In the far future, humanity has long since colonized many worlds beyond our solar system with the help of positronic robots. During those years, an expanding philosophical and cultural schism has formed between the people of Earth and the “Spacers.” Colonists regard Earth—with its enclosed and overcrowded Cities, agoraphobic citizens, and abhorrence of robots—as a backward planet rife with filth, ignorance, and disease.
Just outside of New York City, Spacetown keeps its borders closed to citizens of Earth except by appointment and even then, visitors are required to shower and submit to a medical exam before being permitted to enter. After the murder of a prominent “Spacer” roboticist, Doctor Sarton, Spacetown authorities engage NYC police to investigate.
Enter plainclothesman Elijah “Lije” Bailey, assigned to the case by his agitated supervisor, Police Commissioner Julius Enderby, who seems more concerned about maintaining an amicable relationship with the Spacers than about solving the murder. More, Spacetown authorities insisted on assigning one of their own detectives to the investigation, Daneel Olivaw—a robot indistinguishable from a human, configured with a special “justice” circuit.
To make matters worse, members a subversive group called the Medievalists—whose goal is to see Earth return to a time reminiscent of the 20th century—somehow discover Olivaw’s true nature and begin conspiring against the two detectives, hampering their investigation.
Bailey is well aware that if the citizens of New York learn that an advanced humanoid robot walks among them, their paranoia and outrage could easily spark a destructive riot…
The Caves of Steel, referring to Earth’s enclosed cities, is the first in a trilogy of SF detective novels starring Elijah “Lije” Bailey and his android partner R. Daneel Olivaw (all robots in this trilogy are designated by the first initial of “R”). While the murder of Doctor Sarton is the catalyst that brings these two characters together, their investigation soon becomes secondary in favor of developing their partnership and to Olivaw’s full range of capabilities as a robot but lack of human cultural experience, as well as Bailey’s relationship with his wife, Jessie, and to a lesser extent, his son, Bentley.
Yet, Asimov adroitly ties all of these elements together for a neatly packaged and satisfying ending. There is little doubt as to why The Caves of Steel, and its two sequels (The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn) are counted among Asimov’s best works of science fiction. Asimov pays more attention to character development here than in many of his other novels, save perhaps for the Foundation series, in which Olivaw is also a fairly prominent character.