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michaelbtice's review against another edition
4.0
I thought I had read this years ago, but it appears I had only made it through part 1. With the creation of the new TV+ series, I decided to give the books a read so I could compare the two.
The first book is a collection of 5 of the original short stories that formed the basis of the Foundation series. I'm broad strokes, and looking at brief vignettes of time revolving around a small cast of characters each, they show how the Foundation is set up on Terminus and then how it manages the first few Seldon Crises.
Looking at this book for what it is, as a collection of short stories revolving around a singular subject of the Foundation, it does its job well. That's the most important thing to remember when thinking about reading it. This is not a novel. It does not contain a huge cast of characters with a singular storyline thread running throughout.
A quicker and easier read than I thought it was going to be, but definitely an enjoyable one.
The first book is a collection of 5 of the original short stories that formed the basis of the Foundation series. I'm broad strokes, and looking at brief vignettes of time revolving around a small cast of characters each, they show how the Foundation is set up on Terminus and then how it manages the first few Seldon Crises.
Looking at this book for what it is, as a collection of short stories revolving around a singular subject of the Foundation, it does its job well. That's the most important thing to remember when thinking about reading it. This is not a novel. It does not contain a huge cast of characters with a singular storyline thread running throughout.
A quicker and easier read than I thought it was going to be, but definitely an enjoyable one.
sevve's review against another edition
5.0
Wszedłem do tej książki na ślepo i spodziewałem się zupełnie czegoś innego. Nigdy bym nie pomyślał, że taka formuła przypadnie mi do gustu, a już na pewno, że aż tak mi się spodoba.
Obserwujemy dzieje nowego imperium, powstającego z gruzów poprzedniej siły. I robimy to przede wszystkim z politycznych foteli, na przestrzeni lat - od kryzysu do kryzysu. Nie mamy postaci, do których można się przywiązać, tylko osoby, których powołaniem jest wywiązanie się ze swojego zadania. Można powiedzieć, że w pewnym sensie, głównym bohaterem jest sama Fundacja i jest to dla mnie bardzo interesująca formuła.
Jest też tutaj również dużo komentarzy Asimova odnośnie naszej cywilizacji. Stagnacja progresu poprzez marginalizację fundamentów nauki czy rola religii w społeczeństwie. Widziałem komentarze, że wiele z tych rzeczy było już przerobionych do bólu w tym gatunku, ale mam na tyle korzystną pozycję, że dopiero raczkuję w scifi i zaczęcie od klasyków uznaję za dobrą decyzję. To wszystko świetnie się czyta i na pewno będę kontynuował serię.
Obserwujemy dzieje nowego imperium, powstającego z gruzów poprzedniej siły. I robimy to przede wszystkim z politycznych foteli, na przestrzeni lat - od kryzysu do kryzysu. Nie mamy postaci, do których można się przywiązać, tylko osoby, których powołaniem jest wywiązanie się ze swojego zadania. Można powiedzieć, że w pewnym sensie, głównym bohaterem jest sama Fundacja i jest to dla mnie bardzo interesująca formuła.
Jest też tutaj również dużo komentarzy Asimova odnośnie naszej cywilizacji. Stagnacja progresu poprzez marginalizację fundamentów nauki czy rola religii w społeczeństwie. Widziałem komentarze, że wiele z tych rzeczy było już przerobionych do bólu w tym gatunku, ale mam na tyle korzystną pozycję, że dopiero raczkuję w scifi i zaczęcie od klasyków uznaję za dobrą decyzję. To wszystko świetnie się czyta i na pewno będę kontynuował serię.
sam_vimes_75's review against another edition
3.0
The concept behind the Foundation series has earned its praise and high regard over the years. One only has to read the first few pages and see the foundation for Star Wars and many other great sci-fi epics that came afterward. The concept and its influence on later works are alone worth 3 stars.
Asimov's writing style, unfortunately, doesn't share the same timelessness. The plot moves by time jumps followed by two men smoking and giving a 10-page exposition dump/conversation. Repeat this process for 300 pages. Characters lack depth since we are told things that have happened or will happen. Reading a summary of the story is about as entertaining as reading the story itself.
Asimov's writing style, unfortunately, doesn't share the same timelessness. The plot moves by time jumps followed by two men smoking and giving a 10-page exposition dump/conversation. Repeat this process for 300 pages. Characters lack depth since we are told things that have happened or will happen. Reading a summary of the story is about as entertaining as reading the story itself.
lightningmarshal's review against another edition
mysterious
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
2.0
philverlinden's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
hawkboy71's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cresch11's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
acnaib's review against another edition
3.0
Would give it 4 stars but can't get past the lack of ANY female characters.
sashosho's review against another edition
2.0
These 6 days of reading this book seemed like an eternity. Btw #nohate but I literally don’t understand how people enjoyed reading it.
Part 1 was really good. I got excited about the world and the main character we were following (well, at that point I didn’t know it’s our first and last encounter with that character). After the first part the story got worse. Occasionally there were good moments/phrases but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.
Part 4… I started listening to an audiobook so I can finish it as fast as I can and not come back to this story. There was one chapter which I really liked. And there were a lot of ideas that I liked too.
I guess it’s just not my type of story. Not sure if I want to give this series a chance and try to continue reading it…
Part 1 was really good. I got excited about the world and the main character we were following (well, at that point I didn’t know it’s our first and last encounter with that character). After the first part the story got worse. Occasionally there were good moments/phrases but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.
Part 4… I started listening to an audiobook so I can finish it as fast as I can and not come back to this story. There was one chapter which I really liked. And there were a lot of ideas that I liked too.
I guess it’s just not my type of story. Not sure if I want to give this series a chance and try to continue reading it…