Who Would Like This Book:
If you love grand, galaxy-spanning epics, Foundation is a must. Asimov skips the usual space battles and heroic warriors, choosing instead to showcase cunning administrators, political maneuvering, and the big ideas that shape civilizations. The concept of psychohistory - a science that predicts the masses’ behavior - was groundbreaking and is still fun to think about today. History buffs, fans of political strategy, and anyone fascinated by the rise and fall of empires will find a lot to love. Plus, if you enjoy classics that inspired Star Wars and Dune, this is the book that blazed the trail.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you’re all about deep character arcs and emotional journeys, you might find Foundation a bit dry. The novel moves briskly from one era to another, rarely lingering on individuals, and many readers find the characters underdeveloped and the dialogue stiff. The almost total absence of women and dated tech references may also be off-putting. If fast-paced action and modern inclusivity are must-haves, Foundation can feel like a relic from another age.
About:
Foundation by Isaac Asimov is a classic science fiction novel that delves into the story of humanity's downfall and rise through the Foundation. Asimov's writing style captivates readers with intricate plot threads that twist together, focusing on the evolution of society guided by the science of psychohistory. The book spans years, highlighting key turning points in societal growth and development, with a primary focus on the Foundation as the protagonist and the theory of Hari Seldon shaping the future Empire.
The narrative of Foundation is praised for its ability to parallel historical events like the fall of Rome, offering a compelling exploration of how an empire rises, falls, and rebuilds from the ashes. Asimov's storytelling is commended for its ingenious plot and fast-paced nature, despite minimal action. The book is lauded for its unique concept of predicting the future of society through psychohistory, engaging readers with themes of politics, societal evolution, and the inevitability of major events spanning multiple generations.
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From The Publisher:
The first novel in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series
SOON TO BE AN APPLE TV+ SERIES, COMING 9/24/21
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future-to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire-both scientists and scholars-and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.
The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best-and worst-that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.
Ratings (431)
Incredible (86) | |
Loved It (134) | |
Liked It (131) | |
It Was OK (54) | |
Did Not Like (21) | |
Hated It (5) |
Reader Stats (836):
Read It (442) | |
Currently Reading (7) | |
Want To Read (281) | |
Did Not Finish (15) | |
Not Interested (91) |
15 comment(s)
This book has such a big reputation as being one of the great science fiction novels of all time that I simply had to read it. I spent nearly all of last year reading nothing but fantasy and so am spending this year catching up on my sci-fi. This seemed like a good place to start. All in all it was a very good read, interesting story and characters and I can see how it will open up into one of those galaxy spanning epics. If there's one little gripe it would be that it seems to be very much a 'tell them, don't show them' kind of affair, which on the whole I'm not a fan of. The characters and what they say to each other seems to be the method of driving the story forward rather than the author actually describing events and having the characters play them out. This tends to lead to feelings of dusty old men sitting around playing politics as opposed to the all out action novel that I feel it wants to be. Still, it's well written and I did enjoy it. I will continue with the second novel at some point, but not immediately. After finishing Foundation I feel the urge to read something with a little action to it.
Foundation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Foundation and Empire ⭐⭐⭐
Second Foundation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The novel moves quickly, and the scope of the ideas in it is grand, especially in light of the fact that this book was published in 1951. I am not rating it higher because it reminded my of a movie montage in book form. The book jumps from key event to key event to give you the gist of what has happened during the many years that have been compressed into, in this case, 224 pages. I felt that Foundation simply grazed the surface of Asimov's tale and its underlying concepts.
DNF @ 25% similar issue to Three Body Problem i.e., zero focus on character, plot, story only big ideas. Ideas not enough to make you care, would rather read a Wiki about them than long form.
The premise is really interesting, but with the time jumps, it's hard to buy in on any characters. Further, the whole premise is that the future is predicted and schemed out, so the events in the plot feels inconsequential
Audio v en
Across a sweeping narrative of dozens of characters and settings, there is a single woman, who is described in nearly every sentence as being shrewd, cold, annoying, etc. Maybe this would be more interesting if Asimov channeled his dislike of women into homoeroticism. But we don't even get that.
The original was great. Shame about the dramatization.
I'm re-reading the Foundation series, following the original publication date if I can. I remember being enthralled as a middle schooler, then being "eh, this is pulp" in college, and now in mid-30s being "this is really good, especially considering it was published as pulp". The short story format makes it perfect subway commute reading.
Would have preferred it to have more plot and be faster paced.
What can you read after
Foundation?
About the Author:
Isaac Asimov began his Foundation series at the age of twenty-one, not realizing that it would one day be considered a cornerstone of science fiction. During his legendary career, Asimov penned more than 470 books on subjects ranging from science to Shakespeare to history, though he was most loved for his award-winning science fiction sagas, which include the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series. Named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Asimov entertained and educated readers of all ages for close to five decades. He died, at the age of seventy-two, in April 1992.
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