I, Robot -- the novel!

nebusj.RemoveThis@rpi.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote in message news:<cadq4b$12qo@viper.nic.rpi.edu>...
 > I noticed in Barnes and Noble today that they're marketing the
 > book I, Robot, with the caption ``One Man Saw It Coming'' and promising
 > it was the basis of the hit new movie. Inside was, of course, the text
 > of the classic, standard old I, Robot we've loved for half a century or
 > less now.
 >

Well, at least it's not a novelisation of the film itself, in which
case people might buy it, then assume that it's the original 'I,
Robot'.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel! 

In article <19da3134.0406122135.618ba2c1.DeleteThis@posting.google.com>, Darth Nub <gonzo88888.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
: nebusj.DeleteThis@rpi.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote in message news:<cadq4b$12qo@viper.nic.rpi.edu>...

:> I noticed in Barnes and Noble today that they're marketing the
:> book I, Robot, with the caption ``One Man Saw It Coming'' and promising
:> it was the basis of the hit new movie. Inside was, of course, the text
:> of the classic, standard old I, Robot we've loved for half a century or
:> less now.

: Well, at least it's not a novelisation of the film itself, in which
: case people might buy it, then assume that it's the original 'I, Robot'.

Well, the *original* "I, Robot" isn't even by Isaac Asimov. . .

-----
Richard Schultz schultr.DeleteThis@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
"It's certainly easy to mock things," agreed Trefusis. "Oddly enough
though I've never found it easy to mock anything of value. Only things
that are tawdry and fatuous -- perhaps it's just me."
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel! 

Mark Tiedemann writes:

 >The sad part is that thousands, maybe millions,
 >of people will see the movie and assume Asimov was a lousy writer.

The hopeful part is that thousands, maybe tens of thousands, will see the movie
and buy the story collection and decide they like it better.

The amusing part is all the people who will buy the collection and then demand
their money back because it's got nothing to do with the movie. ("Hey, this
thing doesn't even have any pictures! And where's Will Smith?!")
--
Johnny Pez
Newport, Rhode Island
June 2004<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel! 

It bothers me somewhat to see Will Smith's face on the cover of the I ROBOT
re-release, but I understand why, from a marketing standpoint, it was done,
even if the film bears no relation to the book.

My hope is that by saying in the credits "Suggested by the book by Isaac
Asimov" rather than "Based upon the book by Isaac Asimov" that the
perceptive ones in the audience will take that as a cue that, no, the film
isn't an adaptation of the book. Those who don't take the cue I don't rate
as likely enough to rush out to the bookstore to buy the book. It's a
cynical viewpoint, I know, but there's some truth therein.

Looking at the trailer for the film, I can think of two justifications under
the Laws for the actions we see the robots taking in the trailer, assuming
that what we see in the film's trailer can be taken at face value.

We know from THE CAVES OF STEEL that a positronic brain can be designed
without encoding the Three Laws--the roboticist tells Lije Baley so, though
he states that it would take many years to develop such a brain, the Three
Laws encoding being so ingrained in the human designers.

We know from ROBOTS AND EMPIRE that the application of the First Law
depends -entirely- upon how a human being is defined within the positronic
brain, so a robot with a very -narrow- definition of a human being isn't
compelled to protect the life a person who falls outside of its
preprogrammed definition.

And then the Caliban trilogy throws a whole other set of wrenches into the
works.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the film. I know it isn't Asimov's
universe. I think I can live with that.

Allyn http://www.allyngibson.net
AIM: mknzycalhn ICQ: 4342396

Defeating alien menaces is what Tiggers do best.
-- Peter David, "The TARDIS at Pooh Corner"
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel! 

In article <WnMDc.15818$w07.5117@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>, Allyn Gibson <allyngibson.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote:
:
: My hope is that by saying in the credits "Suggested by the book by Isaac
: Asimov" rather than "Based upon the book by Isaac Asimov" that the
: perceptive ones in the audience will take that as a cue that, no, the film
: isn't an adaptation of the book.

The people who know who Isaac Asimov is will be able to figure out that
the movie is not based on the book, and for the people who have never
heard of him, it won't make any difference. IMHO, it would have been
just as successful a marketing ploy to have said "suggested by the
story by Eando Binder."

-----
Richard Schultz schultr.DeleteThis@mail.biu.ac.il
Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Opinions expressed are mine alone, and not those of Bar-Ilan University
-----
"How many boards would the Mongols hoard if the Mongol hordes got bored?"
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel! 

schultr RemoveThis @mail.biu.ack.il (Richard Schultz) wrote in message news:<cahu0u$ebn$3@news.iucc.ac.il>...
 > In article <19da3134.0406122135.618ba2c1 RemoveThis @posting.google.com>, Darth Nub <gonzo88888 RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote:
 > : nebusj RemoveThis @rpi.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote in message news:<cadq4b$12qo@viper.nic.rpi.edu>...
 >
 > :> I noticed in Barnes and Noble today that they're marketing the
 > :> book I, Robot, with the caption ``One Man Saw It Coming'' and promising
 > :> it was the basis of the hit new movie. Inside was, of course, the text
 > :> of the classic, standard old I, Robot we've loved for half a century or
 > :> less now.
 >
 > : Well, at least it's not a novelisation of the film itself, in which
 > : case people might buy it, then assume that it's the original 'I, Robot'.
 >
 > Well, the *original* "I, Robot" isn't even by Isaac Asimov. . .

I gather you're refering to the Eando Binder story? Or something earlier?

Mark
author of:
COMPASS REACH
METAL OF NIGHT
PEACE & MEMORY
REMAINS (forthcoming)
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.marktiedemann.com" target="_blank">www.marktiedemann.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: I, Robot -- the novel!