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Summary: Astounding Scope; Unity of Vision - A Must Read
Review: Asimov's classic series has a quaint, naïve simplicity about it that never fails to entrance this reader. For all its episodic construction (unavoidable, considering the unparalleled scope) and its rather flat, exclusively male characters, the Foundation Trilogy takes readers back to a time when America was making the world safe for democracy, personal freedoms were a given, and science seemed to be the salvation of a fallible humanity. The first volume, Foundation, sets up the whole idea of the Seldon Plan, a mathematically based view of sociopolitical forces that enables one brilliant scientist to mold a new galactic empire from a foundation of one hundred thousand scientists and their families. After the introduction, whose final paragraphs subtly lay out the whole structure without our knowing it, we get to see the Plan in action as the Foundation faces a series of political and military crises. Because the scientist/hero is long dead before the second chapter, the heroes are the political and economic, rather than scientific, leaders who must resist the temptation to take direct military action, and instead allow events to proceed until Seldon's Plan points out the answer. The magic of this book is the exquisite means the Foundation uses to defeat its enemies without resorting to force, and the convincing arguments Asimov uses to make these solutions seem inevitable. As such, each chapter is like a sociopolitical puzzle that challenges the reader to find the move that will defuse each situation, and taken together these stories comprise a virtual primer in diplomacy. Countless millions of fans have enjoyed Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, consisting of Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. Other Foundation novels, written by the master in his later years, lack the simple charm that makes these earlier works so popular. They were tacked on solely because the power of those first three created a demand that Asimov felt obligated to try to fill, but they have an entirely different feel, and don't possess that single-minded surety of artistic vision that marked the original series. This book is about political maneuvering, not action, so it may not be a favorite of action/adventure fans, although the next book in the series, Foundation and Empire, is a little more dynamic, and reading the complete Trilogy is a must, since the first two volumes don't so much end as just leave off. Still, the vast historical vision begun in this book is so sweeping, it should not be missed by any fans of speculative fiction.
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Summary: reply to strick-man
Review: Well, here goes. You mention that Foundation is dated. Of course it is, it's 60 years old! You'd be surprised at how badly dated some of the stuff being written today is in 60 years. You say a galactic empire can't be made with 'atomics'; you call it good old nuclear fission. Well, not all nuclear power is fission; there is also fusion, which was not a bad idea for space travel in 1941. Strike one. You also mention that Asimov writes in the old 60's detective style of writing. So this dated book is writing in a style popular 20 years in the future. Strike two. You ask if anyone edited the corny dialog; you call it tripe. Of course it was edited; it was made into the editors idea of what would sell in 1941! Remember science fiction wasn't taken seriously then; it was supposed to be rather childish. One need only read later Asimov work (something you admittedly haven't done) to see that he wrote for the market at the time. Books such as 'The Gods Themselves' even have (gasp) sex in them, something that would never have gotten past any editor at the time of Foundation. And guess what? It was written in 1972, a time when society as a whole was more tolerant and ready to accept such topics. 'The Gods Themselves' would have been banned as obscene in 1941. Strike three. To answer your query - Why in the name of antimatter would a galactic civilization be organized along the lines of a fuedal system as were the Middle Ages? - why not? Just because it isn't very popular nowadays on Earth doesn't mean it can't work elsewhere. Besides, the story is a retelling of the decline of Rome - shouldn't there be obvious parallels? Strike four. You mention that the plot doesn't go anywhere. How would you know? You've only read one book. Asimov does a brilliant job of reconciling the original trilogy with the robot novels - especially considering he began the fourth novel 40 years after the original trilogy was written. At a minimum, to really understand the story you would have to read at least the next two books. Strike five. You say the book is pointless. Well, ask yourself this. If that were true, would it have near-unanimous rave reviews? Are you one of a select few that have been able to see the book for what it truly is - a piece of junk? No, the reality is that the state of science fiction in 2001 is that it is generally read by intelligent people - thoughtful, well-read and informed. The wool hasn't been pulled over their eyes, it has been pulled over yours. Strike six. And you misspelled premises and neutrino - Strike seven. You lose.
