Just noticing: chapters 18 and 19 are the same, as are some others twin chapter in this story.

SO that was what happened? I never read that far in Asmiv novels...

The Solarians finals choices and means are very interesting.

Mh... I am a little disappointed that the story's point of view wasn't more focused on Daneel, or a regular Solarian (minus Gladia of course).

O don't know the writing and chara is good, but it lacks something... I'm bored.

No humor, no winks, no paradox...I'm sleepy.

I always found that amusing: if one didn't speak with a Solarian accent one would be killed. Reminds me of the English class-system where 'having the right (posh) accent' counts for a great deal. Showing that one had 'been to the right school'.

Shame that the Solarians ended up with their own 'caves of steel' when they had that beautiful planet to live on. Needs must, I suppose, if they wanted to give the appearance of having left the planet.

I know what that's like: not liking a person or situation because one compares oneself to or feels shown up by this, and subsequently feels oneself to be inferior or a failure - or somehow perverted.

I am just so-o-o Leebig! I fantasize about having robots to protect me.

I felt it was cruel to use an animal to see if the arrow was poinoned. In another case it was the poisoned drink that Hannis Gruer drank, where Elijah suggested testing this on an animal: both for injecting into and to drink the poisoned drink. I suppose there just wasn't a culture of compassion and certainly not for animals - and somebody who'd lived in the caves of steel most certainly wouldn't have compassion for an animal's suffering.

Lovely!...Daneel 'sneaking' off before those nasty bossy robots come back. Imagine - robots fighting robots...

Interesting too about Elijah appearing to be 'rather childish himself'. That's not something I'd ever associated with him.

This is bringing back lots of memories but I won't say which as that would be leaving spoilers.

Fancy having a robot to do one's hair! Lucky old Klorissa.

It sounds like Gladia didn't know what Daneel really was, at that time, and just assumed he was a somewhat clueless Auroran who didn't know how to handle robots. That's something I'd forgotten.

The embryo farm reminds me of 'Brave New World'.

Maybe it's just me but I always find Asimov's Third Law illogical. For what use is a robot if it gets destroyed; surely it would allow less harm to come to a human if it did NOT get destroyed. Plus it's such a terrible waste of valuable craftmanship and engineering etc.

I would strongly program any robot to be able to question this if they got ordered to destroy themselves for no good reason.

Ah well, maybe Daneel will be smart enough to reason his way out of his current predicament...

I know just how Quemot feels, as regards inhaling another human's breath - even if only imaginary. I've got a UGH thing about people's breath too (that's why I love clean non-breathing robots!).

Poor old Daneel! Is he going to be smart enough to wriggle out of his present situation...?

Silly I know, but I felt sad for poor Daneel, having to 'freeze' at Elijah's orders - even though I know Elijah was getting desperate about being 'allowed' to go out when Daneel was 'coming over all First Law (not allowing a human to come to harm)' and trying to prevent Elijah going out.

Poor Daneel,coming over all faint at the sight of a collapsing human! I remember Elijah, for some unfathomable reason, being impatient with this, and telling Daneel to 'get over it!'.

(Actually it's always seemed illogical to me to design robots that're going to become disfunctional over such a commonplace possibility of a human fainting or collapsing. Left to me I would make robots a whole lot tougher! Asimov didn't get it right there).

This brings back old memories...