I am an avid pod cast listener, TWIT network and friends, and I am conflicted with having to make a choice between keeping up with my podcasts or listening to my books. Its good to have choices.

Asimov wrote many great books, the Foundation series is perhaps one of the finest sci-fi series written to date. His other major works include the robot series of whitch The Caves Of Steel is a very important addition. As far as a detective murder mystery goes it's pretty basic, but the narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the world and characters to life. Definatly worth your time.

I originally read the Robot books, The Caves of Steel, the Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn when I was a youngster in college in the early 80s. 1983 I think. While I listened to Caves of Steel, I remembered how I loved these books then. In face, Robots of Dawn is the book that turned me into an Asimov fan. I read many of his books after the robots, and they were all good. But the robot books will always be special to me. They were wonderful then, and they still are. I hope Audible will make many more of Mr. Asimov’s books available.