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Summary: How to Save Humanity?
Review: The fall of the Galactic Empire having been foreseen by the great Hari Seldon through his Psychohistory, a colony, of sorts, of scholars was established on a planet far from the center of the Empire. This Foundation, as the colony is referred, is intended to limit the chaos sure to follow from the Empire's eventual fall. Proceeding the fall, various small dominions erupt, and for a time the Foundation treads water as a neutral entity, but things soon come to a head, and action must be taken. Unfortunately, scholars are not the best equipped to handle such situations. From the outcome of these events, the political structure of the Foundation is altered, and from there again does a conflict occur. As there was such a concentration of intellectual beings in the Foundation, there was no decline in technology as in the rest of the former Empire. And so might superior technology aid in the well-being of the Foundation, as well as its regard from neighbors. This book is actually several separate stories, taking place at different times in the early history of the Foundation, as the citizens try to fulfill the goal of Hari Seldon, now long dead, but nonetheless still influential. These stories are very well written, and obviously had a great deal of thought put into them as to how the collapse and restoration of such an entity might proceed. If you like REAL science fiction, I highly recommend this book, you won't regret it.
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Summary: Introspective and thought provoking.
Review: Foundation is the first book of Isaac Asimov's aptly named Foundation Trilogy. Foundation presents the premise that when examining large enough populations of people it becomes possible to predict their behavior stochastically (and sociologists become statisticians). The great psychologist of the day, Dr. Seldon, finds from his statistical data that there is going to be a great social collapse; and he creates two colonies (or foundations) that are designed to shorten the period of chaos the universe will experience before a renaissance occurs. Without giving too much away, this novel is the story of the early years of one Foundation and its' experiences with the universe around them. This book makes one wonder just how much people act of their own volition and exactly to what extent we are all the same. Is it possible to predict the behavior simply by examining a large group? Another interesting sub-theme with this book that I found extremely interesting is that eventually there won't be any original thoughts; the example given is of archeology; the archeologists of Seldon's age assumed that there was no point in examining ruins; they simply read books written by the archeologists of earlier generations; it was assumed that there was nothing else to find. As people explore, explain, create, and discover more and more of the universe, will there eventually come a time that there is nothing else to find?
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Summary: Finally got to it...
Review: It's taken me quite a while to get around to reading this one, and I hesitate to review the first book of a trilogy when I haven't completed all 3 books, but I figured I'd better get this one in while I can, as it may take me another 10 years to finish the series. I'm surprised that it took me this long to finally read "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov, but I can say that I'm glad I did. Actually, I didn't have high hopes going into it, as I am not a big fan of Asimov's writing. While his technical approach is always entertaining, he tends to become very stilted and ham-fisted when it comes to characterization. It was this quality that turned me off of "I Robot" and almost got me to give him up completely; however, seeing as the Foundation trilogy is regarded as a classic of the genre, I had to give it a shot. As everyone has said over and over (and I'll do it, too), the Foundation trilogy is a futuristic parallel of the fall of the Roman Empire and the following Dark Ages. Hari Seldon, father of Psychohistory, sees the writing on the wall and establishes the Foundation in order to buffer the fall of civilization and technology. The first book of the series, "Foundation", does a good job of setting the stage for what is to come. The book is told in 5 parts, each one focusing on a different character or time period in the early history of the Galactic Empire's fall. Surprising to me, Asimov actually does a fairly good job with his characterization. There's very little melodrama, and the story is evenly paced, holding up pretty well for a tale begun in 1941. The only complaints I have with the story are that the main characters always seem to be overly confident in themselves, as if they are holding all the cards and can easily handle any adversity while blindfolded (presenting a tense situation fails if the protagonist has no concern or doubt for how things will be resolved). Also, as the different parts of the story skip a hundred years here, 30 years there, etc., it may take some imagination on the reader's part to develop a "big picture" of what the Empire is really going through. These are minor issues, however, and should not detract from enjoying the book. One last observation - I have noticed that Hari Seldon appears to be getting younger with each new printing of this book. My copy of "Foundation" from the early '80s, with cover art by Darrell Sweet, shows a decrepit, bent, wizened Seldon (as I feel he should look). The next cover, by Michael Whelan from the early '90s, shows a more healthy and happy Seldon. The cover of the latest edition, shown on this page, features a Seldon who looks like he's about to jump out of his wheelchair and punch you out. You have to love that artistic license...
