 Cover art of Book 1,Odyssey, first printing | |
Isaac Asimov's Robot City
| |
| Author | Various |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Paul Rivoche |
| Cover artist | Paul Rivoche |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Byron Preiss Visual Publications |
| Published | 1987–1990 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| No. of books | 12 |
Isaac Asimov's Robot City is a series ofscience fictionnovels written by various authors beginning in 1987, and is loosely connected toIsaac Asimov'sRobot series. It was originally published byAce Books.[1]
The concept for the novels began as a collaboration of Isaac Asimov and writer/editor/publisherByron Preiss, with Asimov acting as a technical consultant.[2] Byron & Asimov then issued a writing challenge to write a series involving theThree Laws of Robotics, which brought about a collaboration of several authors; Asimov provided the premise for the series, which filled in the gap between Asimov's own robot stories and hisFoundation series, explaining the disappearance of the robots prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire.[3][4] He also wrote introductions for each book.[5] Additionally, the end of each book includes a "Data Bank", which features illustrations by Paul Rivoche and paired descriptions, providing further information about characters, objects and locations from the stories.
Isaac Asimov's Robots and Aliens[n 1] followed in this series starting in 1989. The overarching plot deals with the interactions between human & alien characters and their encounters with autonomous "robot cities" which are run and populated byrobots.[3]
| No. | Title | Author | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odyssey | Michael P. Kube-McDowell | July 1987 | 0-441-73122-8 |
| 2 | Suspicion | Mike McQuay | September 1987 | 0-441-73126-0 |
| 3 | Cyborg | William F. Wu | November 1987 | 0-441-37383-6 |
| 4 | Prodigy | Arthur Byron Cover | January 1988 | 0-441-37384-4 |
| 5 | Refuge | Rob Chilson | March 1988 | 0-441-37385-2 |
| 6 | Perihelion | William F. Wu | June 1988 | 0-441-37388-7 |
Perihelion ends with a promise that the story "'continues withRobot City #7",[6] which refers toChangeling, the first volume ofIsaac Asimov's Robots and Aliens[citation needed]
| No. | Title | Author | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Changeling | Stephen Leigh | August 1989 | 0-441-73127-9 |
| 2 | Renegade | Cordell Scotten | November 1989 | 0-441-73128-7 |
| 3 | Intruder | Robert Thurston | February 1990 | 0-441-73129-5 |
| 4 | Alliance | Jerry Oltion | May 1990 | 0-441-73130-9 |
| 5 | Maverick | Bruce Bethke | August 1990 | 0-441-73131-7 |
| 6 | Humanity | Jerry Oltion | November 1990 | 0-441-37386-0 |
Anaudio drama of book 1,Odyssey, was released byCaedmon Audio in 1988 on audio cassette, with the voice ofPeter MacNicol.[7]
A video game adaptation,Robot City, was released for PCs in 1995. The player takes the role of the protagonist, Derec, exploring Robot City in a first-person perspective.
A 2004 graphic novel, titledIsaac Asimov's Derec (ISBN 0-7434-8708-7), adapted parts of the first and second books of the series, and was illustrated by Paul Rivoche and written by Doug Murray. A second volume was planned,[8] but never materialized.
Byron said that I would serve as a consultant to make sure that my robotsstay "Asimovian," that I would answer questions, make suggestions, veto infelicities, and provide the basic premise for the series as well as challenges for the authors.
[…] Byron Preiss Visual Publications, Inc., began to put out a remarkable series of books under the general title ofIsaac Asimov's Robot City, and I was asked to do essays on robotics for each of them.
Isaac Asimov's Robot City continues withRobot City #7 […]
Journey back to the confusing, surprising, and sometimes deadly world of Robot City inIsaac Asimov's Derec, Volume 2: After The Deluge.