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Isaac Asimov's Robot City #6
Perihelion
Derec, an amnesia victim, learns the secret of his true identity and must face Dr. Avery, the deranged scientist who controls Robot City
170 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 21, 2016
Found it a very disappointing end to the series
September 29, 2015
This is the conclusion to the six book Robot City series and I, for one, found it fairly satisfying. Robot City hasn't been the best written series I've ever read. Perhaps part of the reason is that most of the books were written by different authors, which is an unusual way to go about writing a series. It's lacked in some ways. The last two books, in particular, I thought were quite bad. But the idea behind the series was original and I appreciated that, and so I continued reading. And I'm glad I did.
In this book, Derec, Ariel, Mandelbrot, and Wolruf find themselves back in Robot City after their horrible time on Earth and they're searching for the insane Dr. Avery, who has infected Derec with a disease in which "chemfets" have infected his system and, as a result, a miniature Robot City is literally growing inside him and it is killing him. He is weak and needs to sleep all the time and he is in a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Ariel has been cured of the Amnemonic plague and is slowing regaining her memory. That's good, because she really carries Derec in this book.
When they descend the pyramid they landed on with the Key of Perihelion, Derec and Ariel are immediately accosted by a Hunter robot who attempts to take them captive. In fact, they don't see too many robots at all. Robot City has changed since they were last there and they come to realize Dr. Avery has reprogrammed the robots somehow for some unknown reason. He's taken their personalities and creativity away from them and has installed a new "migration" program for all humanoid robots to follow, leaving just a few robots to keep the city running.
The four of them escape the Hunter robot, but more Hunters appear, so they flee. They eventually escape to a warehouse where they hide out. Meanwhile, their old former cyborg friend, Jeff, from a previous book, returns to the planet with a big spaceship, since he owes them a favor, presumably to get them off planet and help save their lives. He knows they'll be glad to see him. He lands in the middle of the city and is immediately accosted by Hunter robots. He's stunned. He, too, can see Robot City has changed. Mandelbrot had been able to determine a ship was landing with a human in it, so he takes a truck to the ship in an effort to save him. He does and brings him back to the warehouse. They all swap information and it turns out Jeff had met Dr. Avery through his professor father a few years back. Also, Ariel's mother had been a big contributor to Dr. Avery's funds when it came to building Robot City. Derec is too weak to really join in. They decide they have to find Dr. Avery quickly to get him to save Derec's life, but where to look? They do a scan and find crop fields in the hills outside the city. They decide that must be where Avery is hiding out, so they decide to head there. They decide Mandelbrot and Wolruf should take off separately to act as decoys so the humans can take off in the spaceship and somehow get to the crops to look for Avery.
I don't want to spoil the surprise ending, but there's a lot of action and a lot of tension and they do eventually find Avery and all of the mysteries are finally explained. And there are some real shocking surprises at the end of the book. Frankly, I enjoyed the hell out of the final few pages. This isn't a five star book, but I think it's a fairly four star effort. I'm glad I ended up giving this series a chance. For some quick, lightweight sci fi -- recommended.
In this book, Derec, Ariel, Mandelbrot, and Wolruf find themselves back in Robot City after their horrible time on Earth and they're searching for the insane Dr. Avery, who has infected Derec with a disease in which "chemfets" have infected his system and, as a result, a miniature Robot City is literally growing inside him and it is killing him. He is weak and needs to sleep all the time and he is in a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Ariel has been cured of the Amnemonic plague and is slowing regaining her memory. That's good, because she really carries Derec in this book.
When they descend the pyramid they landed on with the Key of Perihelion, Derec and Ariel are immediately accosted by a Hunter robot who attempts to take them captive. In fact, they don't see too many robots at all. Robot City has changed since they were last there and they come to realize Dr. Avery has reprogrammed the robots somehow for some unknown reason. He's taken their personalities and creativity away from them and has installed a new "migration" program for all humanoid robots to follow, leaving just a few robots to keep the city running.
The four of them escape the Hunter robot, but more Hunters appear, so they flee. They eventually escape to a warehouse where they hide out. Meanwhile, their old former cyborg friend, Jeff, from a previous book, returns to the planet with a big spaceship, since he owes them a favor, presumably to get them off planet and help save their lives. He knows they'll be glad to see him. He lands in the middle of the city and is immediately accosted by Hunter robots. He's stunned. He, too, can see Robot City has changed. Mandelbrot had been able to determine a ship was landing with a human in it, so he takes a truck to the ship in an effort to save him. He does and brings him back to the warehouse. They all swap information and it turns out Jeff had met Dr. Avery through his professor father a few years back. Also, Ariel's mother had been a big contributor to Dr. Avery's funds when it came to building Robot City. Derec is too weak to really join in. They decide they have to find Dr. Avery quickly to get him to save Derec's life, but where to look? They do a scan and find crop fields in the hills outside the city. They decide that must be where Avery is hiding out, so they decide to head there. They decide Mandelbrot and Wolruf should take off separately to act as decoys so the humans can take off in the spaceship and somehow get to the crops to look for Avery.
