A review by jeanpatterson2
Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

4.0

I read the Foundation series back in the early 1980s. I decided to reread them after watching two episodes of the Apple TV+ series and finding it unrecognizable (other than a few main characters and places). While Asimov's original Foundation series was written in the 1940s and 50s, Prelude to Foundation was not written until 1988, over 40 years after the first book. It was interesting to learn of mathemetician Hari Seldon's back story that served as a prelude to his work on psychohistory plus its misunderstood implications for the future of mankind. There were some interesting and unexpected plot twists. I did find the character of Hari Seldon as a young man to be a bit of a bull-headed asshat, but I suppose that was necessary to propel the story forward, as his dumb decisions and unwillingness to listen got him into so much trouble. One tends to think of mathematicians as logical and rational, but Hari definitely went against type. Overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed getting into the world of Foundation again.