Synopsis
Dr. Link invents the first self-aware robot. Through a series of accidents, the robot because accused of murder and is chased through the countryside.
History
First publication: Amazing Stories, January 1939
Review
This story is noted as the first time robots were seen with any sympathy, soon to be followed by Del Rey’s “Helen O’Loy”. Told from the viewpoint of the robot, the feelings and the moral questions that go through the robot’s brain are related. Does he have a soul? Is he a monster, an abomination? Will creations inevitably destroy their creators? For such a short story in an early science fiction pulp magazine, this story shows a surprising level of sophistication. It is a science fiction classic.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Great SF Stories 1 (1939), edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, paperback, DAW Books, 1979-03-00
