Isaac Asimov is best known for his book I, Robot, containing a multitude of short and engaging stories, and a plethora of well thought out discussions involving the ethics of robotics. His book was even adapted into a movie. But Asimov has other, lesser known books, with all of his skillfully crafted literary works being part of the same universe. This  chronicle of introspective stories all commences with the book The Caves of Steel. Overall, It's a great book, and I rate it 5/5.

The Caves of Steel is a science fiction mystery which was written in 1953. The story is told from the perspective of Elijah Baley, who is a police officer working on earth. Baley gets paired up with R. Daneel Olivaw, a sentient robot from one of the many planets humanity has colonized. In addition, robots like Daneel have to follow three rules: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. The story starts when Baley is paired up with Daneel to investigate the murder of a prominent spacer. This sets the basis for the story.

The book often goes into topics like prejudice, which make the story more interesting and gives the reader something to think about. People in the book are classified as either “Spacers” or “Earthers”, reflecting their views on expansion and the existence of robots. These two parties are willing to go to great lengths to see their beliefs realized, while being fairly blind to the reasoning of the counterargument. The story reveals that Daneel’s entire mission involves testing a drug on Earthers. This shows the disregard characters have for those in the other party, revealing questionable ethics and strong bias. Traits like questionable ethics make the story interesting, as you get to watch characters do things that you would never want to, showing strong morals.

The story portrays all of the characters as being very obstinate, and this is what the story is built off of. Unwilling to change leads to the divide between Spacers and Earthers, and also creates the mentality that there needs to be change. Change is exactly what the previously mentioned drug is meant to create. It has the ability to make someone's ideology susceptible to easy alteration. The need for such a drug is a thrilling  addition to Asimov’s universe, and shows how extreme the characters can be.

This use of obstinate characters by Asimov has the reader picking a side, while providing insight from both perspectives. This leads to an engaging story that will always be giving you something to think about. 

Asimov’s writing can be engaging with the reader by always giving something to think about, such as why characters are so set on their goals. You get to live the story of the characters piecing together the story, while also bringing up political debates and underhand tactics to show the dedication of each side, portraying strong emotions from the characters. Asimov writing characters that are so determined, obstinate, and biased who are determined that their side perseveres creates a thrilling story, and is the reason for why you should read The Caves of Steel.