Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot

Lore & Background

The story follows Jefferson Wells, a cadet at a military academy on Mars, who buys a small, fat robot that possesses the only mini-anti-gravity device in existence. The robot, originally found in a wrecked spaceship by a man named MacGillicuddy, is renamed Norby by Jeff. Together, they thwart the villain Ing, who takes over Manhattan Island, with help from Jeff's brother Fargo, police officer Albany Jones, and Admiral Yobo. Ing is revealed to be Agent Gidlow, who held a grudge against the Wells family.

Reader's Guide

Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot is significant as the inaugural volume of the Norby series, a collaboration between Janet Asimov and her husband Isaac Asimov. Isaac Asimov noted that while Janet did 90% of the writing, his name was added to boost sales, and he polished the manuscript. The book, along with its sequel, was illustrated for Boys' Life magazine. An audio recording of the first two chapters was released in 1986 by Caedmon Records, narrated by actor Mark Hamill, who later stated he did not recall recording the tracks. The novel introduces Norby's hyperdrive ability, which becomes a subplot for the second book, Norby's Other Secret.

Did You Know?

• Isaac Asimov stated that Janet Asimov did 90% of the work on the book, but his name was wanted for better sales.
• An audio recording of Chapters 1 and 2 was released in 1986 by Caedmon Records, recorded by actor Mark Hamill, who does not recall recording the tracks.
• The book and its sequel were illustrated for Boys' Life magazine.
• Norby's hyperdrive ability creates a subplot for the second book in the series, Norby's Other Secret.