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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a wild ride. For context about a month before my birthday I was hanging out with my boyfriend and we were talking and I was chatting about how I wanted to read more Science fiction but how I just didn't know what to read since I had tried Dune a few years ago and really didn't like it (like I think at the time I gave it 3 stars but the longer I sit with it the more I don't like it - pls don't hate me lol) and then my boyfriend said "well have you read any Asimov?" and I hadn't and then didn't think about it until it was my birthday and I was gifted this super pretty edition of this book.
I'm going to just say a few sentences on my overall feelings for each book (since this is 3 books) - but before that I just wanted to say that this book has the nicest feeling paper I've ever had in my hands lol. Also I really liked the introduction and the little context-chart that was added where there is a list of Asimov's literary contemporaries, current events at the time, and events in his personal life which give an interesting insight into the books themselves. I think if you really want a nice edition of this book this might be a good one to get.
<i><b> Foundation </b></i> 3. 5 stars
This was good, I will say I like the idea a bit more than the execution. Basically you check in with what is happening on the Foundation every couple of years after it was created. You have 5 sections and between each section some time passes. So Every time you start a new section you get to meet (mostly) new characters. I liked that it really did feel like the world had somewhat progressed with each little section and I think the idea of doing this is really interesting (as in inciting incident happens, lets check in every handful of years to see how it impacts the world)
<i><b> Foundation & Empire </b></i> 3 stars
Okay so this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. You no longer have the same set up as Foundation and is made up of 2 sections so you follow the same group of characters throughout each section (rather than the 5 sections in Foundation). I really liked them and I thought the whole idea of the Mule was really interesting but the ending was just not it for me.
<i><b> Second Foundation </b></i> 4 stars
This is my favorite in the series so far, I really liked seeing how the ending of Foundation & Empire played out here and then following Arcadia as she goes on her quest if you will was really fun. I think out of the 3 this is the most fast paced book and I genuinely couldn't put this one down (and I read it in just over 24 hours). The ending really has me intrigued though, without spoilers I think the best way to describe this would be like the ending of a Doctor Who episode where you had this whole adventure and then randomly at the end there is this teaser of this overall arc that you've been dealing with all season. I will say the last maybe 5ish chapters were kind of frustrating because it felt like the location of the second foundation was still supposed to be a secret but I kind of felt like it was so obvious where it was? (not sure if its a spoiler but just spoiler marking just in case.
Rating it a 4 overall (eventhough I think technically its a 3.5) just based on the fact that I'm definitely interested in continuing with this book .
I'm going to just say a few sentences on my overall feelings for each book (since this is 3 books) - but before that I just wanted to say that this book has the nicest feeling paper I've ever had in my hands lol. Also I really liked the introduction and the little context-chart that was added where there is a list of Asimov's literary contemporaries, current events at the time, and events in his personal life which give an interesting insight into the books themselves. I think if you really want a nice edition of this book this might be a good one to get.
<i><b> Foundation </b></i> 3. 5 stars
This was good, I will say I like the idea a bit more than the execution. Basically you check in with what is happening on the Foundation every couple of years after it was created. You have 5 sections and between each section some time passes. So Every time you start a new section you get to meet (mostly) new characters. I liked that it really did feel like the world had somewhat progressed with each little section and I think the idea of doing this is really interesting (as in inciting incident happens, lets check in every handful of years to see how it impacts the world)
<i><b> Foundation & Empire </b></i> 3 stars
Okay so this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. You no longer have the same set up as Foundation and is made up of 2 sections so you follow the same group of characters throughout each section (rather than the 5 sections in Foundation). I really liked them and I thought the whole idea of the Mule was really interesting but the ending was just not it for me.
