The Robots of Dawn

Intended Audience: Adult
Sexual content: Significant
Ace/Genderqueer characters: Yes (Robots)
Rating: PG-13/R for sexual content
Writing style: 4/5
Likable characters: 3/5
Plot/Concents: 4/5

Elijah Baley has returned from Solaria a changed man, much more open to the idea of settling other worlds now that he is not so dependent on the womblike Cities of Earth. Normally he'd be thrilled at a chance to visit Aurora, the crown jewel of the Spacer worlds, but not when it's to solve yet another impossible murder. If he doesn't solve the case and Aurora blames Earth, he will be scapegoated, his rank and standing on Earth will suffer a much greater blow than ever before, and plans to settle new worlds will be brought to a screeching halt.

In the context of the series as a whole, and as far as content goes, this book has some of my most and least favorite elements. For starters, we are introduced to Giskard, a metal robot who Daneel nevertheless considers a friend and equal. We are also treated to an enthusiastic reunion on the part of Lije and Daneel in the beginning. Their friendship seems to have gotten (mostly) out of the awkward stage by this time and Lije has much fewer anti-robot feelings where Daneel is concerned, although he still bears prejudice toward Giskard and others. Lije shows an increased skill in speaking to Daneel in a way which they both understand–a great example of cross-cultural communication even more than how Lije handles his cases on foreign worlds. Awkward and amusing moments abound when Lije clashes with Auroran culture, and there is also Dr. Fastolfe, a great roboticist who was directly involved in the creation of Daneel.

Speaking of Daneel, I haven't mentioned nearly enough how much I love him! As likable as Lije is, Daneel is what keeps me coming back to these books. His gentle gravity, while fairly apparent at the end of The Caves of Steel, has grown more and more familiar by this point. Although he is among the most advanced robots in the galaxy, there are many moments in which the reader can see him struggling to define what is proper for him to think. For example, at his reunion with Lije, he says it is a pleasure to see him again, and when Lije asks him if he feels emotions, he carefully discusses how what goes on in his brain might be analogous to pleasure in humans. Later in the book, when questioned by Lije about Dr. Fastolfe, Daneel defends his creator logically and yet emphatically. Being of course very subtle, I find it difficult to explain how his personality differs from other robots. Daneel could be considered deviant precisely because he allows himself to explore his own complexity, yet it is hard to think of him as being precocious or rebellious as it is done in innocence.

The ending comes in a close second as my favorite scene in the book. It was one of those moments where I closed the cover and felt dazed at all the possibilities just a few pages of text let loose. I won't say much more than that—I hate spoilers!

The parts that bothered me predictably had to do with sexism and sex itself. There are three notable female characters, and one of them is only in the first few chapters, so she plays very little role. The role she does play (a government official and Lije's superior) is portrayed as shocking to Lije. Asimov tries to excuse himself by going on a tiny tangent on page 16: "There were times in history when women entered administrative posts in considerable numbers. Baley knew that; he knew history well. But this wasn't one of those times."

Since I never really liked Gladia in the first place, having to read more than ten densely worded pages involving all the sexual experimentation she has done since leaving Solaria was both boring and uncomfortable. Her courtship of Lije and their later sexual contact seemed rather pointless. Lije is a married man. His wife was worried when he left earth because a famous hyperwave drama had been released after his case on Solaria which suggested he might be interested in Gladia, but he reassured his wife that it was nothing to worry about. And it would have been nothing to worry about except for the fact that Gladia does have sex with Lije, and when she does he is in such a state that he is incapable of giving consent. However, he still enjoys it and feels little regret for cheating on his wife. The entire subplot left a nasty taste in my mouth.

As for Vasilia, there is another subplot with her involving incestuous feelings for her father and overall she is a very bitter character—it is hard to feel much affection for her. If Vasilia's complexity were explored more within the text, this could have been easily corrected, but unfortunately her manipulative vengeful side is all we really get to see. And overall the roles of both women in the story are very much defined by their relationships with the men in their lives.

The writing style and quality is similar to the first two books, and in some cases I have even more vivid scenes imprinted on my mind from this one. But the solving of the case necessarily feels much more disjointed and frustrating, as this is how Lije experiences it. Since it weaves into a larger plot, the open-ended resolution leads well into the next book, Robots and Empire!