Kerry Mitchell 🍁1d ago
Michael Whelan

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

Mar 30 at 1:28pmWeb
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. Marshall1d ago

@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.

Show threadKerr Avonsen1d ago
@MichaelWhelan I also find it intriguing that Lije Baley is pale and washed out -- wearing grey/black clothes (with just a little highlight of red), his hair is dark and bleached, his skin is the pasty colour of someone who never sees the sun -- and by contrast, R. Daneel Olivaw has bronzed skin, brown hair, brown trousers, and sky-blue top. Was that deliberate?
Show threadMatt Hall2d ago

@MichaelWhelan

Oh... Wild, I just saw the image pop up and said to myself, "R. Daneel Olivaw," and I didn't know _why_ I said it.

Memory is _so_ weird. Also, I just wanted to say you've captured the soul of _so_ many of the books I've read for most of my life. I very much appreciate you and your work.

<3

Show threadMichael Whelan2d ago
@401matthall Thanks so much! 😊 🙌
Show threadDr Andrew A. Adams #FBPE 🔶2d ago
@MichaelWhelan
I love the contrast of the empty escalator for Elijah and R. Danel with the crowded one in the background. Shows the interlocutional role Elijah plays between the two cultures.
Show threadBen Gleason1d ago
@MichaelWhelan I first read that book back when I was in high school. I've always loved that cover art.