<i><b> Second Foundation </b></i> 4 stars
This is my favorite in the series so far, I really liked seeing how the ending of Foundation & Empire played out here and then following Arcadia as she goes on her quest if you will was really fun. I think out of the 3 this is the most fast paced book and I genuinely couldn't put this one down (and I read it in just over 24 hours). The ending really has me intrigued though, without spoilers I think the best way to describe this would be like the ending of a Doctor Who episode where you had this whole adventure and then randomly at the end there is this teaser of this overall arc that you've been dealing with all season. I will say the last maybe 5ish chapters were kind of frustrating because it
Rating it a 4 overall (eventhough I think technically its a 3.5) just based on the fact that I'm definitely interested in continuing with this book .
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Isaac Asimov is probably the best science fiction writer of the 20th Century, and possibly even better than the classic authors like Wells or Verne. In the "Foundation" trilogy, Asimov is at his best. The "Foundation" is an institution founded by a scientist within a galactic empire that is at its apex and, according to the scientist, is about to experience its decline. This scientist is a "psychological engineer" who is able to use trends in human thought and civilization to predict patterns of human events over time. The foundation that he begins, austensibly as an archive for scientific documents, actually becomes an empire in its own right. Its true purpose is to preserve the civilization of the empire during the period of its decline and fall.
The interesting thing about the "Foundation" is the insights that Asimov has about human behavior. Through various stages of its history, the "Foundation" is a religious institution, a trade institution and a technological institution. It took the form of scientific organization, trade federation and cult center, at various times that benefitted its growth. While Asimov describes such things as technology and science, the things that I like to call the "gadget factor of scifi", these things are not important to the Foundation storyline. The real story is about the rise and fall of civilizations and the role of human weakness in all of it. My only real issue with the books is the stock that Asimov places in the ability of the "Psychological Engineers" to infallibly predict events hundreds and thousands of years in the future. Asimov himself, as a PhD Chemist, perhaps places an inordinate degree of confidence in academia.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a good work of science fiction.
The interesting thing about the "Foundation" is the insights that Asimov has about human behavior. Through various stages of its history, the "Foundation" is a religious institution, a trade institution and a technological institution. It took the form of scientific organization, trade federation and cult center, at various times that benefitted its growth. While Asimov describes such things as technology and science, the things that I like to call the "gadget factor of scifi", these things are not important to the Foundation storyline. The real story is about the rise and fall of civilizations and the role of human weakness in all of it. My only real issue with the books is the stock that Asimov places in the ability of the "Psychological Engineers" to infallibly predict events hundreds and thousands of years in the future. Asimov himself, as a PhD Chemist, perhaps places an inordinate degree of confidence in academia.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a good work of science fiction.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a great edition of a superb collection of stories that have aged amazingly well.
Everyone knows Asimov, even if they haven't read his books themselves. Prior to reading this I knew of his influence. I knew of the connected universe themes of his stories (Foundation, Robot and Empire). I knew they were originally published, segmented, in magazine format back in the 40s and 50s.
What I DIDN'T know was how much I would enjoy them.
They really hold up.
That being said, I shan't lie; it is VERY clear they were published in pieces. Key bits of information are repeated in each section, albeit in different and interesting ways and by different characters and intermediatries, BUT when the stories are read as a whole piece it feels like Asimov thought any reader of his would be a simpleton. However, I DO understand that for people joining the magazine series late that these repetitions would be crucial, but as a review for this collection as a reader in 2019, I wanted to make it clear that it is indeed present. Not jarring, but it's there.
The trilogy this edition contains; 'Foundation', 'Foundation and Empire' and 'Second Foundation', generally improve in quality as they go on. But that isn't to say that the early writings aren't good. And of course this is just my opinion. That being that the SETTING is best described in book one.
The PLOT and STRUCTURE are at their most balanced during book two.
The WRITING is strongest and the CHARACTERS are the most well-rounded in book three.
Another thing that I really appreciated were the twists and reveals. I have read a lot of science fiction at this point. Classic, modern and a bunch in-between. But this Foundation Trilogy kept me guessing and surprised me a number of times. It was really very engaging.
