Isacc Asimov's I, Robot: To Protect

Mickey Zucker Reichert

Nov 2011 · I, Robot Book 2 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

First in an all-new trilogy inspired by Isaac Asimov's legendary science fiction collection I, Robot.

2035: Susan Calvin is beginning her residency at a Manhattan teaching hospital, where a select group of patients is receiving the latest in diagnostic advancements: tiny nanobots, injected into the spinal fluid, that can unlock and map the human mind.

Soon, Susan begins to notice an ominous chain of events surrounding the patients. When she tries to alert her superiors, she is ignored by those who want to keep the project far from any scrutiny for the sake of their own agenda. But what no one knows is that the very technology to which they have given life is now under the control of those who seek to spread only death...

Ratings and reviews

It's tough writing a prequel to a book written by a master. Many decades have passed since Asimov wrote his original, however. What flew then ... an almost emotionally robotic Susan Calvin who was in many ways -less- emotional than her robot subjects ... in the age when women in science were considered odd ... will get a writer lambasted for sexism now. The geek girls of today are warm, funny, quirky, and still ... geeky. Reichert tried to walk a happy medium so female S/F fans wouldn't throw the book down in disgust and write angry letters about how inappropriate it is to stereotype Susan Calvin in 2011 as cold. I enjoyed this book in its own rights. It felt more like a medical mystery thriller with a robot plot element than 'hard' sci-fi. I'm a hard sci-fi fan and huge fan of Asimov (despite his work having stereotypes that make this modern woman cringe), but I'm also a fan of other genres, so I was okay with that. Reichert's portrayal of the children's diagnoses in the PIPU unit were well rounded and credible (and I have enough background to know it). There was a bit of strained credibility about how easily Susan came up with star diagnoses to cure some patients, but I really wanted to learn those things and did NOT want to read through another 200 pages of so of extraneous text just to get to those conclusions. Which is where I get to my complaints about this book. 1. MORE ROBOTS!!! 2. Nate was far too developed for the timeline in Asimov's universe, but I adored him enough to overlook that defect. 3. The bad guys should have been better developed. Too much of a 'vague bad guy' feeling. Perhaps more confrontations between protestors and staff? 4. [ Susan's romantic interest fell totally flat. I understand she's single and alone in Asimov's later timeline, but if you're going to love somebody so much that you spend the rest of your life alone, at least make it credible! This was doubly disappointing because Reichert's PIPU ward psych patients were so well-rounded. It's like ... sheesh! At least in the Terminator series, you could understand why Reese would travel back in time to save Sarah Connor even though he didn't know HE was to be John Connor's father, or why Sarah Connor was never able to get over Reese even though they only had one night together. C'mon! A little well-written sex (or at least innuendo of sex) in a 'hard' science-fiction novel won't kill the hard-core geek-fans. I'm rating this 4-stars because the psych-ward patients were so well done and will probably read the next book in the series, but hope to see the things I complained about improve.

This book is addictive and well written. Excellent medical, psychological and robotic research, and riveting sci-fi plot... but the morality is a bit ham-fisted. Extremists=bad etc. The love story is groan worthy, and the heroes are far too romanticised for my tastes. The heroic characters would have been more sympathetic had they been less white picket perfect. Every major modern moral debate gets a clear plug: abortion, stemcell research, gun control, terrorism, etc. Pretty much shouting to the reader 'in the wrong hands...!!!' But well worth the read. I particularly enjoyed the first half when she was just diagnosing her patients. I was spellbound by the medical and psychological intricacies.

A fun, quick read sure to please the reader who enjoys all things Robot. The exploration and development of a historic character in Isaac Asimov's robot universe, Dr. Susan Calvin. I look forward to the sequel. L. Long 2012

About the author

Mickey Zucker Reichert is a pediatrician, parent, animal lover, and author of twenty-some novels including Renshai, Nightfall, Barakhai, and Bifrost series, one illustrated novella, and fifty-plus short stories. She can be found at mickeyzuckerreichert.com.