Mass Market Paperback, 264 pages
Spanish language
Published Jan. 22, 2002 by Plaza y Janes.
One of the great masterworks of science fiction, the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building.
The story of our future begins with the history of Foundation and its greatest psychohistorian: Hari Seldon. For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. Only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future--a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, 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.
But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of …
One of the great masterworks of science fiction, the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building.
The story of our future begins with the history of Foundation and its greatest psychohistorian: Hari Seldon. For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. Only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future--a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, 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.
But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. And mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and live as slaves--or take a stand for freedom and risk total destruction.
Of its day. Interesting from the perspective of the history of the genre, and for the exploration of the fundamental idea. As a piece of story-telling, a little weak.
This was a groundbreaking, genre-defining book when it was written, and some of the ideas remain outstanding. Reading it this year was an exercise in uncovering paelofuture: interesting in historical context, but almost completely lacking in the human context I need to really dig into a story. I’m going to alienate a bunch of science fiction fans by saying so, but I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Has a couple of very interesting and impressive ideas. Sadly, all characters change every 20-30 pages, so there's no character development. In other words, the entire book feels like endless introduction.
This time, I'm not gonna read the whole trilogy.
I'm baffled that I don't enjoy another one of those books that so many people hype. I like some of his other books, but maybe I just don't fancy his writing style.
This whole system of "Is it gonna work? IS IT REALLY GONNA WORK?!?!? Yes it worked" is just not my jam. There wasn't that much sci-fi in this one as well, it's just a very minor detail to it.
This whole books starts with a guy that invents a way to guess what will happen in the future and nobody else can do that somehow. It was something that was invented and not some magic device. How is it impossible for everyone else to figure this out? Why did everyone just fall back a thousand steps in technology? Why did nobody look much more into it the first time …
This time, I'm not gonna read the whole trilogy.
I'm baffled that I don't enjoy another one of those books that so many people hype. I like some of his other books, but maybe I just don't fancy his writing style.
This whole system of "Is it gonna work? IS IT REALLY GONNA WORK?!?!? Yes it worked" is just not my jam. There wasn't that much sci-fi in this one as well, it's just a very minor detail to it.
This whole books starts with a guy that invents a way to guess what will happen in the future and nobody else can do that somehow. It was something that was invented and not some magic device. How is it impossible for everyone else to figure this out? Why did everyone just fall back a thousand steps in technology? Why did nobody look much more into it the first time he was right?
I just don't get this book and have no idea to whom I would recommend this one. Maybe these kind of books don't age that well? Maybe I'm just too young to get it. 🤷🏼
Really shows its age, but still a page turner.
I enjoyed re-reading Foundation and plan to continue to read the others in the series. As I've grown older I've become more appreciative of history and how it has shaped our lives, so reading about a science fiction setting where people effectively write the history they want to have is just fun.
The principles of psychohistory, the statistical study of masses of humans to predict their behavior, was fascinating and today's real-world applications of data science scratch at similar concepts. Of course, this is a science fiction book, but it nonetheless explores the what-if: what-if this psychohistory were real and could be applied on human civilization at large?
For a more in-depth review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-foundation-by-isaac-asimov.html
I enjoyed re-reading Foundation and plan to continue to read the others in the series. As I've grown older I've become more appreciative of history and how it has shaped our lives, so reading about a science fiction setting where people effectively write the history they want to have is just fun.
The principles of psychohistory, the statistical study of masses of humans to predict their behavior, was fascinating and today's real-world applications of data science scratch at similar concepts. Of course, this is a science fiction book, but it nonetheless explores the what-if: what-if this psychohistory were real and could be applied on human civilization at large?
For a more in-depth review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-foundation-by-isaac-asimov.html
Dicen en el podcast de los Retronautas que las historias de Asimov son señores hablando. Es más, yo diría que son señores hablando y fumando. Porque, ¿de qué sirve conversar con otro señor en un planeta en el otro extremo de la galaxia si no puedes disfrutar de un cigarrillo del mejor tabaco de Vega? En fin, que estas historias que se publicaron inicialmente en revistas pulp y después juntadas en libros tienen ya ochenta años y ese toque viejuno que tienen me gusta cada día más.
I don't know. Since I've been reading Asimov's books up to Foundation in story order, actually arriving at this cult classic has really felt lacklustre.
To me, this book is something akin to Rogue One. If you consider it within the lore then it's enjoyable, fun, interesting, makes sense. But take the lore away and it's just a bunch of things you don't care about happening to faceless people.
You have to gauge Foundation like this, since for all intents and purposes, this was the ONLY book in the series to begin with. From that reference point, I don't know what the fuss is all about.
Foundation is ultimately book 11 of 15 in the series if you're reading in story order. I'm committed to finishing, and perhaps will appreciate it more once I know the rest of the story.
I like how Asimov strings together series of stories, each of which could stand alone, into a fully coherent whole, and he does this as well as always in 'Foundation', sketching out a solid historical and cutural foundation for his universe. I think he did a better job of bringing his stories fully into four dimensional, polychromatic life in 'I, Robot' or 'Bicentennial Man', but 'Foundation' certainly has enough to it to make me want to read more.
Interesting setting and had its moments especially in the beginning chapters, but the storytelling might have been a bit too complicated or political for me. Should read this again in Finnish in case it was a language barrier thing.
I could not stop reading it. Despite a lack of 'action' it was gripping and entertaining.
Il faudra un jour que je relise et que j'écrive une critique plus complète de ce grand classique de la science-fiction, un roman et une saga que j'avais lu avec énormément de plaisir quand j'étais plus jeune.
Awful treatment of female character. But fascinating to see the roots of modern sci fi.
This holds up a lot better than I remembered. There are some definite artifacts of the Golden Age (every character is a dude who smokes, and the dialogue can be... clunky) but it moves along much better than you'd expect for a novel literally about ideas.
