Foundation

244 pages

English language

Published Aug. 14, 2004 by Bantam Books.

ISBN:
9780553803716
OCLC Number:
53896777

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (280 reviews)

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 …

82 editions

Foundation

4 stars

Voilà un auteur et une œuvre dont j’ai évidement entendu parlé depuis longtemps. Selon le 4ème de couverture, c’est « L’œuvre socle de la SF moderne, celle que tous les amateurs du genre ont lue ou liront un jour ». Rien que ça!

Mieux vaut tard que jamais, j’ai enfin sauté le pas, et je dois avouer que j’ai été immédiatement happé par le récit. La première partie nous plonge directement dans ce décor futuriste, où l’humanité a colonisé la Galaxie entière et où les voyages dans « l’hyperespace » sont aussi communs que nos vols long-courriers. Il faut atteindre la deuxième partie et les suivantes pour se rendre compte que les personnages ne sont pas le sujet le sujet principal de l’histoire. C’est bien de la Fondation elle-meme dont il s’agit, de sa naissance à son avènement. Son évolution, prévue près de mille ans à l’avance grâce au génie …

Disappointed

2 stars

I expected to like this more than I did. It blandly assumes "empire" is a good thing and equates imperialism with civilization, while simultaneously equating the old Empire with decay. This is an unsophisticated approach that should have been apparent even in Asimov's time.

Another one of those "Why do people like this so much" books

3 stars

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 …

Review of 'Foundation' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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

Review of 'Foundation' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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

Review of 'Foundation' on 'GoodReads'

3 stars

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.

Review of 'FOUNDATION- PB' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

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.

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Subjects

  • Seldon, Hari (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
  • Life on other planets -- Fiction
  • Psychohistory -- Fiction

Lists