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A review by amiewg
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
4.0
I watched the show first. So when I heard Gaal was a he and Salvor was a he and actually everyone in this book was a he, I was shocked. I promise I feel like there are 2 women in total in the whole book that get screen time. I didn't even hear about a sister or a wife. It started to feel echoey. Where are the girlies?? Where are the babes??
That being said, Isaac is a fantastic writer. There is so much wisdom in this book. And as someone who loves psychology, psychohistory is something I had a great time exploring.
At the beginning of the book, Hari says that the future would take over 100,000 people over 300 years to reduce the amount of demise caused by the end of an era, implying that the book isn't about the individual, it's all about society and the greater good. But that isn't how I read it.
Fine, the book is basically short stories published at different times, and we have like 5 timelines, 5 main characters, and 5 different plots, and the whole thing is about averting crisis so that the Foundation can survive. Each of those main characters was so well written, that I knew their hopes and dreams, their fears. I dissected their personalities in the short time we had with them. Even tho the problem and the universe were so big, someone has to do something for it to be done. Who they are matters.
It was kinda like reading history. Caesar did this, then Nero did that, then Marcus Aurelius did this, and so on. Each of their influence had an impact whether for good or evil. Do we know everything they ever did?? No, yet males are still thinking about them and the Roman Empire daily.
After getting over the no women thing, I realized the show expanded Asimov's work instead of "putting words in his mouth" for lack of a better phrase lol. The books are what if Gaal was a white man?? The show is what if Gaal was a black girl from a dying planet?? What would the future look like if Gaal was a different person?? Because it matters.
Instead of making me feel like "The world is so big, what's the point?" I felt like "The world is so big, that's the point!"
Some of the cheapest therapy I've ever gotten. And it fueled my vanity too.
That being said, Isaac is a fantastic writer. There is so much wisdom in this book. And as someone who loves psychology, psychohistory is something I had a great time exploring.
At the beginning of the book, Hari says that the future would take over 100,000 people over 300 years to reduce the amount of demise caused by the end of an era, implying that the book isn't about the individual, it's all about society and the greater good. But that isn't how I read it.
Fine, the book is basically short stories published at different times, and we have like 5 timelines, 5 main characters, and 5 different plots, and the whole thing is about averting crisis so that the Foundation can survive. Each of those main characters was so well written, that I knew their hopes and dreams, their fears. I dissected their personalities in the short time we had with them. Even tho the problem and the universe were so big, someone has to do something for it to be done. Who they are matters.
It was kinda like reading history. Caesar did this, then Nero did that, then Marcus Aurelius did this, and so on. Each of their influence had an impact whether for good or evil. Do we know everything they ever did?? No, yet males are still thinking about them and the Roman Empire daily.
After getting over the no women thing, I realized the show expanded Asimov's work instead of "putting words in his mouth" for lack of a better phrase lol. The books are what if Gaal was a white man?? The show is what if Gaal was a black girl from a dying planet?? What would the future look like if Gaal was a different person?? Because it matters.
Instead of making me feel like "The world is so big, what's the point?" I felt like "The world is so big, that's the point!"
Some of the cheapest therapy I've ever gotten. And it fueled my vanity too.