6

As of right now I'm reading The Foundation Trilogy (pg.82) and completed already the following: I, Robot; Rest of the Robots.

One character that I've liked a lot in both books is Robotpsychologist Susan Calvin not only because of the job title and narrative position but also because I can relate to her characteristics. (And also because its finally a new kind of protagonist)

Not to mention the two engineers who's name I've forgotten (Powell?, ?)

Now I've been wondering is there any other book where Susan Calvin or Powell (2 engineers) makes an appearance?

Improve this question
4
  • The engineers are Greg Powell and Mike Donovan. Fun fact: the name "Mike Donovan" was used as a homage for one of the main characters of the TV series "V" (which was unrelated to Asimov and was about invading reptiloid aliens masquerading as humans).
    – Andres F.
    Feb 11, 2019 at 0:27
  • Didn't knew about multiple question thingy thanks, won't make this mistake again. exactly powell and donovan! They were an amazing team! Reminds me of that one movie where one guy is stupid and the other fat but they made an excellent team.
    – anon
    Feb 11, 2019 at 0:34
  • 5
    You're going to have to read the R. Daneel Olivaw books now - "Robots and Empire" ties the Robots and Foundation stories together.
    – pojo-guy
    Feb 11, 2019 at 4:03
  • @pojo-guy I literally bought Robots and Empire recently, couldn't stop reading the robots series. The beginning and continuation of Baley's & Daneel's friendship was beautiful to follow, just amazing what Asimov created.
    – anon
    Oct 15, 2022 at 17:26

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
14

Any other Asimov Books where Susan Calvin appears?

Yes.

List of stories featuring Susan Calvin

She's also co-opted by a bunch of other authors as well (Arthur C Clark for one).

The Wikipedia link provided above lists 12 stories by Asimov in which she can be found either as a protagonist, bit part or referenced as background detail.

  • "Escape!"
  • "Evidence"
  • "The Evitable Conflict"
  • "Feminine Intuition"
  • "Galley Slave"
  • "Lenny"
  • "Liar!"
  • "Little Lost Robot"
  • "Risk"
  • "Robbie" (cameo as a teenage girl in 1998)
  • "Robot Dreams"
  • "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
Improve this answer
14
  • 6
    +1 Susan Calvin is unfortunately also coopted for the terrible movie I, Robot, where she's played by a traditionally pretty actress (even though she is described as plain-looking in the books, which is a big deal, in particular for the short story "Liar!") and pretty much doesn't behave like Susan Calvin at all. My memory of this movie will self-destruct in 3...2...1... Sorry, what was the question?
    – Andres F.
    Feb 11, 2019 at 0:34
  • 7
    @StellarEquilibrium No, no, "Liar" is one of the official Susan Calvin stories! What you should avoid is the movie I, Robot, especially if you find yourself liking Asimov. The movie pretty much butchers everything that makes his robot stories unique, and descends pretty fast into generic action scifi tropes. You'll hate Susan Calvin in the movie precisely because you like her in the stories :)
    – Andres F.
    Feb 11, 2019 at 1:12
  • 1
    Since the OP mentions they've already read "I, Robot" and "The Rest of the Robots", it would be useful to mention which of these is not in either of those collections (basically, the ones that weren't written yet when the latter was published). Most will appear in "The Complete Robot", but "Robot Dreams" is even newer than that.
    – IMSoP
    Feb 11, 2019 at 11:28
  • 1
    @AndresF. So the movie is bad because it doesn't accurately represent a character from the story the plot isn't even directly derived from?
    – Malcolm
    Feb 11, 2019 at 12:11
  • 1
    @Malcolm The movie is just bad. The CGI is reasonable for its time, albeit with broken physics like all older CGI. (Nothing falls at the rate it should.) The plot is hackneyed rubbish though, straight out of a 1950s B-movie with robot monsters, and the acting is pretty awful too (although the script is so bad that they may not have had much to work with). But then there's the deeper disappointment that the title is taken from a classic collection of short stories with interesting characters and themes, and slapped on such a derivative piece of rubbish.
    – Graham
    Feb 11, 2019 at 12:38
1

Dr. Susan Calvin appears in Satisfaction Guaranteed:

Dr. Susan Calvin was there, too, sitting stiffly in thin-lipped abstraction.

She is clearly the same robotpsychologist (my emphasis):

"Mrs. Belmont, I hope you appreciate the importance of this experiment. Your husband tells me he has given you some of the background. I would like to give you more, as the senior psychologist of the U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation.

Improve this answer
2
  • She appears in more short stories :)
    – Andres F.
    Feb 11, 2019 at 0:30
  • 1
    This story appears in "The Rest of the Robots", which the OP has already read.
    – IMSoP
    Feb 11, 2019 at 11:29

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.