Seldon’s real intent has been to set the wheels in motion so that, if his predictions of future trends indeed prove correct, this little world, and another just like it at the far end of the galaxy which Seldon has already set up, will be the true foundation of an all-new and more benevolent Second Empire. but not only to assemble the Encyclopedia as announced. Then, perhaps, the 30,000 years can be shaved to a mere millennium.īanished by the Empire to the remote world of Terminus at the edge of the galaxy (a move actually foreseen by Seldon’s psychohistory), the Foundation begins its work. Seldon has predicted not only the collapse of the Empire, but that a whopping 30,000 years of barbarism will follow, unless his organization, the Encyclopedia Foundation, is able to finish its immense task of cataloging and preserving millennia of accumulated human knowledge and history. Hari Seldon has perfected the science of psychohistory, which aims to predict the behavior of large populations over vast periods of time. One man on the capital planet of Trantor (a world which, incidentally, George Lucas unabashedly swiped as Coruscant in The Phantom Menace) dares to stand up and tell the moribund Empire that its decline and fall is inevitable. Foundation opens as the Galactic Empire is in its final years, having reigned over the galaxy for over ten millennia. Most impressively, Asimov’s plots could be intricate while keeping his readers’ heads free of confusion and frustration.Īpproximately 13,000 years in the future, humanity has colonized space so thoroughly that most people have forgotten about Earth. There is more than enough wit to go around. Asimov knew perhaps better than anyone in this genre that writing is about communicating. But when you consider over the years how much SF has become overburdened by either vain style or cumbersome plotting masquerading as epic legendry, Asimov’s concise writing is a true breath of fresh air. He is often derided today as a poor wordsmith. It really is a smartly crafted, entertaining piece of sociopolitical SF combined with good old space opera, even if everything about it that is dated - stilted dialogue, and the absence of female characters - is impossible to ignore. But Foundation is not a book that’s “great” simply because critics tell you it is. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation is one of those books that has become such a historical tentpole of the genre that it is easy to dismiss and take for granted, much in the same way young moviegoers today might find it hard to figure out all the fuss about Citizen Kane. Share book reviews and ratings with Thomas, and even join a book club on Goodreads. Book cover artwork is copyrighted by its respective artist and/or publisher. All reviews and site design © by Thomas M.

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