Introduction: The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

Karel Čapek, a prolific Czech writer, introduced the word Robot in his play, R. U. R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in 1921, but The Oxford English Dictionary credits Isaac Asimov with the earliest uses of robotics and positronic. Robot stories are predictors of human relationships with technology.

“Though Rossum meant well, it didn’t work out as he planned: the robots rebelled, and the human species was destroyed. It is perhaps not surprising that a technological advance, imagined in 1921, was seen as resulting in universal disaster.”

Asimov was inspired by science fiction writers who wrote favorable stories about robots. The writing side of Isaac Asimov’s love of robots started on May 10, 1939. Asimov wrote several robot stories that were published. Some of the published stories were familiar because I read them in I, Robot. After reading the Introduction of The Caves of Steel, it became clear. The stories he published were turned into I, Robot.

It’s interesting to see his progression as a science fiction author and I appreciated how the three laws of robotics came about. I read about them in his book I, Robot. Horace Gold, the editor of Galaxy, suggested Asimov write a science fiction mystery where a human and a robot work jointly to solve it. The result was The Caves of Steel.

Summary of Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

The Police Commissioner summons Lije Baley to his office. Instead of getting to the point of the meeting, he beats around the bush taking many detours. The reader gets a sense that man is disconnected from nature. Through the commissioner’s rambling we learn of a section of a place called Spacetown, a biodome-like structure on Earth where robots and their human creators, known as “Spacers,” live.

The Spacers are descendants of Earth's first interstellar colonists and possess advanced technology and a disdain for Earth's crowded and polluted environment.. Spacers live differently from other humans.

You see an ‘us’ versus ‘them’. When the commissioner stops his rambling we learn a Spacer has died. And it wasn’t from natural causes. Someone murdered him. The Spacers are convinced an Earthman committed the crime. The Spacers won’t report the murder on the condition that a Spacer works with the police to solve the crime.

The commissioner asks Lije to lead the investigation. But the twist is that the Spacer chosen has to live with him. Lije Baley learns he’ll be working with the robot, R. Daneel Olivaw.

Life on Earth

We get a glimpse into the future of what life on earth will be like. And it’s not for the better. The result is the effects of man’s master and control over the environment.

“Efficiency had been forced on Earth with increasing population. Two billion people, three billion, even five billion could be supported by the planet by progressive lowering of the standard of living. When the population reaches eight billion, however, semistarvation becomes too much like the real thing.”

Elijah Baley Meets the Robot Daneel Olivaw

When Elijah Baley meets Daneel Olivaw, he’s shocked because the robot does not look like a robot. Baley had beliefs and prejudices which shaped his worldview of robots.

“Oh, I see. You expected a rather crude model and were surprised. Yet it is only logical that our people use a robot of pronounced humanoid characteristics in this case if we expected to avoid unpleasantness. Is that not so?”

Against Robots

People are lashing out because robots are taking jobs from humans. And some humans don’t want to be served by robots. The robots in the store were basic models and not sophisticated like Daneel Olivaw. A customer in the store refused to be served by a robot. There was a crowd outside the store waiting to tear the robots apart.

Robot Olivaw took charge of the situation, and threatened the unruly crowd with death. He spoke with authority. The crowd dispersed. Baley was embarrassed at allowing the robot to take control of the situation. He explained to the robot that the tactic to threaten to harm people wasn’t a wise one. Olivaw responded he never would have hurt the humans. That’s one robotic law. He reminds his partner that he’s a robot and not a human.

Olivaw Meets Baley’s Family

Olivaw meets Baley’s family (wife Jessie and son Bentley). Originally, Jessie assumes Olivaw is human. She and her son leave their home to give the humanoid and Baley the privacy to speak about the murder case. After talking with friends, she figures out that Olivaw is a robot.

Jessie returns home without Bentley and Lije wants to know what’s going on. He discovers his wife figures out that Olivaw is a robot and she’s afraid. She doesn’t want the humanoid in her home because she’s fearful. Because of her intense fear, she’s making suggestions that’s not in their best interest. She wants her husband to resign from his job to get out of investigating the murder. That’s the worst thing for her husband to do.

Our prejudices and fears impede making sound decisions.

Investigating the Crime

The murder victim is Roj Nemennuh Sarton, a citizen of the planet Aurora, and a resident of Spacetown. He could have been murdered by a person or persons. Baley and Olivaw discuss the murder. As the two talk, a lot of issues come up between Spacers and Earthmen. Humans have a harder time adapting to change.

“Yes,” said R. Daneel. “We are more flexible, naturally. At least in this respect. We can be designed for adaptation to an Earthly life. By being built into a particularly close similarity to the human externals, we could be accepted by Earthmen and allowed a closer view of their life.”

One of the most startling things the readers notice is the degradation of earth. We’re paying the price for our abuse and neglect of the planet. Certain aspects of the book remind me of Anthem by Ayn Rand and The Giver by Lois Lowry, two dystopian novels.

Olivaw tells Baley what he knows so far. This is part of the information-gathering phase, so the partners agree. One thing Baley notices is that the murder victim looks like Olivaw. He’s told that he was created in his likeness.

Scene of the Crime

Baley and Olivaw travel to Spacetown to where the murder was committed. When they arrive, Baley has to shower before he enters Spacetown – that’s the custom. It’s an uncomfortable feeling for Baley to become immersed in a different culture and way of doing things.

He meets Han Fastolfe, who’s heading the investigation of the murder of Dr. Sarton at the Spacetown end. Baley posits that there was no murder, that Olivaw is not a robot and is indeed Dr. Sarton. Everyone appears shocked and claims otherwise.

There’s a lot of discussion. The thing that struck me is jumping to conclusions without having enough information. You’ll never have all the information, but you need to have enough. When the investigation starts, Baley is a one dimensional thinker and we see his evolution throughout the story.

Investigation Continues

Observing and paying attention, Baley sees that Olivaw is indeed a robot. There are several clues and he wonders how he never noticed them before. Baley’s prejudice is affecting his judgment.

As Baley and Olivaw investigate, they navigate a complex web of societal norms, prejudices, and fears. Baley grapples with his own biases and learns to work with Olivaw. They eventually uncover that Dr. Sarton's murder was a plot by Earth's rulers to provoke anti-robot riots, hoping to slow the adoption of robots that they feared would lead to mass unemployment.

Baley becomes a multi-dimensional thinker, and he learns a lot from the Spacers and his humanoid partner. He discovers who committed the crime. The novel ends with Baley realizing the Spacers' plan to reintroduce humans to living on open land, a necessary step for humanity's survival given Earth's overpopulation. Baley helps in this effort, marking a significant shift in his character.

Conclusion: The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov paints a vivid picture of a future Earth marked by overpopulation and a tense coexistence between humans and robots. Detective Elijah Baley is thrust into this world, tasked with solving the murder of a Spacer, a member of a technologically advanced and pristine society. Baley's partner in the investigation is R. Daneel Olivaw, a humanoid robot who challenges Baley's prejudices and opens his mind to new possibilities.

As the story unfolds, Baley undergoes a profound transformation, growing from a narrow-minded thinker to a multi-dimensional problem solver. Together with Olivaw, they uncover a conspiracy to incite anti-robot sentiments driven by Earth's rulers' fears of mass unemployment. Baley's journey of self-discovery culminates in his help to the Spacers in their plan to reintroduce humans to open land, addressing Earth's overpopulation crisis.

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