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One day our civilization may settle our whole galaxy, with mighty star empires consisting of millions if not billions of worlds, but what would the centers of such empires be like?

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Credits:
Cosmic Capitals
Episode 447; May 16, 2024
Written, Produced & Narrated by:
Isaac Arthur

Editors:
Lukas Konecny

Cosmic Capitals (Narration Only)

Isaac Asimov’s Robot series – from the iconic collection I, Robot to four classic novels – contains some of the most influential works in the history of science fiction. Establishing and testing the Three Laws of Robotics, they continue to shape the understanding and design of artificial intelligence to this day. 

 Two centuries have passed since Elijah Baley’s actions on Aurora sent settlers from Earth to new worlds all over the galaxy.

The Spacer planet of Solaria has been abandoned by humans, though countless robots remain. When settlers arrive to salvage them, something unthinkable happens – the robots attack.

Accompanied by Gladia Delmarre and the robots Daneel and Giskard, a descendant of Elijah Baley sets out for Solaria to investigate, a quest that will lead them to a vast, catastrophic conspiracy and a revolution in the Three Laws of Robotics.

Robots and Empire, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

Isaac Asimov’s Robot series – from the iconic collection I, Robot to four classic novels – contains some of the most influential works in the history of science fiction. Establishing and testing the Three Laws of Robotics, they continue to shape the understanding and design of artificial intelligence to this day. 

 Could a robot ever show true creativity? Is it wise to trust self-driving cars? Will robotic body parts transform human beings into machines? Will organic technology allow robots to become human?

The Complete Robot combines the stories in I, Robot and The Rest of the Robots with many more found only in this collection – including one of Asimov’s masterpieces, the Hugo and Nebula award-winning novella ‘The Bicentennial Man’.

Featuring Dr. Susan Calvin, Donovan and Powell, and the detective Elijah Baley, hero of the Robot novels, this is the ultimate collection of short stories from a genius of the genre.

The Complete Robot, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST ALL-TIME SERIES

The Foundation series is Isaac Asimov’s iconic masterpiece. Unfolding against the backdrop of a crumbling Galactic Empire, the story of Hari Seldon’s two Foundations is a lasting testament to an extraordinary imagination, one that shaped science fiction as we know it today. 

 Faced with determining the fate of the galaxy, Golan Trevize
hesitantly chose to hand over the rule of the galaxy to planet Gaia. Two mysteries now remain: who has erased the records of Earth – and why?

Determined to ensure his choice was right, Golan sets off with
Janov Pelorat and Bliss, to answer these questions once and for all. But nothing could prepare them for the secrets which await them on Earth. Secrets which predate history as they know it, and will change its significance forever…

Foundation and Earth, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

Isaac Asimov’s ROBOT series – from the iconic collection I, Robot to four classic novels – contains some of the most influential works in the history of science fiction. Establishing and testing the Three Laws of Robotics, they continue to shape the understanding and design of artificial intelligence to this day. 

 How could robots be used in a time of war? Could a robot be raised like a child? Could we allow them to have children of their own? Is there any human profession that could never be performed by a robotic replacement?

In The Rest of the Robots, robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin and engineers Powell and Donovan return to investigate many more puzzling anomalies and catastrophic malfunctions.

With characteristic wit, foresight and imagination, Asimov’s stories uncover the practical and ethical issues humanity will encounter in a robotic future.

The Rest of the Robots, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

First published fifteen years ago, shortly after his death, inside this collection are some of the finest short stories of science fiction writing from one of the genre’s greatest writers, Isaac Asimov. 

 Isaac Asimov was the Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the founder of robot ethics, and one of the world's most prolific authors of fiction and non-fiction. The Good Doctor's short fiction has been enjoyed by millions for more than half a century. Now the definitive Asimov collection is underway with Volume One of The Complete Stories.

Many of these stories are classics of the genre, and the last, 'The Last Question', the absolute personal favourite of Asimov himself. Always entertaining and thought provoking, these stories display Asimov's mastery of the short story form. He remains supreme as the thinking person's science fiction writer.

Living Space: And Other Stories, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

The second volume in an extraordinary collection published shortly after the author’s death. There are 23 science fiction stories, ranging from the very surprising heart-tugger "The Ugly Little Boy" to the overwhelming vision of "Nightfall". In these stories, Asimov's vivid awareness of the potential of technology is translated into human dilemmas. 

 The definitive collection of short fiction by Isaac Asimov, supreme master of the science fiction genre continues with Volume Two of the Complete Stories. The Good Doctor was always ahead of his time and his work stands today as the clearest expression of our collective hopes and fears for the future. But the ever-expanding popularity of his stories with young and old readers alike is explained by their wit, zest and human interest.

Within this volume are stories often voted among the best science fiction stories of all time. In these stories Asimov's vivid awareness of the potential of technology is translated into human dilemmas that are more relevant today than ever before.

Nightfall: And Other Stories, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

The third volume in an extraordinary collection published shortly after the author’s death. There are 23 science fiction stories, ranging from the very surprising heart-tugger "The Ugly Little Boy" to the overwhelming vision of "Nightfall". In these stories, Asimov's vivid awareness of the potential of technology is translated into human dilemmas. 

 The definitive collection of short fiction by Isaac Asimov, supreme master of the science fiction genre continues with Volume Three of the Complete Stories. The Good Doctor was always ahead of his time and his work stands today as the clearest expression of our collective hopes and fears for the future. But the ever-expanding popularity of his stories with young and old readers alike is explained by their wit, zest and human interest.

Within this volume are stories often voted among the best science fiction stories of all time. In these stories Asimov's vivid awareness of the potential of technology is translated into human dilemmas that are more relevant today than ever before.

The Martian Way: And Other Stories, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

The last Isaac Asimov science fiction collection which contains all of his previously uncollected stories. 

 Gold is Isaac Asimov's last science fiction collection‚ one containing all of his uncollected SF stories that had never before appeared in book form. Gold is the final and crowning achievement of the fifty-five year career of science fiction's transcendent genius‚ the world-famous author who defined the field of SF for its practitioners‚ for its millions of readers‚ and for the world at large.

The stories collected here for the first time range from the humorous to the profound‚ for Asimov was engaged until the end of his days in the work of redefining and expanding the boundaries of the literature he loved‚ and indeed‚ helped create. And there is more. For at the heart of this extraordinary compendium is the title story‚ "Gold‚" a moving and revealing drama about a writer who gambles everything on a chance at immortality-a gamble Asimov himself made. And won.

Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection, By Isaac Asimov, Read by William Hope

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