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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very good book. Not much action, but the characters kept me interested. I will be reading the next in the series.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Audiobook Review
This book was really tough for me to rate. I really like the idea behind the book and though it was neat to see how different thing affected the Foundation as a civilization.
The downfall, for me, was the audiobook. I chose to listen to Foundation because Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. He doesn't disappoint, but I don't think Asmiov's writing style translated well to audio form. Foundation is largely made up of large sections of dialogue which were often difficult to follow in audio form.
The book itself is thought-provoking and I think I may add it to my re-read list and one day read it in text to (hopefully) get more enjoyment out of it.
This book was really tough for me to rate. I really like the idea behind the book and though it was neat to see how different thing affected the Foundation as a civilization.
The downfall, for me, was the audiobook. I chose to listen to Foundation because Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. He doesn't disappoint, but I don't think Asmiov's writing style translated well to audio form. Foundation is largely made up of large sections of dialogue which were often difficult to follow in audio form.
The book itself is thought-provoking and I think I may add it to my re-read list and one day read it in text to (hopefully) get more enjoyment out of it.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
The story did not flow well for me. It felt stilted. By the time I got into the rhythm of the story and began to understand the characters in a section, it was over and we were on to the new section with new characters. That said, I am interested to find out more about this world.
adventurous
fast-paced
Let me be frank here: I don't think I loved this book. There, I've said it. What I did love, though, was the idea of the Foundation: a place from which a new civilization can be build after the (scientifically) foreseen fall of the current Empire.
Don't get me wrong, I also quite liked the plot itself. I enjoy following day-to-day politics and I have a general interest in social science and economics (as many point out on here, most likely a prerequisite to get some enjoyment out of this book). There is a lot of strategic deliberations, political intrigue, personal gains, and all of this. And there is also the almost mythical background of Hari Seldon using "psychohistory" - a form of science pursuing psychological issues by mathematical methods, with seemingly wonderous results - to predict universe-comprising developments, quite fittingly transformed into a form of religion in later parts of the book.
So, there is certainly a lot to like here. When I say that I didn't love the book, then this is because the plot amounts to little more than (more or less) political talk behind closed doors. The characters in the book are expendable extras, replaced almost entirely every 25 pages or so, and you certainly won't feel any connection to any of them. And without the characters you probably won't feel all that connected to the fate of the Foundation either. So that when the planet is running out of options - as Seldon's prophecy requires - there won't be much tension or danger in the air. It is interesting to see in what ways history develops here, but I would be surprised if you experience the pressure of turning pages ahead to see how things turn out.
Rating: 3.5/5
Don't get me wrong, I also quite liked the plot itself. I enjoy following day-to-day politics and I have a general interest in social science and economics (as many point out on here, most likely a prerequisite to get some enjoyment out of this book). There is a lot of strategic deliberations, political intrigue, personal gains, and all of this. And there is also the almost mythical background of Hari Seldon using "psychohistory" - a form of science pursuing psychological issues by mathematical methods, with seemingly wonderous results - to predict universe-comprising developments, quite fittingly transformed into a form of religion in later parts of the book.
So, there is certainly a lot to like here. When I say that I didn't love the book, then this is because the plot amounts to little more than (more or less) political talk behind closed doors. The characters in the book are expendable extras, replaced almost entirely every 25 pages or so, and you certainly won't feel any connection to any of them. And without the characters you probably won't feel all that connected to the fate of the Foundation either. So that when the planet is running out of options - as Seldon's prophecy requires - there won't be much tension or danger in the air. It is interesting to see in what ways history develops here, but I would be surprised if you experience the pressure of turning pages ahead to see how things turn out.
Rating: 3.5/5