The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mystery science fiction, my two favorite genres masterfully knitted together by Asimov. It is curious this never quite made it to the big screen; it could be a good movie. The structure of society, these giant cities, is interesting; there is the standard inevitablity of greater and greater bureaucratic control at the cost of individualism. But at the same time, the need and value of individualism is implicit in many ways. I was also struck by the musing of Baley about the "ancient" market systems. He says something along the lines of the primitive nature of bartering and chasing the dollar, but then goes on to see that the same traits are still present but directed at status and similar things. I see these themes running through Asimov's work (which is why I am rereading).
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