I don't want to spoil the surprise ending, but there's a lot of action and a lot of tension and they do eventually find Avery and all of the mysteries are finally explained. And there are some real shocking surprises at the end of the book. Frankly, I enjoyed the hell out of the final few pages. This isn't a five star book, but I think it's a fairly four star effort. I'm glad I ended up giving this series a chance. For some quick, lightweight sci fi -- recommended.
August 21, 2012
This was a decent but very anit-climactic end to the series.
For some reason, Wu really likes separating the characters for no good reason. In my mind, all this does is add unneeded drama.
For some reason, Wu really likes separating the characters for no good reason. In my mind, all this does is add unneeded drama.
September 20, 2013
Mantiene un buen ritmo que se agradece, sobre todo comparado con las novelas centrales de la saga. Finalmente se resuelven la mayoría de misterios, encajando las piezas de una forma bastante simplista, sin espacio a la sorpresa realmente. En un par de párrafos se explican las motivaciones, que te dejan bastante frío, de los personajes y no puedes evitar preguntarte en qué estaba pensando el autor en algunos pasajes pero al menos es entretenida y plantea algunas cuestiones interesantes en la robótica asimóvica.
Existe otra saga posterior donde se profundiza con los alienígenas pero tendrá que esperar. En líneas generales, Robot City empieza bastante bien para terminar transformándose en una serie muy mediocre con pequeños destellos aquí y allá
Existe otra saga posterior donde se profundiza con los alienígenas pero tendrá que esperar. En líneas generales, Robot City empieza bastante bien para terminar transformándose en una serie muy mediocre con pequeños destellos aquí y allá
December 31, 2020
Not great,
A lot of interesting setups were made during the first five books, but instead of using all 170 pages for exploring those topics, Wu just has them running around for a big part of the book before finishing some of the storylines in a hurry. Shame, it could have been good.
All in all, This series was an ok read but honestly I can't recommend it to anyone other than the biggest scifi fans.
A lot of interesting setups were made during the first five books, but instead of using all 170 pages for exploring those topics, Wu just has them running around for a big part of the book before finishing some of the storylines in a hurry. Shame, it could have been good.
All in all, This series was an ok read but honestly I can't recommend it to anyone other than the biggest scifi fans.
January 13, 2023
Very disappointing. More for teenagers than anyone else. Glad Ive managed to get to the end of the series.
Started to not care about any of the characters from sanctuary onwards. Just reading to finish the book,
Started to not care about any of the characters from sanctuary onwards. Just reading to finish the book,
May 31, 2008
Six books lead to this masterful piece of crap. What a disappointment.
November 20, 2020
Isaac Asimov opens the novel with an introduction to the concept of how robots interact with one another, especially in reference to the Laws of Robotics and Humanics. The novel begins with the teams return to Robot City to discover that Dr. Avery, hidden in a lair somewhere in the city, has reprogrammed the robots to capture them on sight. Dr. Avery sends hunter robots in search of the team, as well as Jeff who returns to help Derec and Ariel escape Robot City. Together they search for Dr. Avery and discover that his lair on the outskirts of the city is home to Perihelion. The novel offers clarification not only why Dr. Avery injected Derec with the harmful chemfets but that he in fact is his father, Ariel and Derec were lovers before they lost their memories, and the chemfets, once properly integrated into Derec’s body, will allow him to control every within Robot City. Unfurled during the novel’s finale is Dr. Avery’s masterplan, which namely, is for Derec and the Avery robots to control newly terraformed Robot Cities around the galaxy.
February 14, 2023
Bog nummer et i serien var rigtig god, men så faldt kvaliteten. Dette er den sjette og sidste, og den er elendig. Den handler ikke ret meget om “robotics” men om en fuldstændig ligegyldig flugt, og at der er nogen, der har ondt alle mulige steder. Det er en ufatteligt elendig afslutning på serien. Som slet slet ikke yder Asimov respekt. Jeg ved ikke hvorfor han har accepteret at “stå model” til denne bog (disse bøger). De er ikke værd at bruge tid på.
July 14, 2025
Most of this series finale is the group just running from Hunter robots, who they know can't even hurt them directly. Tension is low, and all the (not terribly interesting) revelations come within the last handful of pages.
Glad I reread this series from my childhood (I had kept all the original paperbacks!), but a third read in my golden years is not in the cards.
Glad I reread this series from my childhood (I had kept all the original paperbacks!), but a third read in my golden years is not in the cards.
February 21, 2018
I might have liked this more if I had read other novels in the series. As a stand alone it falls short. I felt no connection to the characters, and I really never felt any suspense. It was adequate reading material for a commute or for lunch break.
April 4, 2020
Hunted by robots can the crew find Dr. Avery before Derec's condition overcomes him?
