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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Honestly DNF. I’m just constantly shocked at how uncreative I find Asimov. I also can’t stand the dialogue. Characters just cross examining each other all the time. It’s dull. And of course he had to add in a group of people who don’t let woman speak. I’m just not spending my time reading it. Yes I’ve read the original Foundation Trilogy. Don’t like that either.
Once again Asimov does a great job.
The book tells the story about Hari Seldom before it creates psychohistory. It's adveture through Trantor as he run away from the grasps of the Emperor and his right arm Dermezel.
The book tells the story about Hari Seldom before it creates psychohistory. It's adveture through Trantor as he run away from the grasps of the Emperor and his right arm Dermezel.
As a data scientist, this book is a guide of how psychohistory is just another machine learning experiment
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
As one of Asimov’s later books, I had hope that this prequel would engage with his best ideas while having learned something from feminism and post-colonial critiques of old school sci-fi. Alas, Hari Seldon, the protagonist, cannot help but constantly underestimate his companion Dors Venabli based only on her gender and his attraction to her.
This is perhaps is supposed to be a hat tip to the reveal that Dors is not human, but the experience of reading is no better for that revelation.
Grew kinda tired of the Foundation series after the last book so this one took me a long time to read. It's still a good book, but I wasn't really fascinated by it. Guessed most developments way before they happened.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Daneel!! I waited SO LONG for you to reveal yourself - praying for it to happen is really what got me through this! (I don't think it's a spoiler to say that Daneel shows up in this book, because if you're reading it and you think he's not going to, then you're really not paying attention.) But in the end, there just wasn't enough time left for him to save this book. Of course, it was nice to get some background on Hari Seldon and his theory of psychohistory, which plays such a major role in the classic Foundation trilogy. But, if you've already read that trilogy (and you probably have, because it came out decades before this prequel did), then you already know for a fact that Seldon lived long enough to successfully work out his theories and concoct an elaborate plan to save the galaxy. Without the "Is he going to make it??" question animating his various close shaves and crises of faith, this story lost a lot of its possible tension, and there really wasn't enough to carry it otherwise. It's not all bad, and as always, there are some interesting ideas and allegories, but it's really not Asimov's best work and I'm sad about it. I guess I'll just have to press on and pray that our favorite robot get more page-time in the next installment. If not, I'm rioting.