Reviews

This is a collection of short stories where a problem occurs and a group of men (there isn't a single named woman in the whole book) sit around and discuss how it can be solved. The stories are entertaining enough but a bit shallow. There's almost no world-building or description of the setting, most of the book is dialouge. Nor do the characters have any noticeable personalities and are mostly interchangeable.

Some important details are strangely absent, like how exactly does psychohistory work? Why is the Empire doomed to collapse? The life of Seldon would be interesting, which is why I was disappointed he disappears after the first short story. The setting feels more like a bottle episode where everything happens in one room rather than a b=vast Galatic Empire and I almost forgot this was set in space. Some of the devices tell us more about the past than the future, like the use of projectors and microfilm or nuclear powered kitchen knives (?).

captaincocanutty's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

zjnorth's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No

4.0

kcrouth's review against another edition

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2.0

I recently read an article online (theverge.com) saying that Apple had announced plans to create a TV series based upon the Foundation book series by Isaac Asimov. I had never heard of the books, and had some dangling BandN gift card credit, so i picked up this title to read. Just from this first installment in this seven book series, i was not impressed. While Asimov introduces some interesting concepts in this story, psychohistory being one, the tale itself is nothing more than a largely empty framework for a galactic empire's fall and the plan to recover and build anew. I think that the overall framework is interesting but leaves much potential for others to fill in the multitude of missing details. There is almost no character development possible, mainly due to the accelerated pace of the tale. Many generations pass in these fewer than 300 pages. But i think perhaps the greatest contribution of this book (series?) is the fact that it creates a large scale framework on which to build and the inspiration to do so. Having watched hundreds of episodes of the many Star Trek episodes, as well as the many Star Wars films, i can see that these series and films probably drew much of their inspiration from the Foundation series. Asimov was visionary and when this was published in 1951, it provided a rich and fertile field on which to build some of the really great science fiction that has been created in my lifetime.

elizafiedler's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

tryonosaurus's review against another edition

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3.0

The first half was really intriguing. Wasn't into it after that though

lyn__sea's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

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