Isaac Asimov's Robots in Time: Dictator

The fourth installment in Asimov's ``Robot Universe'' finds Hunter, Steve, Judy and their colleagues time-traveling back to WW II Moscow in order to undo the nuclear destruction of Moscow, caused by one of their government's gestalt robots, which has gone renegade into the past. Although Wu's ( Perihelion ) protagonists are supposed to be crack government operatives--lead by Hunter, a super-sophisticated humanoid robot--all of them register dull surprise upon hearing of Moscow's total destruction. This installment lacks any of its namesake's famous wit, and it numbs the reader with juvenile philosophical arguments concerning Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics--Hunter, for instance, is constantly weighing his conflicting responsibilities under the laws. The agents' spouting of high school history facts, their ridiculous last-minute alibis to fool the Soviet secret police (Hunter claims he was a farm worker but can't name the farm) and their general bumbling provide inadvertent amusement. Readers can bet that another adventure awaits: upon the group's return, Steve grins when he hears that Beijing has been blown to bits. (Feb.)