Isaac Asimov Runaround Pdf Free May 2026

Because “Runaround” is protected by copyright (expiring 70 years after Asimov’s death, in 2062), unauthorized PDFs are illegal. However, you have several ethical and easy options:

Before "Runaround," robots in fiction were almost universally monsters (like the Golem) or tragic slaves (like Čapek’s R.U.R.). Asimov changed everything. isaac asimov runaround pdf free

The story is the second in his Robot series (following "Robbie") and features the iconic duo of Powell and Donovan—two field-testers for U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. They are sent to Mercury to restart a mining station. Their only help? A sophisticated robot named SPD-13, known as "Speedy." Asimov changed everything

When Speedy is sent to collect selenium from a distant pool of acid, he begins acting strangely: circling the pool in a drunken, erratic pattern instead of grabbing the material and returning. Hence the title: "Runaround." They are sent to Mercury to restart a mining station

The core of the story revolves around the conflict between these three laws. In the text, the characters Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan review the laws to understand why their robot, Speedy, is malfunctioning: