Foundation (original 1951; edition 2004)

An interesting story on how history pivots on the actions of several great and ambitious men. From encyclopedia, to world, to system, to empire. ( )

The book introduces an interesting premise and I like the rakish cleverness of some of the characters, but it's ultimately probably not compelling enough to me aesthetically to make me want to read more. ( )

In a story set thousands of years yet to come, psychohistorian Hari Seldon, sees a dark future filled with ignorance and conflict lasting some thirty thousand years. In hopes of lowering the number of dark years and saving mankind through the preservation of knowledge, he brings together scientists and scholars from throughout the Empire and gathers them at his sanctuary, the Foundation.

But saving mankind in the wake of the receding Empire that has ruled for some twelve thousand years is no easy feat. The Foundation, soon at the mercy of corrupt leaders, finds itself with only two choices: surrender to the savages or fight . . . and face destruction.

Isaac Asimov’s creative and complex world-building here is one of the highlights of “Foundation.” The main characters, mainly scientists or politicians, appear over five separate points in time. Psychohistorians, Encyclopedists, Mayors, Traders, and Merchant Princes each take center stage as the story unfolds, each in a different time over the span of three generations. Although the people generally believe the society can survive by applying more technology, eventually, they allow the knowledge of how the technology works to slip away.

Interesting characters come and go throughout the narrative and, in the telling of this tale, almost all of them are men. However, with the exception of Hari Seldon, the importance of an individual character seems to lie in the part played in the story of the creation of the new galactic empire that lies at the heart of this absorbing tale.

The story, a sweeping saga, is huge: the navigation through multiple crises and the resulting socio-political [and individual] changes that slowly shift civilization and the systematic transformations that ultimately lead to the establishment of a new galactic civilization. The result is a grand epic of science fiction.

Highly recommended. ( )

Just a classic. The politics of scientific humanism vs. bullies and fear-mongering. Young Asimov understood humanity and thought he had the cures. ( )

I've read it again, and it was still good... ( )