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bhaaratii 's review for:
Prelude to Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
This book was a ride, and I never saw the twist at the end coming.
It does take some time to get into the groove with the writing and world-building, but the wait is worth it.
Written around Hari Seldon's (a mathematician proposing "psychohistory" - a possibility to predict the future with the help of mathematics) perspective, the author explains every conversation, thought process, and situation Seldon encounters in great detail. So much that sometimes it starts to feel unnecessary and tedious at times.
What I found most interesting in the book was the analysis of the human mind and reading from the stance as though the present is the past. Moreover, there were delicate topics highlighted: racism and injustice people face due to poverty with other societal/ political issues. To have this book written in the 80s with a non-conservative opinion is commendable. The most engaging things mentioned were the technologies: robots, electric power, hydraulic lifts, and e-readers (or at least that's how I perceived them to be!). To have a vision spanning years beyond existence is baffling. A work of a genius!
I never quite figured out what the correct reading order was supposed to be for a newbie, and I felt blindsided halfway into the book. In the end, I sensed that things were unclear and missing, leading to the belief that I probably picked the incorrect book from the series as the first. It ended up being a motivator to discontinue the series, and a 5+ book series is not an easy commitment.
It does take some time to get into the groove with the writing and world-building, but the wait is worth it.
Written around Hari Seldon's (a mathematician proposing "psychohistory" - a possibility to predict the future with the help of mathematics) perspective, the author explains every conversation, thought process, and situation Seldon encounters in great detail. So much that sometimes it starts to feel unnecessary and tedious at times.
What I found most interesting in the book was the analysis of the human mind and reading from the stance as though the present is the past. Moreover, there were delicate topics highlighted: racism and injustice people face due to poverty with other societal/ political issues. To have this book written in the 80s with a non-conservative opinion is commendable. The most engaging things mentioned were the technologies: robots, electric power, hydraulic lifts, and e-readers (or at least that's how I perceived them to be!). To have a vision spanning years beyond existence is baffling. A work of a genius!
I never quite figured out what the correct reading order was supposed to be for a newbie, and I felt blindsided halfway into the book. In the end, I sensed that things were unclear and missing, leading to the belief that I probably picked the incorrect book from the series as the first. It ended up being a motivator to discontinue the series, and a 5+ book series is not an easy commitment.