Written in 1954, Asimov wrote The Caves of Steel to prove that science fiction could be successfully fused with other genres, in this case, crime fiction. I don’t think it’s particularly successful as a crime novel, but Asimov’s vision of our future is breathtaking.

The story is set on a planet earth we can hardly recognize, where Cities are enclosed under domes and people live an artificially manipulated life with no contact with the natural world. The New York City in this world is spread over two thousand square miles and has population well over twenty million. There are some eight hundred such Cities on Earth. Each City is semiautonomous, economically self-sufficient. They are tremendous, self-contained steel caves.

Medievalists (those who believe society should return to a lifestyle more connected to nature and the old ways) are seen as revolutionaries and trouble-makers. ‘In Medieval times, people lived in the open. They lived close to nature. It’s healthier, better. The troubles of modern life come from being divorced from nature.’

It’s fascinating to read this book in 2020, as our world struggles to survive the ravages of climate change and over-population. The crime aspect of The Caves of Steel may not be particularly satisfying, but Asimov’s vision of the future makes this book well worth reading.

A note regarding this edition: it is riddled with typographic errors which I found particularly irritating!