Dear readers ;
Some of you may be puzzled by this month’ cover. When I saw it first I had a strange feeling , I was both disgusted and fascinated.
The picture shows a giant robot holding in one hand the bloodstained body of a man.
Who is this man ? We can only guess: maybe he was a scientist who created the robot, maybe a man who wanted to destroy the robot ?
The position of the body let us know that the man is dead , and the idea that the robot has killed him comes easily. It is a violent death ; there is blood on the corpse and on the robot. The picture is disturbing but very powerful . Its style can be compared to the aesthetic of the movie Metropolis. But the message of this picture would be nearest to Isaac Asimov's books .
The robot looks cold and sad , it is huge and yet conveys an impression of having no brain and no soul , looking blankly ahead as if having no idea of what has been done. And yet if you look closely again you will notice a sparkle in the robot's eyes: this makes him seem desolated, really sorry, even hopeless about the situation
This picture may be a warning against a technology that generates inhuman creatures who are merciless and who could turn against their inventors
Although a robot is not programmed to kill , it may hurt us in so many ways .
But it is time
for me to stop writing, to let you think by yourself about our future. And as
always.. Think well !
By the director of Astounding Science Fiction
