Foundation

by Isaac Asimov

paperback, 272 pages

English language

Published July 29, 2008 by Del Rey, Asimov, Isaac.

ISBN:: 978-0-553-38257-0
OCLC Number:: 53896777

(15 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 …

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.

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.

82 editions

crochetedman reviewed Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Review of 'Foundation' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

The Foundation series are some of my favorite books. They're definitely a product of their time (Asimov was clearly more comfortable with writing short stories for magazines than with writing novels, and his biases are obvious in the misogynistic treatment of the few women in the story) but their basic ideas hold up well.

I personally really enjoy the rather dry political tone, and both the lack of focus on character development and the long time-skips are fitting given the premise of the story (which posits a theory of "psychohistory" in which the overall trajectory of a large group is emphasized over the actions of individuals, and which can be used to predict and direct the future over long periods of time). The plot twists and reveals also never come out of nowhere, and sufficiently tie back to previous details to make each individual part feel neat and tidy.

po3mah reviewed Foundation by Isaac Asimov

masterpiece of sociology

5 stars

I wonder why th I didn't read this book before. Almost all modern scifi is borrowing ideas from it.

ManyRoads reviewed Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Review of 'Foundation' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a very good novel- the beginning of a major life's work. Clearly no one should expect this novel comes to a closure. It is instead a beginning of a' mystery' and tale of evolution.

Eph (they, them) reviewed Foundation by Isaac Asimov

How mankind can never get it right

5 stars

Content warning Plots and themes revealed broadly

Now that I am getting an understanding of Bookwyrm, this is my first useful Review. We tend to critically review literature through the lens of evolutionary psychology.

What we find in both sci-fi and all fiction really is the ignorance of how enslaved we are to evolutionary drives, behaviors, and thinking. In this fabulous book, once again mankind has surpassed all imaginable science and technology. Yet, humanity's nature destroys it all, taking the universal Empire back to chaos.

You might argue, well ain't that showing our evolutionary natures. Why, yes, it is. My critique is, why can't we grow in intrinsic self-awareness as we grow cerebrally? The problem always is in fiction is such intrinsic self-awareness cannot be attained in a top-down manner. The ability to manage our primitive drives, behaviors, and beliefs, is attained through somatic and mindful awareness.

But, if we evolved beyond our evolutionary behaviors along with our progress in science and technology, we'd have no good science fiction to read!

oad@bw.diaspodon.fr reviewed Fondation by Isaac Asimov (Le cycle de Fondation I)

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 …

Ce premier volume m’a donné l’impression que l’auteur ne fait que poser les bases, et qu’on ne fait que gratter la surface d’une œuvre bien plus riche. On y retrouve de nombreux codes populaires du genre (et pour cause). Je trouve fascinant de se dire que le livre original a été écrit dans les années 40, à une époque où l’exploration spatiale était encore balbutiante. Il faudra attendre 10 ans après la publication du livre (1951) avant que le premier humain soit envoyé dans l’espace!

papapep reviewed Fundació by Isaac Asimov

El poder i el coneixement, jugant al gat i la rata, la humanitat en el seu joc habitual

5 stars

Una nova i preciosa edició d'un clàssic entre clàssics. Una saga escrita entre els anys 50s i 90s del segle 20 (no us perdeu especialment els 3 primers volums) que, com sempre feia Asimov, mentre ens explicava històries de tecnologia, robots i espai en el fons ens parlava del ser humà, com a individu, com a col·lectiu, de com ens relacionem, de com ens veiem com a individus i com ens projectem a la societat.

Madebypaul reviewed Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Time and a place

3 stars

Sure it’s great literature kind of dripping in bigotry and misogyny but I’m sure it had its time and place in the sci-fi hall of fame. Cool TV series though.