For some reason, despite having read some of the Robot short stories over the years, I'd never read Caves of Steel. My recent RPG related interest in science fiction procedural had a couple of friends recommending Caves of Steel as perhaps the only example of a crime story integrating strong science fiction concepts. The writing and even pacing is somewhat dated, or at least characteristic of the era this short novel was written in. But the content is as relevant today as it was 60 years ago. Asimov is well known for the three laws of robotics, but what I appreciated here is his take on artificial intelligence (as personified by R. Daneel) and in particular the lack of emotional intelligence in robots. Seems obvious, but it struck me that modern fiction seems fascinated with the question of what the difference is between artificial and human intelligence (Westworld, Real Humans, etc.) Asimov is more interested in highlighting the difference and exploring its implications. The modernity of Caves of Steel can also be found in the impact of automation on human activity, a key question facing us today (ie. no longer science-fiction). In a nutshell, a classic, well worth reading and influential depsite the somewhat outdated writing style.
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