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Summary: B-O-R-I-N-G
Review: This has to be one of the worst books i EVER picked up. Within the fist 50 pages, iwas bored out of my mind. I don't know why everyone think this book is SOOOOO good, don't listen to them. If you like BAD books this is the one for you! I hope Asimov has some better books, cause he has to be acclaimed a good writer for something (or book)!
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Summary: Sci-Fi Classic
Review: ... The first book (excluding PRELUDE TO FOUNDATION) in a five-book series introduces the idea of pyschohistory. Pyschohistory is simply the mathematics and variables in predicting the general future since it cannot predict an individual's. Hari Seldon, pioneer of this revolutionary science has seen into the future where chaos will INEVITIABLY exist for thirty thousand years but with the triumph with each "Seldon Crises" they will be able to shorten the years by a millenium. Hari Seldon must rely on the future (Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow) to provide each step in shortening the amount of years. FOUNDATION covers the first 100 years of this chaotic period following the life of Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow, the key players in the book. Though somewhat lacking action and fast-pace suspense, it's a very good book nonetheless. Asimov is able to find clever ways to conquer each "Seldon crises" so ingeniously that it makes up for the lack of action. Infact, Asimov writes with a "cause and effect" basis. The book also ends in a way leaving the reader somewhat satisfied yet will want to read the rest of the series. I recommend this book to sci-fi fans or anyone looking for a great read, but the lack of action can bore some. And altogether the series is also great to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: I think this is a great book by itself and worth the time in reading it but if you have time I would recommend reading the whole series. If you do that you might want to start with "Prelude to Foundation" but you don't have to. Pick up this book right away!
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Summary: PLANET TERMINUS- THE SAGA BEGINS.
Review: A GALACTIC EMPIRE IS PREDICTED TO LIE IN RUINS IN THE FUTURE BY THE GREAT PSYCHOHISTORIAN- HARI SELDON.the commission of public safety approves of the seldon plan to minimise the worst of what was to come. two foundations are set up at opposite ends of the galaxy.the first guards the secrets of psychohistory -of this planet nothing could be told. the second -TERMINUS- is the pawn in the master plan of hari seldon. the inhabitants of TERMINUS are busy writing the encyclopaedia galactica.and going on with their lives. in the 50th year of the landing of humans on the planet, the first crises is faced...the first SELDON CRISES. this is when the high & mighty of planet terminus sees seldon appear in the time capsule. other crisises follow and they are dealt with great diplomacy. this story is the story of a disintegrating galactic empire,and that of a lone planet on the outet rims of the galaxy trying to survive in a hostile world of barbaric planets with dictators as the rulers. it is the story of a planet inhabited by the best brains in the galaxy and how they emerge as diplomats from their original occupations of scientists and scholers. asimov is brilliant in sketching the slow but steady evolution of a world of scientists into a world of future rulers. though the jump between great lengths of time makes us feel as if we've experienced a jump through hyper space. a good book to lay one's hands on, if one likes to zoom into the future. a book for all, no doubt asimov's foundation is the perfect start for the following books of the foundation saga. happy reading.
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Summary: The best series ever: The Foundation Series
Review: The Foundation series is the best ever. True, it is set in the future but you don't have to like sci-fi at all to appreciate the true brilliance of Isaac Asimov. The Foundation is a short book. Give it a try. I'll be surprised if you don't immediately pick up the next in the series when you are done!
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