[net.sf-lovers] The Robots of Dawn and Asimov Future History SPOILER

brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (01/09/84)

I recently read the Robots of Dawn, the new novel by Asimov.
This is a fairly good murder mystery, and if you enjoyed Caves of Steel
and The Naked Sun, you will enjoy this one.

The following spoiler discusses the links between Robots of Dawn
and Foundation's Edge. (another quite good book.)

It is clear by the end of TRoD that Asimov now plans to link most of
his books in a grand future history as many other authors of done.
As you will recall, in Foundation's Edge, we discover why there are
no robots in Empire society.  The groundwork for this is set down in
TRoD, although for the most part it is an R. Daneel Olivaw/Elijah Baley
novel.

So my prediction is that Asimov will do one or two more books to tie
it all together.  If you are like me, you kept noticing the references to
Earth in Foundation's Edge.  To be more specific, the Earth of
"Pebble in the Sky", which was already in the Trantor universe.  All through
FE, there are mentions of how Earth is hidden, and how all of Earth's records
are wiped in the 2nd foundation computers.  Plus some master mentalists are
controlling the Selden plan.   I fully expected it to be an earthful of
synapsified men, but it was the colony mind planet with the help of the
robots.  So where is earth?

The plans are clear.  Asimov likes to outdo his previous schemes.  In
Foundation, the Empire ruled, and the foundation came and took over.
Then in Foundation & Empire, it was really the mule who was running the
show.  By Second Foundation we see it is really the 2nd foundationers that
are in charge.  In Foundation's Edge it's the Robots and Gaiea (I have forgotten
the spelling) that are in charge.  I suspect the next book(s) will show it
is really the Earth that is in charge, making a complete cycle.  Of course,
he has also left it open for the "Eternals" to be in charge, so there could
be more.  I think Asimov should drop the Eternals reference, though.
He still has to explain what happened to Computers too.

Should be interesting.
-- 
	Brad Templeton - Waterloo, Ontario (519) 886-7304