Great ending also. Nice easy to follow romp over the robot city planet.
Great ending also. Nice easy to follow romp over the robot city planet.
June 12, 2025
Relatively strong final volume, the series overall not a life-changing, but quite enjoyable casual read. I'll move on to Robots & Aliens now.
April 8, 2015
Isaac Asimov's Robot City boot 6: Perihelion (1988) 162 pages by William F. Wu.
Derec has been infected by chemfets by Dr. Avery, and Ariel is recovering from her bout with Amnemonic plague. Mandelbrot and Wolruf are with them as they use a Key of Perihelion to go back to Robot City so that they can find Avery and make him cure Derec.
Dr. Avery is a genius architect roboticist from Aurora, who sent robots to an uninhabited planet to build a city. Derec and Ariel briefly met him after they had put on a performance of Hamlet. Dr. Avery didn't prove to be very congenial, first knocking out Mandelbrot, and then restraining the humans. Derec and Ariel managed to escape from captivity and from the planet using Avery's spaceship. (See book 4). After some adventures on Earth (book 5), they are now back on Robot City.
The whole premise of the book is that they are going to sneak up on Dr. Avery and force him to remove the chemfets from Derec. I know they are trying to sneak up on Avery, because the whole book they are being chased by Avery's robots, who if they catch Derec & Co. will undoubtedly take them to Avery.
Do not read the introduction by Isaac Asimov, half way down the first page he gives away the ending of this book.
The main characters kept telling us the current danger. I found that a bit too much, maybe there could have been some direct observation rather than this just being the characters thinking out loud. I think these books, the series not just this one, are directed at a younger audience, but this one seemed more so.
Derec has been infected by chemfets by Dr. Avery, and Ariel is recovering from her bout with Amnemonic plague. Mandelbrot and Wolruf are with them as they use a Key of Perihelion to go back to Robot City so that they can find Avery and make him cure Derec.
Dr. Avery is a genius architect roboticist from Aurora, who sent robots to an uninhabited planet to build a city. Derec and Ariel briefly met him after they had put on a performance of Hamlet. Dr. Avery didn't prove to be very congenial, first knocking out Mandelbrot, and then restraining the humans. Derec and Ariel managed to escape from captivity and from the planet using Avery's spaceship. (See book 4). After some adventures on Earth (book 5), they are now back on Robot City.
The whole premise of the book is that they are going to sneak up on Dr. Avery and force him to remove the chemfets from Derec. I know they are trying to sneak up on Avery, because the whole book they are being chased by Avery's robots, who if they catch Derec & Co. will undoubtedly take them to Avery.
Do not read the introduction by Isaac Asimov, half way down the first page he gives away the ending of this book.
The main characters kept telling us the current danger. I found that a bit too much, maybe there could have been some direct observation rather than this just being the characters thinking out loud. I think these books, the series not just this one, are directed at a younger audience, but this one seemed more so.
October 4, 2011
What happens in the story are some really amazing things. I like the the book so much a little old but
Still awesome. This book is of wonder, a guy named derec doesn't know where he is he probably thinks that he like got hit by something. Their are so many Robots some can be good and some can be bad. Derec is try to change things or weater he should stay or not.
The problem is that derec doesn't remember nothing because he got memory lost, he is try to find out wearer if he is the right place or if needs to somewhere else like earth. He really doesn't know why to do know if he is lost in a city of robots.
A thing that meand derec have in common is that
Still awesome. This book is of wonder, a guy named derec doesn't know where he is he probably thinks that he like got hit by something. Their are so many Robots some can be good and some can be bad. Derec is try to change things or weater he should stay or not.
The problem is that derec doesn't remember nothing because he got memory lost, he is try to find out wearer if he is the right place or if needs to somewhere else like earth. He really doesn't know why to do know if he is lost in a city of robots.
A thing that meand derec have in common is that
August 26, 2016
My five stars are not for this book but for the series. Granted, it's a somewhat uneven saga but in the end I genuinely cared about Derec and Ariel, so there it goes. It's kind of light SF but the three laws permeate it and offer some good intellectual dialogue and, as said, the characters are endearing. Recommended to Asimov robots fans.
October 1, 2015
I'm still not sure what to feel.
It was consistently uneventful right after the end and then everything went by too fast and I didn't get all the answers I was looking for.
I did like the answers I got, though.
It was consistently uneventful right after the end and then everything went by too fast and I didn't get all the answers I was looking for.
I did like the answers I got, though.
September 14, 2009
All the questions are finally answered in this one - great finish to the series!
July 31, 2010
What a fun series--who says space opera is dead?
January 17, 2015
Stom einde. nog veel onduidelijk. laatste deel van de serie dus zal wel zo blijven
Read
April 10, 2018Tan emocionante como las entregas anteriores...lo recomiendo
June 16, 2018
nice ending of the series. not recommendable as stand alone.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews