Michael Whelan2d ago

THE CAVES OF STEEL (1986)

Acrylic - 18" x 30"



The composition of this painting is dictated by the "caves" metaphor running through the narrative and reflected in the title. The figures of Baley and Daneel are surrounded by the vast metal "cave" of an Earthly city. 1/4

#sciencefiction #illustration #isaacasimov #delreybooks

Show threadMichael Whelan2d ago
The political tension which provides a nervous undercurrent to the narrative is indicated in the stickers and posters stuck on the escalators—a part of city life since Pompeii and visible, of course, in any contemporary metropolis today. 2/4
Show threadMichael Whelan2d ago
The problem here was how to reveal Daneel as a robot when he is described as looking exactly like a human being! Fortunately there are a couple of scenes in the book where Daneel "opens up"–literally–and reveals his inner makeup to Bailey. 3/4
Show threadMichael Whelan2d ago

Cover illustration for THE CAVES OF STEEL by Isaac Asimov (Del Rey) 4/4

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/caves-of-steel/

Show threadGabriel N2d ago
@MichaelWhelan that’s one of the most fun Asimov Novels!
Show threadD. G. Marshall

@wtrmt @MichaelWhelan

I remember reading that Asimov wrote it because his (agent? editor?) said you couldn't write a mash-up of two genres.

So Asimov wrote a Science Fiction Murder Mystery to prove you could, in fact, write such a thing.

Mar 31 at 2:29amWeb