First novel in the staggering SF series from Asimov (Foundation - Isaac Asimov)

Member Name: GundamMeister

Product:	Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Date:	05/01/08 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent background and complex setup for the superior sequels

Disadvantages: A little dry in places and its hard to see where its all going to lead

Its not really necessary for me to write how this is one of the most seminal and influential works of Science Fiction of the twentieth century, so I'll skip to what's important about this, the first volume of this staggeringly immense achievement.

Judged in the context of the entire series, Foundation is something of a scene setter. Most people prefer the sequel Foundation and Empire for its excitement and, in my opinion greater intellectual approach to narrative. However, the impact of the latter work would certainly not be felt if it weren't for the thoroughness of the scene setting presented in this one.

Basically Foundation is a series of interconnected short stories that jump forward sequentially in time telling the long history of the Foundation as set up by Hari Seldon. Hari Seldon is a practictitioner of Psychohistory, a science that can predict the future based on sociological trends. This means that Seldon can predict large scale sociological phenomenon such as the fall of the galactic empire but not day to personal actions of individuals. Hari Seldon sets up the Foundation with the hope of counteracting the wilderness for mankind that the fall of the Empire will inevitably have.

The Foundation then is a group of individuals or community who know that they have been set up to become great...the "foundation" for the next galactic empire, but do not know how they will become so as their current interplanetary neighbours all appear to be stronger and want to control them. Seldon has predicted that as a community they will undergo a number of "crises", that is, moments wherin there will be only one decision open to the members of the Foundation if they are to continue down the path towards greatness.

Each story in the novel pertains to one of these crises and its here that Asimov sets up a lot of the tensions and ideas that go into the series. Each crises deals with a different facet of socio-economic developement such as religion or trade and it was Asimov's original intention to use these stories to outline the natural course that a society would take. Yet, the obvious tensions become clear very early on in the book - each crises is solved by the presence of a brilliant leader or a brilliant plan; if a great individual leader is needed in these situations, or "individual brilliance", how would it be possible for Seldon to predict the future in terms of larger sociological trends.

Yes, the subsequent novels in the "trilogy" are more exciting and clever, but the tensions and ideas introduced in this first novel are in many ways as interesting and rewarding. This is a highly recommended novel, but een if it doesn't grip you straight away, please read on to the end of Foundation and Empire, where the series becomes exciting as well as interesting!

Summary: You can't appreciate what is to follow without reading this first book.