Product Description

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future--to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire--both scientists and scholars--and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a fututre generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and be overrun--or fight them and be destroyed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21568 in Books
• Published on: 1991-10-01
• Released on: 1991-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.com
Foundation marks the first of a series of tales set so far in the future that Earth is all but forgotten by humans who live throughout the galaxy. Yet all is not well with the Galactic Empire. Its vast size is crippling to it. In particular, the administrative planet, honeycombed and tunneled with offices and staff, is vulnerable to attack or breakdown. The only person willing to confront this imminent catastrophe is Hari Seldon, a psychohistorian and mathematician. Seldon can scientifically predict the future, and it doesn't look pretty: a new Dark Age is scheduled to send humanity into barbarism in 500 years. He concocts a scheme to save the knowledge of the race in an Encyclopedia Galactica. But this project will take generations to complete, and who will take up the torch after him? The first Foundation trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation) won a Hugo Award in 1965 for "Best All-Time Series." It's science fiction on the grand scale; one of the classics of the field. --Brooks Peck

Inside Flap Copy
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future--to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire--both scientists and scholars--and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a fututre generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and be overrun--or fight them and be destroyed.

About the Author
Isaac Asimov began his Foundation Series at the age of twenty-one, not realizing that it would one day be considered a cornerstone of science fiction. During his legendary career, Asimov penned pver 470 books on subjects ranging from science to Shakespeare to history, though he was most loved for his award-winning science fiction sagas, which include the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series. Named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Asimov entertained and educated readers of all ages for close to five decasdes. He died, at age of seventy-two, in April 1992.

Customer Reviews

Good for digestion
Great book! First in the series of three novels, all three are worth the read. I read all three in about two and half weeks. It might be interesting to read them in conjunction with Kuhn's Structures of Scientific Revolutions. Every "Seldon Crisis" brings about a "new world". Really fun stuff. Don't miss out!

Foundational entry
The first-written but second in fictional order to Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels). OK, not great. Attempts too great a sweep of time to allow for any character development, or perhaps Asimov just isn't that good a writer to manage it.

Interestingly, Asimov really attempts no explanation of Seldon's Psychohistory, as is done in Prelude written 25 years later. Without Prelude, Foundation's plot-driving motive would be fuzzy at best.

Wonderful concept
The Foundation Trilogy (that is, the original trilogy without the sequels and prequels) is the greatest science fiction work to date. I will not summarize the plot since there are well over 300 reviews already. However, I will add that taken from a general perspective the trilogy can be taken as a lesson in nation building.

Hari Seldon uses Psychohistory to guide the rise of an empire out of the "Dark Age" of barbarism. Many characters exit the overall story as quickly as they enter it, so you don't get to know them in great detail. But that is not the intent of the series. The main characters are the Galactic Empire, and the First and Second Foundations. When reading this series look at the character of these three "nations" as they devolve/develop. The concept is brilliant and the writing style is intelligent and interesting.

I highly recommend reading them in the order they are WRITTEN, not in their chronological order. Isaac Asimov is an unfortunate example of an author who ruined his original work by attempting to "make it better" 30 years after it was written. There are some interesting concepts in the sequel, but ultimately it subtracts from the series as a whole by completely changing the meaning and driving force of the original trilogy. The prequels also give away important plot points that were intended to provide suspense.

If you find that you must read the sequels/prequels, at least do yourself the favor of reading them in the order they were written.