You might be seeing a few more Asimov titles in my book review list this year. Fair warning. Just as the kids and I once had a “Year of Dahl,” so I think this is turning into a “Year of Asimov”—or at least a “Year of Robots.”

The Naked Sun is the third book in what I’m calling “the extended Foundation series.” It’s the second mystery starring detectives Lije Baley and his humanoid assistant, R. Daneel Olivaw. We were introduced to these gents in The Caves of Steel (1954) and will see them both again in The Robots of Dawn (1983), which is great, because it allows space for the characters to change and grow.

Change and growth is one key element to this story, as Earthman Baley leaves the comfort of his home planet to help solve another murder case on the planet of Solaria. The only problem is that, whereas he lives in the vast underground network of cities of overpopulated Earth (inside the literal caves of steel), he now must endure the terrifying above-ground openness on this new sparsely populated planet (beneath the naked sun). In fact, Baley’s agoraphobia is in essence a character all to itself in this book.

It’s his agoraphobia actually, that really helped me better visualize the setting in this book. I had mentioned in my review of The Caves of Steel that I had trouble visualizing the underground New York City, but its contrast here on Solaria really opened my mind’s eye. I myself have traveled all over the world, and I’ve seen alleyways in HongKong and portions of Chinese cities that carry the feel of unground cities, so Baley’s Earth should have been easy for me to picture. But only when he contrasted it to a planet that’s pretty much like a global North Dakota did I finally get a sense of the difference, the difference that often sent Baley reeling into fits of terror while he investigated this murder.

Of the 20,000 people on Solaria (some of them centuries old), only one person could have murdered Mr. Delmarre, and that is the beautiful Mrs. Gladia Delmarre. While robots outnumber Spacers 10-to-1 on Solaria, they all still maintain strict adherence to the Three Laws of Robotics and could not possibly have murdered the man themselves—unless…

Baley and Daneel must find ways to investigate this case on this planet of people who despise (in fact, fear) personal contact with Earthmen and even with each other. They must navigate the unique disparity that Asimov’s world assumes, a disparity between viewing (on screen via hologram) and seeing (in person with one’s own eyes) the people they hope to interview.

This disparity between viewing and seeing was a striking foretaste of where I fear our own society is heading, what with our smartphone addictions and all. How many times have you been in a restaurant only to see the two or more people sitting at a table nearby all with their phones out, faces lit, and mouths silent? Even if you do see them speak to each other, it’s generally without eye contact and likely about something they’re viewing on the phone. We’re a distracted people, rocketing our way towards this terrible future of viewing-not-seeing, self-absorbed and hopeless. It’s really a terrible yet utterly believable future Asimov foresees!

One thing I didn’t quite understand was why the Solarians—who despise physical contact—still had to reproduce the old fashioned way, when artificial insemination had already been normalized and the concept of “family” had long ago been destroyed. Sex becomes a major theme in The Robots of Dawn, so perhaps Asimov was setting himself up for that next phase—26 years in advance.

Overall, I really enjoyed this mystery and the furthering of the Baley-Daneel storyline. I especially enjoyed being propelled into a future where space travel and populating distant planets has become the norm, where planetary cultures and peoples are as varied from one another as national cultures and peoples are today. I’m one step closer to beginning the true Foundation series, and I’m enjoying the process immensely!

©2024 E.T.

Read More from Isaac Asimov:

• The Extended Foundation Series:
  1. The Complete Robot (1982) [A.D. 1995]
  2. The Caves of Steel (1954) [A.D. 3421]
  3. The Naked Sun (1957) [A.D. 3422]
  4. The Robots of Dawn (1983) [A.D. 3424]
  5. Robots and Empire (1985) [A.D. 3630]
  6. The Stars Like Dust (1951) [A.D. 4850]
  7. The Currents of Space (1952) [A.D. 11129]
  8. Pebble in the Sky (1955) [A.D. 12411 or 827 G.E.]
  9. Prelude to Foundation (1988) [12020 G.E.]
  10. Forward the Foundation (1993) [12038 G.E.]
  11. Foundation (1951) [12067 G.E.]
  12. Foundation and Empire (1952) [13800 G.E.]
  13. Second Foundation (1953) [13850 G.E.]
  14. Foundation’s Edge (1982) [14200 G.E. or 498 F.E.]
  15. Foundation and Earth (1986) [14200 G.E. or 498 F.E.]
• Short Story Collections:
  I, Robot (1950)
  Buy Jupiter (1975)
  Gold (1995)
  Eight Stories from the Rest of the Robots (1964)
• Other Novels:
  Fantastic Voyage (1966)