Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, a classic in science fiction, begins one of the genre’s most significant cycles. While there are two prequels, let’s start with the basics.
Book Review: Foundation & Foundation and Empire
- Author: Isaac Asimov
- Series: Foundation
- 679 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- First published January 1, 1953
- Format: 679 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- Published: January 1, 1974
- ISBN: 9780380508563 (ISBN10: 0380508567)
- ASIN: 0380508567
- Language: English
Despite my admiration for Asimov’s imagination and creativity, I’ll mention the drawbacks I noticed as a 21st-century reader. But I won’t shy from praising how incredible it is as well.
Book #1 Foundation
Volume 1, Foundation, introduces Gaal Dornick, a young provincial whose journey into space is the highlight of his life. Invited by Hari Seldon himself after completing his Ph.D. in mathematics, Gaal witnesses firsthand the events on Trantor following Seldon’s prediction of the Empire’s inevitable decline. Through the science of psychohistory, Seldon statistically forecasts human behavior on a large scale, proving the future decline of the Empire. The Galaxy is set to face 30,000 years of darkness, but Seldon has a solution to shorten this to 1,000 years through the Foundation—a body tasked with preserving knowledge and shaping future generations.
The book’s pacing is fast due to the plot’s nature, covering a large period without delving deeply into individual characters. If you’re looking to root for specific characters, it may feel lacking in that regard. Still, memorable figures guide us through significant events leading up to the Empire’s fall, focusing on the broader picture of how it unfolds. The accessible philosophy, mass psychology, religious undertones, and trade relations are all fascinatingly explored. The technology, like weapons and ships, reflects the period when Asimov was writing.
Hari Seldon leaves behind a series of messages in a crypt, to be revealed to those in power at pivotal times. By heeding Seldon’s predictions, humanity faces crises he foresaw until, 300 years after the Foundation’s creation, an unforeseen anomaly even Seldon’s psychohistorians hadn’t predicted appears.
Book #2 Foundation and Empire
In book two, Foundation and Empire, an unexpected force emerges: The Mule, a mutant with a unique evolutionary gift, shakes up the Foundation. The Mule’s conquests disrupt the balance, taking over worlds and occupying the Foundation itself. Meanwhile, hope lies with the Second Foundation—a hidden group of psychohistorians founded by Seldon himself. The Second Foundation’s mission is to counteract the Mule’s influence and preserve Seldon’s vision. This installment was when Asimov’s universe truly captivated me.
Review of Foundation
Foundation is a monumental work in science fiction, and it’s hard to imagine anyone dethroning Isaac Asimov soon. Written over 40 years, these novels are neither complicated nor dense. Asimov’s style is clear and even humorous at times, though wrapped in layers of philosophy, psychology, religion, and politics that shape events over time. How quickly you read depends on how captivating you find the story. For me, the turning point came in book two, especially its second part.
Isaac Asimov’s imagination is deep, profound, and astonishing! Discover it!
The original trilogy of Isaac Asimov’s bestselling science fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series, in a striking boxed set package
THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved series by PBS’s The Great American Read
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, 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.
Collected in this boxed set, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation form the celebrated original trilogy that started it all. One of the most influential in the history of science fiction, the Foundation series is celebrated for its unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. Here, Asimov has written a timely and timeless saga of the best—and worst—that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.
