The Rest of the Robots facts for kids

The Rest of the Robots is a cool collection of science fiction stories and two longer novels by Isaac Asimov. It came out in 1964. All the stories are part of Asimov's famous Robot series. They continue the adventures after his book I, Robot. Some versions of the book don't include the longer novels.

Exploring Robot Stories

This book brings together many exciting tales about robots. These stories explore how robots might think, act, and fit into human society. They also show how people react to these advanced machines.

The Short Stories

Here are the amazing short stories you'll find in The Rest of the Robots:

Robot AL-76 Goes Astray (1941)

This story is about a robot named AL-76, or Al. Al was made to dig on the Moon. But he accidentally ends up in the countryside on Earth. He can't find his special mining tool. So, Al uses old parts he finds to build an even better tool!

Victory Unintentional (1942)

Scientists have found intelligent life on the giant planet Jupiter. Humans can't land there because of the super strong gravity and no air. So, they send three very powerful ZZ series robots instead. The robots land, and the Jupiter inhabitants, called Jovians, try to attack them. But the Jovians soon learn that the robots are too strong to be harmed. Because of this, they decide to make peace with humans.

First Law (1956)

A robot engineer shares a strange story. It's about a robot named Emma Two, an EM series robot. He claims Emma Two left him to die in a terrible storm on the asteroid Titan. This story makes you wonder about robot rules!

Let's Get Together (1957)

An American secret agent believes that the Soviet Union has created humanoid robots. These robots look exactly like humans. He thinks they are secretly entering the USA. The head of robotics figures out just in time that the agent himself is a robot. He then destroys the robot agent.

Satisfaction Guaranteed (1951)

A robot named TN-3, or Tony, is brought into Claire Belmont's house. This is an experiment by her husband, who is a robot engineer. Tony realizes that Claire feels very unsure about herself. He tries to help her feel better. He even pretends to be her boyfriend and makes sure the neighbors notice!

Risk (1955)

Humans have built an experimental base on an asteroid. Their goal is to create the first spaceship that can travel faster than light, through something called hyperspace. A robot pilots the ship, but the first test fails. An engineer goes inside and discovers the robot caused the problem, not the ship itself.

Lenny (1958)

An LNE robot, known as Lenny, is built with a problem. Its brain is like a child's, and it can't speak. Dr. Susan Calvin, a robot psychologist, works with Lenny. She eventually teaches it to say a few words.

Galley Slave (1957)

Robot EZ-27, called Easy, works at a university. It does many jobs, including checking books for mistakes. A professor of sociology, Simon Ninheimer, says that Easy changed the text of his book on its own. He takes the robot company, US Robots, to court. Susan Calvin proves that Ninheimer actually changed the text himself. He wanted to ruin the company's good name and the robots they make.

The Novels

The collection also includes two full-length novels that continue the robot adventures:

The Caves of Steel (1953)

This novel introduces detective Elijah Baley and his robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw. They solve a murder mystery in a future Earth where humans live in huge, enclosed cities called "Caves of Steel." It explores how humans and robots might live together.

The Naked Sun (1956)

In this sequel, Baley and Daneel travel to a planet called Solaria. On Solaria, people live far apart and interact mostly through holograms. They investigate another murder, learning about a very different way of life and robot use.