The bit that you skip #152: John Baker – The Caves of Steel

Isaac Asimov always said that science fiction was a genre that could adapt to any tried and true genre of literature. Time proved him right and his Elijah Baley trilogy consisting of The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and The Robots of Dawn are a concatenation of a hard boiled detective story and speculative fiction.

The uneasy relationship with robots, economic class caps, and population concerns are topics that permeate Asimov’s trilogy, and although the tropes of the crime genre are there, wooden dialogue and all, it’s a captivating read. Since my dad was a science fiction hoarder, he had copies of this trilogy and he lent me his well-thumbed copies to read when I was knee deep in the genre thanks to Verhoeven’s adaptation of Starship Troopers and a lit teacher who was obsessed with Theodore Sturgeon’s More than human. When she found out how many sci fi books my dad carried, she freaked out. They never met, though.

The BBC adapted The Caves of Steel in 1964 as part of the BBC’s Story Parade anthology. Irene Shubik, who would later story edit Out of the Unknown, loved Asimov’s work and commissioned Terry Nation (creator of the Daleks) to adapt the book. The anthology proved modern books could be adapted to TV and allowed Shubik’s Out of the Unknown to run for three series.

Sadly, as most of the BBC’s output, The Caves of Steel is wiped, now becoming another missing episode. It’s a shame, as Peter Cushing as Elijah Baley is perfect casting.

The music for Story Parade was relegated to the trusty BBC Radiophonic Workshop. For The Caves of Steel, John Baker uses his wondrous jazz education and mutates the genre to include early electronic music. It’s unsettling at first, but it really grows. Ignore the slighty cheese few seconds of the beginning and lose yourself into the futuristic grimy streets of New York, with intolerance and human greed fueling a good old plot boiler.

-Sam J. Valdés López

https://youtu.be/dy27KTVN82g?si=Reu4bcq5-0CmHobZ

The Caves of Steel taught me something other than a man needs to be embarrassed about three times before being humbled:

https://youtu.be/x4kBq7kr3UU

#reading #TheCavesofSteel #vocabulary

'It is not your custom to eavesdrop?'
- Page 55

¬‿¬

https://hopfieldiswriting.com/2026/03/03/the-caves-of-steel-reading-tabs-1/
#reading #annotating #thecavesofsteel

When I finished the second chapter of The Caves of Steel, I had a lot of … opinions.

Check them out here: https://hopfieldiswriting.com/2026/02/19/entering-the-caves-of-steel/
#TheCavesofSteel #Reading #ReadingNotes

‘The Caves Of Steel’ Still Has Much To Say

The Caves Of Steel (1953) by Isaac Asimov is a thoughtful and engaging story that has a shocking relevance today. By combining science fiction and mystery, Asimov elevates both genres to new levels. The Caves Of Steel is more than a whodoneit in an SF wrapper. It is story that enlightens as it entertains.

The unthinkable has happened. A high ranking scientist is discovered dead in Spacertown. The initial signs point to only one thing. The murder is the work of an Earther. However, that is impossible since Spacertown is exposed to the sky.

Detective Elijah Baley is assigned the task of investigating the murder and bringing the criminal to justice. Since the murder took place in Spacertown, the Spacers insist that one of their people assist in the investigation. Baley’s new partner is Daneel Olivaw. R. Daneel Olivaw, a robot.

Baley and Daneel must work together to discover the truth before Earth faces occupation by Spacer forces. Together they must overcome ignorance and prejudice while following the sparse trail of clues in the pursuit of justice. A trail that could lead to the end of human existence on Earth, or worse.

The Caves Of Steel ranks among the best of Asimov’s works and with good reason. Unlike his earlier Foundation (1951) stories The Caves Of Steel is a story about people and not just ideas. The Caves Of Steel is a story of people, their attitudes, and the consequences of their actions.

The world of The Caves Of Steel is one where humans have spread to the stars in a limited way. However, the colonization has stalled and Earth’s population is becoming unmanageable. Asimov’s world building is impressive in that he sees possible problems and how we might cope with them. However, given the age of the story the numbers involved are wildly out of date. Despite this, the intent behind the ideas are just as pivitol.

The Caves Of Steel is perhaps Asimov’s first story where his characters do more than serve the ideas he wishes to convey. The protagonists, Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw, have a depth and complexity not seen in much of Asimov’s earlier works. This gives the reader a greater connection to the story and its outcome. Unfortunately though, Asimov can’t write female characters well.

The plot of the story revolves around the murder of a Spacer scientist. While this is the driving thrust of the story Asimov uses it to explore the themes of prejudice and racism. In The Caves Of Steel Asimov uses robots as the object of racism. In contrast to the Earther prejudices the Spacers are a society where robots are accepted fully. Through this contrast Asimov also explores a path to change.

This change is primarily embodied by Elijah Baley. Baley begins the story as anti-robot as anyone on Earth. Yet through constant exposure Baley’s attitudes alter over time. By the end he sees the worth of robots and R. Daneel Olivaw in particular.

Much of Baley’s changing attitude happens while investigating a secret society known as “Medievalists”. The Medievalists see the only way forward for humanity is by return to the ways of the past. A past they have idealised. A past that never really existed at all. This is something we are witnessing in many places in the world. Conservative groups are romanticising a past that never existed and are using disturbing and violent methods to achieve their aims.

I first read The Caves Of Steel more than forty years ago and I haven’t returned to it since. In rereading this book I had the idea that I would find it quaintly charming with a sense of nostalga. I was not expecting to come in contact with a chilling relevance to current events.

The Caves Of Steel is not a perfect story. The mystery aspect is full of red herrings and false starts that are meant to keep the reader guessing. Instead of following clues to a satifying conclusion, Asimov relies on a rush of inspiration and insight to solve the mystery. Once solved the reader may not agree with Asimov’s conclusions.

The Caves Of Steel is a classic SF novel not simply because of its age but because it still has something to say. Don’t read The Caves Of Steel just because it’s a classic story. Don’t read it simply because it’s part of a larger series. Read it because it opens a window on the world we live in today.

I've recently finished The Caves of Steel, and my favourite part of it is Detective Baley getting absolutely humiliated over and over because he is without doubt the worst detective I’ve ever heard of.

Daneel 2. Baley 0.

I complain a little more over here: https://edaldiswriting.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/from-asimov-humiliation-kink/

#TheCavesofSteel #Reading #SciFi