“I want to be a writer,” said Cal. “Not a word processor, not a tool. A writer.”
Introduction
Gold is Isaac Asimov’s final short story collection, a mix of speculative fiction and personal essays that reflect on writing, creativity, and the future of storytelling.
It’s a fascinating combination of science fiction, meta-commentary, humor, and philosophy — a farewell from one of the greatest sci-fi minds of all time.
What it’s about
The standout story “Cal” revolves around a robot living with a robot master who wishes he can someday be a writer. The writing of this story is unique to Asimov’s signature storytelling and It has deep philosophical undertones as we see Cal struggle to improve his writing and trying to understand what it means to be a robot writer vs a human writer.
How it made me feel
I didn’t expect myself to get so attached to a character in a very short story. It was so brilliantly written and it made me feel sad for Cal for wanting to be more than what he’s capable of.
Rating
5/5
The Reading Runner 