Asimov seems to be some very uncomfortable bloke when even Malcraft fears him so much despite his long time in the game.

"Malcraft's sanity had been fractured into a billion-piece mosaic stretched over millennia of virtual time"

My favorite line. Strangely enough, Malcraft to me appears quite introspective and not as evil as it might appear. Surely, he is supposed to be K-Rox' enemy, but it feels as if some surprise as to Malcraft's real Intentions might be in store for us.