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Loading... Foundation (Foundation Novels) (original 1951; edition 2008)by Isaac Asimov
Work InformationFoundation by Isaac Asimov (1951)
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Galactic Empire is crumbling from within. Hari Seldon, sociologists and mathematician is aware of this so he starts up the plan to reduce the inevitable period of complete Empire breakdown from 30 millennia to a single one. To achieve this he establishes the Foundation(s), bastions of human knowledge and only remaining torch of glorious old days that should rekindle the human society during the dark ages and bring back the civilization as it was. This is space opera t its best. Stories of people working on saving and preserving the civilization are stories I like a lot (for stories like this you can also check the Space Viking, Raj Whitehall, Lost Puzzler and even Warhammer 40k (although this one shows what happens when things go belly up)). There is something truly epic and noble in people trying to preserve the whole of humanity's knowledge during the dark and dangerous times. Story covers beginnings of the Foundation and so-called Seldon's crisis in first two centuries of its existence. We are shown how universal is general behavior of the society - rise of religion as mechanism for controlling the rival kingdoms and finally the ultimate tool for establishing the inter-stellar connections, trade. Excellent book, highly recommended to all SF fans. Belongs to SeriesAsimov's Universe (13) Foundation (3) Belongs to Publisher SeriesGallimard, Folio SF (1-335) — 14 more Is contained inContainsHas as a student's study guideNotable Lists
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. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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It's a pity, because I really wanted to like this one. However, one third into it I knew how it would develop and my interest plummeted. I was not wrong. The formula established in the first chapter is repeated over and over again, until we have it thoroughly hammered in our heads that psycho-history is akin to clairvoyance and that our guys are gonna overcome.
VERY MILD SPOILERS AHEAD
It's a pity, also, because some ideas are fascinating - with a somewhat less heavy hand, psycho-history may be compared to macro-economics, and the story displays the double-blind experiment principle as applied to a whole society for hundreds of years.
However, the lack of character development (generations follow each other without any single character having time to do much more than the infamous smoke-and-scheme) makes for a dreary reading, in absence of other narrative graces. Hari Seldon doesn't count, as he appears mostly as a holographic un-dead grandpa.
An example of lack of narrative graces: the fact that 1000 years are set, at the start of the novel, as the expected dark age before the Empire rises from its ashes, makes it only more frustrating when the novel ends in medias res.
I may go on, but I think I made my point. Possibly the worst thing written by Asimov that I ever read. ( )