Randy Mootooveran
Sci fi, Horror, Fantasy Lit
March 22, 2018

The Evolution from Fantasy to Dystopia

From an outsiders perspective, I, Robot must seem like the work responsible for all of the media predicting robots rising up to overthrow their creators (especially when the only frame of reference comes from its terrible film adaptation desperately trying to capture Spielberg's success with Minority Report). That was my initial opinion before I opened the book, especially when it was published in roughly the same time Philip K. Dick was creating one dystopian future after another. After reading it, I think this came well ahead of its time.

I, Robot is probably one of the original serious science fiction stories that still retained the heart of the space operas that came before it. Discovering that most of the stories central conflicts spawned from the careless actions of the creators instead of their creations was refreshing to say the least. Nevertheless, it's important to note that this future is one where progress is ever present and the relationship between man and machine is one of harmony. One scene that got to me in particular was in "Evitable Decision" was the machines choosing to control their masters for their own safety. Asimov's Three Laws were still in effect, but the machines chose to look past its greater context in order to effectively serve humanity the best way they could. It goes to show what our destructive nature must seem like to someone looking in from the outside.

The thing I appreciated the most about this peace was how it approached these complex situations from a light angle. What normally kills me when reading works like Nineteen Eighty Four and VALIS is how their conclusions reinforce the grim tone they carry throughout. I have no issues with a dark ending, but it lessens its impact when the entire story is rife with hopelessness and corruption. What makes a grim moment in a story feel impactful is when it contrasts with everything that came before it. I, Robot's twist reinforces this idea because the rest of the stories carried such an optimistic view of what our future will bring. In my opinion, it's what keeps space opera's alive to this day. People will always go watch Star Wars over Nineteen Eight Four; most people would rather watch the physical and psychological breakdown of a man fighting an oppressive Orwellian regime over a rag tag group of heroes saving the galaxy from a Galactic Empire with lasers and space magic. Everyone loves to believe in the myth, but it's important to keep our attention on what the future may bring. Some people claim it will be the hellscape many sci fi movies from the 80s predicted, or it could be a more advanced variant of the society we live in today. It all depends on what the writer wants the reader to get out of it in the end.