Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Odyssey
Encyclopedia
Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Odyssey is a young adult science fiction novel written in 1987 by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
. It is part of the series Isaac Asimov's Robot City
, inspired by Isaac Asimov
's robot series
. The 1995 computer game Robot City is based on the plot of Odyssey.
. His only chance for survival is gaining information from a band of mining robots who are searching for a mysterious object known as the "Key to Perihelion
".
The story brings to life two scientific concepts that have been used in many space fiction novels since; artificial intelligence
and instantaneous space travel
.
finding himself on the surface of an asteroid and having no memory of his identity or how he ended up in this situation. He adopts the name 'Derec' from the name on his space suit
, which he later finds out is only the suit's manufacturer. He is soon rescued by a colony of robot
s who are mining the asteroid in search of something hidden there. Their mission is surrounded in the utmost secrecy such that Derec is not told what they searching for nor allowed to communicate with the outside world. However, the robots send a message to their commander asking what to do and continue their work.
Derec has limited freedom to explore the subterranean
operation and is amazed at the level of engineering design in the robots and their operation. Likewise, he begins to realize that he himself is well trained in robotics
, both technically and psychologically (pertaining to the Three Laws of Robotics
). Eventually, a passing alien
pirate
ship receives the robot's signal and attacks the colony. Due to the secrecy of the robot's mission, their orders dictate they must destroy themselves upon discovery. However, doing that would jeopardize Derec's life and thus the robots would be failing to obey the First Law of Robotics.
Derec escapes to the surface of the asteroid using an modified 'augment' (augmented worksuit) and attempts to board the alien ship. While the alien ship bombards the asteroids' surface, the robots below are destroying themselves in the incinerator
, but one robot is attempting to "save" Derec. Just before the robot is destroyed by the alien blasters, it finds the object of their search on the surface and bequeaths
it to Derec, though Derec knows nothing of its function or importance. Derec is then captured by the aliens.
On the alien ship, which is a compilation of smaller ships pieced together, he meets its captain, a ruthless humanoid named Aranimas, who is on a mission to procure robots for his own use. He apparently has little knowledge of robotics. In a trade for his life, Derec must build a robot for Aranimas, but is only supplied with random robototic parts that Aranimass has collected through his piracy, including the arm of the destroyed robot who gave Derec the object. Surmising the object's importance, Derec decides he must get it back from Aranimas and escape.
During the construction of the robot, whom he names 'Alpha', Derec discovers and befriends another servant of Aranimass, a small, furry canine-like alien who he names 'Wolruf', since he cannot pronounce the real name. Together, they plan to mutiny
against Aranimas with the help of Alpha by taking advantage of the fact that Alpha is bound by the Three Laws of Robotics and Aranimas is ignorant of that fact. They subdue Aranimas and gain access to the room where the object is hidden. While looking for it, Derec encounters another prisoner and is surprised to find that she is a human female who apparently knows him. But before she can tell him anything, he trips a booby trap
protecting the object and falls unconscious.
Derec awakens in a medical facility on a remote space station
that is entirely operated by robots. Beside him is the female, Katherine. Derec is told they were the only two found and is remorseful that Wolruf has been left behind. Anxious to return to society, they learn through the Rockliffe Station manager, an off-station human, that the ship they arrived in (the part of Aranimas's monstrosity in which was the booby trapped room) has been seized to cover the cost of their medical bills and that the next supply ship to take them back to civilization
is weeks away.
Wanting to find the object, they venture out into the station looking for the hangar
containing their ship. Upon finding the ship in an abandoned section, they discover the robots have removed the object. There they also discover Wolruf, who has been hiding on the station since their arrival and is starving due to the absence of food on a robotic installation. She informs Katherine and Derec that the object they are looking for is called the "Key of Perihelion" and is under heavy robot guard. It is a highly valuable object, but Aranimas could not get it to work.
Using a First Law farce to draw the guards away from the Key, Derec steals it and escapes into an empty section of the station. Katherine and Wolruf meet him, with robots following close on their heels. Just as the door opens, Derec actives the Key and he and Katherine disappear into thin air, leaving Wolruf behind again with Alpha, who had opened the door.
Katherine and Derec reappear on the top of a pyramid
shaped building in the center of an expansive city. They descend the building's surface, hiding the Key in one of the holes they find as they climb down. It is immediately apparent that the city has peculiar properties in that buildings appear and disappear overnight and the entire population is composed of robots. However, the robots had been aware of one other human in the city, and that person had recently been murder
ed. Because of the First Law, the robots concluded that one or other of the only other humans in the city, Derec and Katherine, must have committed the murder. The story ends with both of them being murder suspects and the series continues in Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Suspicion
.
Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Michael Paul Kube-McDowell is a science fiction novelist. He has also dabbled in music, written for television, been a stringer for a daily newspaper, and published short fiction, reviews, assorted nonfiction and erotica. He was honored for teaching excellence by the 1985 White House Commission on...
. It is part of the series Isaac Asimov's Robot City
Isaac Asimov's Robot City
Isaac Asimov's Robot City is a series of novels written by various authors and loosely connected to Isaac Asimov's Robot Series. It takes place between The Robots of Dawn and Robots and Empire...
, inspired by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's robot series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series is a series of short stories and novels by Isaac Asimov featuring positronic robots.- Short stories :Most of Asimov's robot short stories are set in the first age of positronic robotics and space exploration...
. The 1995 computer game Robot City is based on the plot of Odyssey.
