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Cover of The Robots of Dawn by Isaac AsimovThe Robots of Dawn
Classic · Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery

The Robots of Dawn

by Isaac Asimov
1983 · 432 pages · Fiction
72.4Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 11 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

A thousand years in the future, humans have colonized the galaxy and created robots with positronic brains. New York detective Elijah Baley and his humanoid robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, travel to the planet Aurora to solve the destruction of a robot, a case that could decide the future of humanity's expansion into space.

Why it's worth reading

It was a Hugo Award finalist. It's a clever science fiction mystery from one of the masters of the genre.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's the third Robot novel; start with The Caves of Steel.

By the numbers

72.4Must-Read Score
  • Readers78 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller28 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Hugo Award finalist (1984)

Reads as

Adventurous, Gripping, Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1980sTop 25 · 202 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Robots of Dawn worth reading?

Yes. It was a Hugo Award finalist. It ranks #1,050 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.4 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Robots of Dawn about?

A thousand years in the future, humans have colonized the galaxy and created robots with positronic brains. New York detective Elijah Baley and his humanoid robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, travel to the planet Aurora to solve the destruction of a robot, a case that could decide the future of humanity's expansion into space.

How long does it take to read The Robots of Dawn?

About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Robots of Dawn?

If you liked it, try Foundation by Isaac Asimov, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.