The novel “The Caves of Steel” by Isaac Asimov was published for the first time in 1953, serialized in the magazine “Galaxy”, and in 1954 as a book.
Dr. Roj Nemennuh Sarton is a Spacer and when he’s killed the ensuing investigation is a major event for the NYPD, which has the competence for the crimes committed in Spacetown, the outpost built next to the city. The tension between Earthmen and Spacers is stronger than ever and this means that the case must be solved or the consequences for the Earth could be very negative.
New York Commissioner Julius Enderby charges Elijah Baley with running the investigation but the Spacers demanded that one of them work with him. Baley discovers that he will have to collaborate with R. Daneel Olivaw and R. stands for robot. It’s in fact a robot totally looks like a human. This worsens Baley’s aversion to robots in general, not least because the policeman knows that if the news of the presence of such an advanced robot on Earth spreads, riots could break out.
Isaac Asimov became famous in the 1940s and among the stories that brought him fame were the ones centered on positronic robots. In these stories, the three laws of robotics are mentioned for the first time, which the author created after talking about robotics with the editor of the magazine “Astounding Science Fiction” John W. Campbell Jr.
In the 1950s, Isaac Asimov began writing novels that included positronic robots which, thanks to the growth of the market for science fiction stories, were also published as books shortly after being published in a magazine, a first for this genre. However, “The Caves of Steel” is above all a detective story in which the author used the idea that science fiction can be applied to any literary genre. Throughout his career, Isaac Asimov also wrote detective stories with some success, so it’s not surprising that he chose this mix of genres.
The investigation into the murder of Dr. Roj Nemennuh Sarton is central to the novel and is used by Isaac Asimov to describe that future that is centuries away with so many technological and social changes. To be pedantic, the exposition is sometimes quite heavy but the author includes a lot of information in a way that is intriguing and therefore not boring. The forced collaboration between Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw is also used to create conversations between the two protagonists in which the ways of life of Earthmen and Spacers are discussed.
The presence of robots on Earth and the introduction of a much more perfected robot built thanks to the much superior technologies developed in the so-called Outer Worlds, or Spacer worlds, is used by Isaac Asimov as one of the main ways to tell about that future. The division of humanity between Earthmen and Spacers derives from the choices of the two human branches and led to friction between them. Spacers are generally described as much more technologically advanced and for this reason, they’re arrogant while Earthmen are stagnating and end up being petty in their hatred of Spacers and robots.
The crisis caused by the murder of Roj Nemennuh Sarton represents a crucial moment for humanity for the possible consequences on the relationship between Earthmen and Spacers. In that future, New York is a completely enclosed city, one of the caves of steel of the title where Earthmen live. The description of the future is also used by Isaac Asimov to recall problems that have existed forever. In particular, the author imagines the Medievalists, people who pine for the alleged great old time that actually never existed, are full of hatred towards Spacers and robots, which are spreading on Earth and are stealing jobs from humans.
There’s really a lot in “The Caves of Steel”, also thinking that Isaac Asimov has always been considered an exponent of hard science fiction while in this novel the social elements are central. The memorable protagonists also contributed to its success, which made it a cornerstone of the future history created by the author. For these reasons, it’s become a classic and a must-read.
