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A review by kamharellano
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"The fall of Empire, gentlemen, is a massive thing, however, and not easily fought. It is dictated by a rising bureaucracy, a receding initiative, a freezing of caste, a damming of curiosity—a hundred other factors. It has been going on, as I have said, for centuries, and it is too majestic and massive a movement to stop."
I don't know why I held out so long on finally reading this, especially since I consider myself a huge fan of other sci-fi classics (Frank Herbert, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Jules Verne, etc.), but oh wow was I absolutely blown away. Although told in five short stories rather than a full-length novel, Foundation paints a picture of human evolution charted over the course of centuries. Isaac Asimov certainly proved that he's got an excellent grasp of the human condition. This book contains no epic space battles, no lengthy descriptions of fancy ships, no black holes or terrifying landscapes or alien skies. But it stands the test of time not just by being the driving force behind numerous sci-fi tropes, but also because of how it more or less predicted the rise of concepts such as AI, big data and its analysis, rational psychology, trend forecasting, and so much more.
If you're into action-packed sci-fi, this is not the book for you. However, if you enjoy reads that dissect and satirize political theories and ideologies, international relations, religion, the desire for power, and just human nature in general, all while commenting on the relentless march of time and technology and how everything, everything, is just a vicious cycle, then definitely pick this one up.
I don't know why I held out so long on finally reading this, especially since I consider myself a huge fan of other sci-fi classics (Frank Herbert, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Jules Verne, etc.), but oh wow was I absolutely blown away. Although told in five short stories rather than a full-length novel, Foundation paints a picture of human evolution charted over the course of centuries. Isaac Asimov certainly proved that he's got an excellent grasp of the human condition. This book contains no epic space battles, no lengthy descriptions of fancy ships, no black holes or terrifying landscapes or alien skies. But it stands the test of time not just by being the driving force behind numerous sci-fi tropes, but also because of how it more or less predicted the rise of concepts such as AI, big data and its analysis, rational psychology, trend forecasting, and so much more.
If you're into action-packed sci-fi, this is not the book for you. However, if you enjoy reads that dissect and satirize political theories and ideologies, international relations, religion, the desire for power, and just human nature in general, all while commenting on the relentless march of time and technology and how everything, everything, is just a vicious cycle, then definitely pick this one up.