Dire

Dire reading of great science works. Huge shame. Love Asimov but Hope's narration grates beyond belief, particularly when 'doing' voices

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

Beloved Classic Sci-Fi from my youth........

......ruined by awful narration!.

I purchased this audio book way back in September 2019 and today I FINALLY managed to listened to the whole audio book.

I LOVED these stories as a teenager. I still have the books that I purchased with my winnings from a school poetry competition.

I was very excited to get the audio book and settled down to listen.... and had to stop after the first chapter. I just could not stand the Narrators strange choice of character voices. I have tried many times to listen but gave up time and again. However today, 13/05/2021, at a loss for a new book to listen to while doing some DIY, I decided to try again.

The stories have not dated well. We are past the future dates Isaac Asimov set his stories in. It is very interesting to compare his vision of our future with how it actually turned out. Sums of money considered to be exorbitant when it was written are peanuts compared to today's. However you can suspend disbelief and accept them at face value and as classic piece nostagia. However time and again my immersion was broken by the awful narration. The worst being Dr Susan Calvins voice!. Every time she "spoke" I inwardly cringed.
This Audio book needs desperately to be re-recorded by a better Narrator. Personally Marc Thompson who narrates a lot of Star Wars books would be FAB.

If you are an Isaac Asimov fan looking for a trip down memory lane you will most likely enjoy that aspect but be prepared for a sub-par narrator with terrible character voices.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Most annoying narrator I’ve ever had the misfortune to listen to.

Totally takes me out of the story. Absolutely no need for the over exaggeration of the voices, I’m not a child that needs exuberant narration to maintain focus. It doesn’t suit the nature of the story nor it’s philosophical implications. The way he narrates child characters makes my teeth itch.

Never let this low-grade drama student
anywhere near a story of this magnitude again.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

wonderful book, terrible reading

A classic book, but the god awful reading made it completely unbearable. Completely unnatural intonation and lots of strange grating character voices that all sort of merge into one tortuous voice. A real shame, this caliber of literature deserves a higher quality reading.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Asimov’s Robots

I ROBOT is a series of short stories written about robots and centring around Asimov’s “Three Rules of Robotics”. The tales were written over a ten year period beginning in 1940. The quality varies but generally improves as the series develops. When Asimov collected the pieces into a single volume, he created a rather artificial link by presenting them as a reminiscence of Susan Calvin who appears in each.

The first story, “Robbie” appeared in the September, 1940 issue of “Super Science Stories” under the title, “Strange Playfellow”. Supposedly set in the future, it presents a society of the thirties with futuristic gadgets thrown in. It is definitely the weakest piece in the collection.

The Powell and Donovan stories are better. They are essentially puzzle pieces working on the interplay of the Three Laws. Don’t look for much in the way of characterisation. Both Powell and Donovan are obvious stereotypes.

Susan Calvin is the star of the book. She is Asimov’s nod to feminism and while she is no more than an observer in “Robbie” and sometimes seems a blue-stocking stereotype she does grow and develop as a personality.

The final story is quite unusual. It seems less a story than a sociological meditation. I’m not sure that it works, but others will certainly differ,

William Hope’s narration is varied and flexible for male characters. Unfortunately he is not as successful for Susan Calvin. The. Tone he adopts for her is nasal, grating and quite unpleasant. Considering Susan’s importance in many of the tales and all of the interludes, this was a case for having both a male and female narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Classic sci fi has lost some of its lustre

I had not read Asimov since I was at school in the 1970s and wanted a bit of escapism from the real life Black Mirror episode that we are living in at the moment (April 2020). I, Robot is the most famous of his works and is a collection of short stories with an over arcing theme of telling the story of the history of robotics and the famous three laws of robotics.

Listening to this now with 21st century ears it does not have quite the same impact as it did. Maybe this is a result of the sci fi genre developing at such a rate in recent decades that, although classic, this now sounds a little quaint.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Not quite what I have expected

I expected to hear one story about robots, or The Robot, but the book has multiple stories, short ones... however, the stories are interesting.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Don't think this is like the film, it's better.

Yes, of course is dated which makes it even more interesting. The collection of short stories is set in the early 21st century with global political upheaval, a divide Europe, with a politically and economically emergent Asia. By 2008 it had talking devices. by anyone's reckoning, that's not a bad guess.
The dialogue is bizarrely confrontational for much of the time not particularly helped by the delivery from William Hope. So only a 4/5 overall.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Brilliant despite being dated

Even though Asimov's ideas about Computers, Communications and Atomic Power appear naive to us now, these stories are still powerful and relevant today.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

Asimov shows all how it should be done, a genius piece of work, can’t wIt to read more

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!