Foundation is a landmark in science fiction history by one of the all-time giants of the genre, Isaac Asimov. Though this novel in itself is perhaps not an all-time great, the series the it is the beginning of most certainly is.
Overview --------------
The Galactic Empire is falling, but no-one can see it apart from one man. This man, Hari Seldon, has developed the science of "Psychohistory" - the art of predicting future events be analysing mob behaviour mathematically. It doesn't work for individuals, only for large groups of people - and Seldon has predicted the future of the Empire (it doesn't look good) and has developed a plan. The Seldon Plan is to set up two foundations, at "opposite ends of the galaxy", to shorten the foreseen 30 millennia of barbarism following the fall of the Empire to a single millennium, and ensure that a new, stronger Empire arises.
Naturally the current Emperor isn't too keen on this madman (as he sees it) spreading alarm throughout his dominion, so he packs Seldon and his followers off to the far distant planet of Terminus. Little does he know that this is exactly what Seldon had wanted…
The story follows the first Foundation during the course of its first two centuries and the first 3 "Seldon Crises". (I won't go into detail about these, or indeed what a "Seldon Crisis" is, as it might spoil things for you.) The first two great leaders of the Foundation and how they became such are detailed here, and how the "Seldon Plan" manages to carry on despite all problems and seeming setbacks.
Writing Style ------------------
I was a huge fan of Asimov's writing back in my teenage years, and still immensely enjoy his books despite being far more aware of the shortcomings in his writing. His books are extremely plot-driven and this is often at the expense of characterisation - this is especially the case in Foundation because of its episodic nature. This can't be helped for two reasons - firstly, due to the time-span of the novel, it couldn't possibly feature the same characters throughout; secondly, it was first published as a series of short stories. Because the plot is so good and so involving this isn't really a problem but it may put some people off. (In my experience Asimov seems to be an author people either love or hate.)
Strangely there seem to be quite a few typos in the book, this seems to be a recurring theme with Asimov's work (I have read very few books with a noticeable number of typographical errors, the worst case being another Asimov book.) He must just have had really bad luck with proof readers, or maybe the publishing houses struggled to keep up with his enormous output of novels! Either way, it is an annoyance, but not a fatal one.
You really do have to be a science fiction fan to like this book, though; there's no way it's going to make you a convert. It's also quite wordy, a lot more talk than action, and the characters tend to be presented rather formally. The overall plot development and the way some of the scientific ideas are presented easily make up for the shortcomings though to a true sci-fi fan.
Overall ------------
This first book of the Foundation series isn't the best of them, but for sci-fi fans it's a fine read - in fact, you can't really call yourself a true sci-fi fan unless you've read it. If you've read any other Asimov books and enjoyed them, you will definitely enjoy this one. If you haven't… well, this isn't a bad place to start, though perhaps Nightfall is a little more accessible to those unacquainted with his style. It's quite a quick read but an utterly compelling one. I give you fair warning though, if you get like this one you'll quickly get hooked on the whole series...
Can't remember where or how long ago I got it, but you can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £5.59 new (RRP £6.99) or from as little as a penny on Amazon's Marketplace.
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Great stuff! I'm very excited as two of the rather rare Galactic Empire books came through the post for me today, including Pebble In The Sky, his very first novel! Anyway, love this book and the Foundation series in general and I've so far read the first five, leaving just 'Prelude' and 'Forward The Foundation to go - Second Foundation and Foundation's Edge have been the high-points so far for me ;) tom
Soundsexciting 01.12.2005 00:11
Big fan of asimov. I've read the foundation series probably 20 times now.
As asimov became more and more experienced, he started to refuse to have revisions made to many of his books. Editors were rather frightened of him apparently. So I guess the typos are there because people were too afraid to tell him :)
I've always wanted someone to make a film or scifi series of the foundation saga but I guess its not blockbuster material for a wide audience.
torr 30.11.2005 14:19
So long since I've read it that I can hardly remember it at all. Certainly a landmark series though. And congrats on the orange, incidentally. Duncan
Foundationmarks the first of a series of tales set so far in the future that Earth is all ... more
but forgotten by humans who live throughout the galaxy. Yet all is not well with the Galactic Empire. Its vast size is crippling to it. In particular, the admin...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Foundation marks the first of a series of tales set so far in the future that Earth is all ... more
but forgotten by humans who live throughout the galaxy. Yet all is not well with the Galactic Empire. Its vast size is crippling to it. In particular, the admi...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The first volume of Asimov's saga which won the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Novel ... more
Series. The ostensible task of Foundation a group of savants established by Seldon on the remote planet Terminus is to compile the "Encyclopedia Galactica" a complet...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Complex and clever yet not too long, ambitious ideas and very well-written Disadvantages: Pretty much devoid of action, some very long dialogues
Advantages: Complex and clever yet not too long, ambitious ideas and very well-written Disadvantages: Pretty much devoid of action, some very long dialogues
Nov 22nd, 2005
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