This series by Isaac Asimov is a remarkable journey across the rise and fall of a galactic empire, as generation after generation of Foundationers struggle struggle to implement Hari Seldon's grand plan and avoid a galaxy-wide dark age!
Published 1951-1953; won the 1966 Hugo award for best series of all time.
Brent: 4 stars. An incredible premise. It is so interesting to think about the long-term future predictions of psychohistory. The first novel is the best of the three, but there isn’t too much fall-off.
Cody: 4 stars. Engaging combination of human social psychology meeting hard-science and mathematics, with clever plots and twists. Falls short a bit in the sheer amount of expository dialogue between characters, but at least the dialogue is very interesting!
Here's the setup:
To begin with, we’re talking about the original trilogy here, because there are more Foundation books beyond these, however they were published much later and have a different feel.
Okay, summary!
Hari Seldon is a scientist living on the capital planet of the galactic empire, the planet-city Trantor. He combines mathematics and psychology to create the new science of psychohistory, and with it predicts that the empire that has ruled and kept the peace for tens of thousands of years will collapse within 500 years. The collapse is inescapable, but Seldon sees a single, narrow path that could shorten the dark ages after the collapse from 30,000 years to 1,000 years, and establishes a Foundation at the barren edge of the galaxy to enact that plan.
The books are essentially organized as collections of short stories, each detailing the story of a new generation of foundationers as they seek to navigate a crisis that threatens the plan and the very existence of the Foundation and sophisticated civilization.
Hugonauts' Thoughts:
Asimov's view of history as the result of the collective work of humanity rather than the actions of a few great men is very refreshing and real - a nice change of pace from the typical hero's journey. The rise and fall of galactic empires is collective. History isn't just the story of 'big men'.
The original trilogy is among the most popular works of the Golden Age of sci fi, and for good reason. The overall story arc established in the first book is very, very good, and provides a great framework for the whole series. The Seldon crises and conflicts are so well written and thought out, it almost feels like you could figure them out yourself if you could tear yourself away from the book long enough to think it through.
The technology also holds up remarkably well - Asimov was a master of making things futuristic without being too specific about how they worked, and it's helped make his series into a timeless classic.
The only shortfall of the series is that almost all of it takes place as conversations between two men in back rooms revealing plots, events, and ideas to each other in long monologues. These are novels about politics that are written from the perspective of the politicians and business people who are making things happen. It does begin to get burdensome from novel to novel, but it is a fantastic style in Foundation itself.
Reading just Foundation is just fine too, if you are daunted by a series. And it is also Asimov’s real triumph.
Related Books
If you loved this one, you might also like:
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
The monks of the Order of Leibowitz protect the collected knowledge of pre-nuclear apocalypse humanity in this funny and insightful trek through 1,000 years of future human "history" that feels a lot like the middle-ages.
A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
A diplomat from a far-out galactic mining colony is thrown into danger and political intrigue after being appointed ambassador to the capital of the nearby galactic empire.
I, Robot - Isaac Asimov
Some argue the stories of I, Robot are Asimov's best work, and we aren't necessarily disagreeing. Learn the three laws of robotics, and see if you can figure out the mystery of their unintended consequences.
Watch or listen to the full Foundation discussion:
We earn commissions when you buy books through the links on this page. It doesn't cost you any extra and it really helps support the show!
Коментари