The book
Derec, a man without a memory, is stranded on an icy asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
. His only chance for survival is gaining information from a band of mining robots who are searching for a mysterious object known as the "Key to Perihelion
Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Perihelion
Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Perihelion is a book written in 1988 by William F. Wu. It is part of the series Isaac Asimov's Robot City, which was inspired by Isaac Asimov's robot series.- Plot summary :...
".
The story brings to life two scientific concepts that have been used in many space fiction novels since; artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and instantaneous space travel
Interstellar travel
Interstellar space travel is manned or unmanned travel between stars. The concept of interstellar travel in starships is a staple of science fiction. Interstellar travel is much more difficult than interplanetary travel. Intergalactic travel, or travel between different galaxies, is even more...
.
Plot summary
A young man awakens in an emergency escape podEscape pod
An escape pod is a capsule or craft used to escape a vessel in an emergency, usually only big enough for one person. An escape ship is a larger, more complete craft also used for the same purpose...
finding himself on the surface of an asteroid and having no memory of his identity or how he ended up in this situation. He adopts the name 'Derec' from the name on his space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
, which he later finds out is only the suit's manufacturer. He is soon rescued by a colony of robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s who are mining the asteroid in search of something hidden there. Their mission is surrounded in the utmost secrecy such that Derec is not told what they searching for nor allowed to communicate with the outside world. However, the robots send a message to their commander asking what to do and continue their work.
Derec has limited freedom to explore the subterranean
Subterranea (geography)
Subterranea refers to underground structures, both natural and man-made . Some subterranea include:* Bunker* Casemate* Catacombs* Caves** Ice caves* Cave dwellings, Cave house* Cave temple* Cellar* Cenote* Dungeon...
operation and is amazed at the level of engineering design in the robots and their operation. Likewise, he begins to realize that he himself is well trained in robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, both technically and psychologically (pertaining to the Three Laws of Robotics
Three Laws of Robotics
The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by the science fiction author Isaac Asimov and later added to. The rules are introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although they were foreshadowed in a few earlier stories...
). Eventually, a passing alien
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
ship receives the robot's signal and attacks the colony. Due to the secrecy of the robot's mission, their orders dictate they must destroy themselves upon discovery. However, doing that would jeopardize Derec's life and thus the robots would be failing to obey the First Law of Robotics.
Derec escapes to the surface of the asteroid using an modified 'augment' (augmented worksuit) and attempts to board the alien ship. While the alien ship bombards the asteroids' surface, the robots below are destroying themselves in the incinerator
Incineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
, but one robot is attempting to "save" Derec. Just before the robot is destroyed by the alien blasters, it finds the object of their search on the surface and bequeaths
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
it to Derec, though Derec knows nothing of its function or importance. Derec is then captured by the aliens.
On the alien ship, which is a compilation of smaller ships pieced together, he meets its captain, a ruthless humanoid named Aranimas, who is on a mission to procure robots for his own use. He apparently has little knowledge of robotics. In a trade for his life, Derec must build a robot for Aranimas, but is only supplied with random robototic parts that Aranimass has collected through his piracy, including the arm of the destroyed robot who gave Derec the object. Surmising the object's importance, Derec decides he must get it back from Aranimas and escape.
During the construction of the robot, whom he names 'Alpha', Derec discovers and befriends another servant of Aranimass, a small, furry canine-like alien who he names 'Wolruf', since he cannot pronounce the real name. Together, they plan to mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
against Aranimas with the help of Alpha by taking advantage of the fact that Alpha is bound by the Three Laws of Robotics and Aranimas is ignorant of that fact. They subdue Aranimas and gain access to the room where the object is hidden. While looking for it, Derec encounters another prisoner and is surprised to find that she is a human female who apparently knows him. But before she can tell him anything, he trips a booby trap
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
protecting the object and falls unconscious.
Derec awakens in a medical facility on a remote space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
that is entirely operated by robots. Beside him is the female, Katherine. Derec is told they were the only two found and is remorseful that Wolruf has been left behind. Anxious to return to society, they learn through the Rockliffe Station manager, an off-station human, that the ship they arrived in (the part of Aranimas's monstrosity in which was the booby trapped room) has been seized to cover the cost of their medical bills and that the next supply ship to take them back to civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
is weeks away.
Wanting to find the object, they venture out into the station looking for the hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
containing their ship. Upon finding the ship in an abandoned section, they discover the robots have removed the object. There they also discover Wolruf, who has been hiding on the station since their arrival and is starving due to the absence of food on a robotic installation. She informs Katherine and Derec that the object they are looking for is called the "Key of Perihelion" and is under heavy robot guard. It is a highly valuable object, but Aranimas could not get it to work.
Using a First Law farce to draw the guards away from the Key, Derec steals it and escapes into an empty section of the station. Katherine and Wolruf meet him, with robots following close on their heels. Just as the door opens, Derec actives the Key and he and Katherine disappear into thin air, leaving Wolruf behind again with Alpha, who had opened the door.
Katherine and Derec reappear on the top of a pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
shaped building in the center of an expansive city. They descend the building's surface, hiding the Key in one of the holes they find as they climb down. It is immediately apparent that the city has peculiar properties in that buildings appear and disappear overnight and the entire population is composed of robots. However, the robots had been aware of one other human in the city, and that person had recently been murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. Because of the First Law, the robots concluded that one or other of the only other humans in the city, Derec and Katherine, must have committed the murder. The story ends with both of them being murder suspects and the series continues in Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Suspicion
Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Suspicion
Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Suspicion is a book written in 1987 by Mike McQuay. It is part of the series Isaac Asimov's Robot City, who are inspired on Isaac Asimov's robot series.- Plot summary :...
.