Can anyone give me a detailed summery of the book I Robot by Isaac Asimov?

Question

Can anyone give me a detailed summery of the book I Robot by Isaac Asimov?

Answer 1

Here you go  ...  This is from the following website:

http://litsum.com/i-robot/

I, Robot Summary

This book, first published as a whole in 1950, consists of a series of short stories published individually over a period of ten years from 1940 to 1950. The stories are linked by aseries of narratives in which the book's central character, an elderly robot psychologist named Susan Calvin, is interviewed shortly before her death. Her recollections within those narratives function alternately as prologue and epilogue, in that they offer either introductory or summary information and perspective.

The first story, "Robbie," is a stand-alone tale about a little girl's deep friendship with a robot and her mother's determined efforts to separate them. The next three stories, "Runaround," "Reason," and "Catch That Rabbit," chronicle the challenges facing a pair of scientists, Donovan and Powell, as they test an increasingly sophisticated series of labor robots, each of which reveals a unique malfunction that ultimately places the lives of the two humans in jeopardy. Aside from her appearances in the linking narration, Calvin only mentioned in these four stories.

Calvin is a principal character in the next five stories, which chronicle the evolution of the robot at the same time as they explore Calvin's retreat from humanity. This retreat begins with "Liar!," in which her hidden romantic feelings for a colleague are perceived by a mind-reading robot and in which she, along with several of her colleagues, are manipulated by that same robot. The following three stories, "Little Lost Robot," "Escape!" and "Evidence" explore Calvin's deductive and analytical abilities, as she comes with a series of robots that seem determined to have their own way. In the case of "Evidence," the robot in question may in fact not be a robot at all, but a human being.

The final story in the book, "The Evitable Conflict," finds the relationship between humanity and robots at a critical turning point. Having developed machines that can not only out-work them but also out-think them, human beings in this story, and therefore at the end of the book, teeter on the brink of having their own power to think being rendered completely redundant.

A common element in all the stories is the Three Laws of Robotics, quoted in full in the "Quotations" section. The Laws govern all robotic behavior and, to a lesser degree, the behavior of humans interacting with robots. The layers of meaning and applicability within the laws are the primary source of conflict in each of the stories, while the philosophical implications of actions that both break and adhere to the laws are the primary source of the book's themes.

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Here is a review that may help, too, from  .....   http://www.runningforums.com/Book_Review...

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"I, Robot" is the classic science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov. It kicks off the best selling Robot/Foundation series, though when "I, Robot" was first published it was not intended to be a part of any larger series, nor were Robot and Foundation originally connected. While the format of "I, Robot" is loosely a novel, it is truly a collection of short stories that is bridged by a common thread and text that connects all stories together.

The tie that connects these stories together is Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist. At the start of the book, Calvin is retiring from her position at U.S. Robotics. A reporter is trying to get her thoughts on the history of robotics, but not the official position, more of her personal impressions. Calvin was at U.S. Robotics when the first truly "thinking" robots were released for sale and was at the forefront of figuring out why some robots were acting the way they were. The format of "I, Robot" is such that Calvin is essentially giving a little bit of background which moves into the short story, giving an episodic feel to the book.

As the stories move in chronological order, the reader is presented with the evolution of robots, starting with "Robbie", which deals with the relationship a little girl has with her robot, Robbie. Robbie was designed as a playmate for a little girl and her parents feel that she has become too attached to the robot and has forsaken real friends. Robbie is an earlier design robot: large, clunky, and without the ability to speak. The subsequent stories show the development of robots and include: a mind reading robot, a robot who does not believe it is possible that a human could create a robot, and one that may even end up ruling the world.

Through these stories, Asimov has set up the Three Laws of Robotics, which are:

1 - A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2 - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3 - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These Three Laws are the driving force within each of the stories. What is interesting here is that all of the stories are something of a "whodunit". Something is not working exactly right with a robot and it is up to Susan Calvin, or the team of Martin and Donovan to figure out why a robot is not working how it is expected to. Each time, it has something to do with the Three Laws and everything makes sense within the confines of the Three Laws: Calvin, Martin, and Donovan just have to figure out what.

The writing style here is simple, and easy to read. Despite the fact that there is little "action" happening in the stories, they move along quickly. These are stories of humanity and science and the robots seem to fit into both categories at the same time. "I, Robot" is rightly considered a classic of science fiction and these are simple little gems with a depth of complexity that makes everything fit together.