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A review by teokajlibroj
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
3.0
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 (?).
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 (?).