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madcrazyreviews 's review for:
Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
Foundation
RATING: 2
I'm sorry, Mr Asimov.
Your book has some interesting ideas, some elegant, graceful prose, and is as logical and reasoned as one would expect from a careful scientist.
But for some reason I just could not get into it. And for some reason I could only read a couple paragraphs at a time before I would get sleepy and have to take a break.
I'm still going to try book two, but I'm worried that will be more of a chore.
Foundation and Empire
RATING: 3
Maybe it just took me a bit to get into Asimov's flow, but I thought this book was quite a bit better than the first of the series. Or it could be that the plot is more interesting and compelling.
There are still some considerable drawbacks. One of the problems of this series I've noticed is that it takes place across centuries, and so it's very hard for us to get attached to any particular characters because most of them die the off-screen deaths of a natural human lifespan. That was especially an issue of the first book, and is a problem early in this one.
Asimov wisely remedies this problem about a third of the way through, though, focusing on a small group that gets thrown into a larger political conflict, and they're left to navigate increasingly complicated and sensitive situations with little more than their wits.
One of the other issues is that everything plays very straight. Asimov has some neat ideas, and this could actually make a really interesting/compelling TV show or movie, as the plot is full of secrets, lies, double-crosses, and adventure - but the prose keeps things simple and understated. The book is lean and the prose elegant, but even if the events on-page are riveting and exciting, the style and syntax render it bland.
I'll finish the trilogy and maybe check out the TV show, but am not planning on reading the larger series.
Second Foundation
RATING: 2.5
I have not read a lot of Isaac Asimov's output, but I have generally enjoyed what I read. This series, though, has left me underwhelmed.
Asimov's style is elegant, straightforward. He admonishes embellishments, writing for clarity. The problem is that the prose just lies there on the page, a pulseless dull. This is not a long book, but I struggled frequently to give it my full attention and (frankly, sometimes) to stay awake.
The irony is that the plot, as with the prior installment Empire and Foundation, is actually quite exciting. Skirmishes, space battles, mind control, espionage, double-crosses, secret plants, secret identities.... This is rip-roaring stuff, unfortunately written with all the gusto and panache of someone describing watching paint dry.
Maybe the TV show is worth a chance?
RATING: 2
I'm sorry, Mr Asimov.
Your book has some interesting ideas, some elegant, graceful prose, and is as logical and reasoned as one would expect from a careful scientist.
But for some reason I just could not get into it. And for some reason I could only read a couple paragraphs at a time before I would get sleepy and have to take a break.
I'm still going to try book two, but I'm worried that will be more of a chore.
Foundation and Empire
RATING: 3
Maybe it just took me a bit to get into Asimov's flow, but I thought this book was quite a bit better than the first of the series. Or it could be that the plot is more interesting and compelling.
There are still some considerable drawbacks. One of the problems of this series I've noticed is that it takes place across centuries, and so it's very hard for us to get attached to any particular characters because most of them die the off-screen deaths of a natural human lifespan. That was especially an issue of the first book, and is a problem early in this one.
Asimov wisely remedies this problem about a third of the way through, though, focusing on a small group that gets thrown into a larger political conflict, and they're left to navigate increasingly complicated and sensitive situations with little more than their wits.
One of the other issues is that everything plays very straight. Asimov has some neat ideas, and this could actually make a really interesting/compelling TV show or movie, as the plot is full of secrets, lies, double-crosses, and adventure - but the prose keeps things simple and understated. The book is lean and the prose elegant, but even if the events on-page are riveting and exciting, the style and syntax render it bland.
I'll finish the trilogy and maybe check out the TV show, but am not planning on reading the larger series.
Second Foundation
RATING: 2.5
I have not read a lot of Isaac Asimov's output, but I have generally enjoyed what I read. This series, though, has left me underwhelmed.
Asimov's style is elegant, straightforward. He admonishes embellishments, writing for clarity. The problem is that the prose just lies there on the page, a pulseless dull. This is not a long book, but I struggled frequently to give it my full attention and (frankly, sometimes) to stay awake.
The irony is that the plot, as with the prior installment Empire and Foundation, is actually quite exciting. Skirmishes, space battles, mind control, espionage, double-crosses, secret plants, secret identities.... This is rip-roaring stuff, unfortunately written with all the gusto and panache of someone describing watching paint dry.
Maybe the TV show is worth a chance?