You may notice when reading this that most of the story is told through conversations. Normally just between two people, although not exclusively. There aren't many big fight scenes or space opera type battles happening in real time. We often hearing of these things happening after the fact and often from a second or third hand source. To clarify; this may sound like it isn't exciting, and normally I would agree, but Asimov managed to make the conversations about these things as engrossing and fun to read as the events themselves. This technique really made me feel like just another tiny human in a massive galaxy, which I believe is one of the staples of good science fiction.
And this is certainly that.
"The man who had no name other than the Mule, and no title other than First Citizen looked out through the one-way transparency of the wall to the light and lofty city on the horizon.
In the darkening twilight, the stars were emerging, and not one but owed allegiance to him."
The 'Everyman's Library Edition' also comes with a great introduction by Michael Dirda (a book critic for the Washington Post) and a cool 'Chronology' section, putting events in Asimov's life on a timeline alongside Historical Events and other notable Literary works published at the same time. I really enjoyed seeing this.
In summation: the Foundation Trilogy is fantastic. I really enjoyed my time reading it. It's unlike anything of the genre I have read before, but it is clear to see how it has influenced others since. The format is slightly dated, but not to such a degree to justify passing up the opportunity to read it if you haven't already.
Everyone knows Asimov, even if they haven't read his books themselves. Prior to reading this I knew of his influence. I knew of the connected universe themes of his stories (Foundation, Robot and Empire). I knew they were originally published, segmented, in magazine format back in the 40s and 50s.
What I DIDN'T know was how much I would enjoy them.
They really hold up.
That being said, I shan't lie; it is VERY clear they were published in pieces. Key bits of information are repeated in each section, albeit in different and interesting ways and by different characters and intermediatries, BUT when the stories are read as a whole piece it feels like Asimov thought any reader of his would be a simpleton. However, I DO understand that for people joining the magazine series late that these repetitions would be crucial, but as a review for this collection as a reader in 2019, I wanted to make it clear that it is indeed present. Not jarring, but it's there.
The trilogy this edition contains; 'Foundation', 'Foundation and Empire' and 'Second Foundation', generally improve in quality as they go on. But that isn't to say that the early writings aren't good. And of course this is just my opinion. That being that the SETTING is best described in book one.
The PLOT and STRUCTURE are at their most balanced during book two.
The WRITING is strongest and the CHARACTERS are the most well-rounded in book three.
Another thing that I really appreciated were the twists and reveals. I have read a lot of science fiction at this point. Classic, modern and a bunch in-between. But this Foundation Trilogy kept me guessing and surprised me a number of times. It was really very engaging.
You may notice when reading this that most of the story is told through conversations. Normally just between two people, although not exclusively. There aren't many big fight scenes or space opera type battles happening in real time. We often hearing of these things happening after the fact and often from a second or third hand source. To clarify; this may sound like it isn't exciting, and normally I would agree, but Asimov managed to make the conversations about these things as engrossing and fun to read as the events themselves. This technique really made me feel like just another tiny human in a massive galaxy, which I believe is one of the staples of good science fiction.
And this is certainly that.
"The man who had no name other than the Mule, and no title other than First Citizen looked out through the one-way transparency of the wall to the light and lofty city on the horizon.
In the darkening twilight, the stars were emerging, and not one but owed allegiance to him."
The 'Everyman's Library Edition' also comes with a great introduction by Michael Dirda (a book critic for the Washington Post) and a cool 'Chronology' section, putting events in Asimov's life on a timeline alongside Historical Events and other notable Literary works published at the same time. I really enjoyed seeing this.
In summation: the Foundation Trilogy is fantastic. I really enjoyed my time reading it. It's unlike anything of the genre I have read before, but it is clear to see how it has influenced others since. The format is slightly dated, but not to such a degree to justify passing up the opportunity to read it if you haven't already.
Right. I’m gutted. Honestly, this sounds SO up my street.I was hyped, I tried and tried and tried but I just couldn’t get into these. :(. I’ll watch the TV series now then see if I want to try give them another bash.