Foundation (Foundation Series #1) by Isaac Asimov
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Web ID: 16837024Underwhelming
*Note: I wrote this review on Goodreads when I was in 10th grade, if I read the book again in the future I may have a different opinion on it, but for now this is the review I have for this book* Evident by my rating, I did not like this book, which is unfortunate because it is such a respected and revered book in science fiction. I recently read Dune and enjoyed it immensely. I was told that Dune—and many other popular science fiction novels—was inspired by The Foundation, and so I decided to give it a read. After reading, I do see the influence The Foundation has had on later works like Dune and as such I do recognize its importance to sci-fi and the contributions it has made in the ideas that it presents. However, I think that the execution of said ideas was subpar. After part I, which pulled me into the story almost immediately, I had high hopes. I enjoyed reading about the Empire and the planet Trantor, and I thought Gaal and Hari Seldon were interesting characters. But after the first part, I found myself growing increasingly bored while reading this book and I do attribute this to Asimov's writing. Most of The Foundation is told through dialogue between a bunch of men and it often suffered from white room syndrome. I wasn't engaged in the plot or the characters due to the way the story constantly jumped between characters and time periods. And, though I will not delve into it much in this review, the lack of women—or even the mention of women—in this book irked me. I think The Foundation has some very important themes surrounding religion and politics that are still relevant today, and while I liked seeing how these played out in the story, Asimov's writing style made it tremendously harder for me to get through than it should have been. You can have great ideas, and Asimov certainly had great ideas, but I believe that the execution of those ideas matters a great deal too, and, as I've stated above, I do not think Asimov executed them well. A good many of the scenes in The Foundation are just a couple of men talking to each other about the happenings of the world and then occasionally doing something about it. Expository dialogue can be a good way to convey information to readers and I am by no means saying it shouldn't be used at all, but in this instance it was overused. While reading the book, it appeared as if Asimov was allergic to internal monologue, and you would be lucky to find more than a paragraph—if any at all—describing the setting. This, as well as reasons I will go into more detail about later, is part of why I found The Foundation to be so boring. I couldn't imagine the scenes with much detail, I couldn't picture where the characters were. All I saw were two people talking in an empty room, void of any distinguishing features. The Foundation is a prime example of what telling instead of showing looks like. Much of the story is simply told to the reader through dialogue and that's that. It could really be chalked up to a collection of conversations that take place in a fictional world set thousands of years in the future—a future in which smoking cigarettes is still all too common, I must mention. But this is not my only gripe with Asimov's writing. The story (or rather stories) of The Foundation takes place over the span of decades. As such, you never stay with one character for very long and hence do not have ample time to develop any emotional investment in them or anything they are doing. I simply couldn't bring myself to care about what anyone in this book was doing past part II and it's because the way this book was written does not allow for attachment to the characters which it involves. It is a book that, to me, feels as if it exists strictly to get its point across. There is no enjoyment in reading this book, and its themes can easily be found elsewhere, in a place with better characters and better writing. Perhaps if the scope of the story Asimov was writing wasn't so big, this would have been a more enjoyable read for me, but the vast time span in which this story takes place seems to have been one of its downfalls. Now, some parts of this book were less boring than others. Part I was interesting and I think it had good worldbuilding, part III was a drag in the beginning but it ramped up and I think it had a good and eventful ending, and part V was...okay—certainly better than parts II and IV, but it wasn't great. Overall, though, this book was a slog for me to get through. Finally, I will briefly address the blatant misogyny in this book. Seeing the lack of female representation in this book, and the shallow women which are represented, annoyed me. It is by far one of my lesser reasons for disliking this book though. I understand that, for the most part, the misogyny is simply a product of its time and I don't want to dwell on it because I think there are many other valid reasons to not like this book. I wanted to like this book, but alas, I don't, and I don't think I ever will. I will be watching the Apple TV adaptation soon and I can only hope that I will enjoy it more than I enjoyed reading this book. Unfortunately, The Foundation has been a flop for me because of the writing and, despite the ideas it contributed to science fiction, it is overrated. Forgive me if this review feels like it's beating a dead horse, I have seen many other reviewers with similar opinions to myself, but I needed to air my frustrations with this book as I truly had high expectations for it and am disappointed in how utterly it failed to meet them.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
As relevant today as it was way back when
You can actually imagine what’s happening in this book happening in the future.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great read
I read it in my teens and again in my 40's. Excellent both times.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fascinating For It’s Time And For Today
Really cool book that transcends the decade it was written in. Beyond some minor gripes of “samey” writing between characters, it’s a really cool read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Highly recommended!
Foundation (Foundation, #1) by Isaac Asimov Gaal Dovnik, a young Mathematician from the planet Synnax is recruited by the Psychohistory Professor Hari Seldon to work alongside him at the University of Trantor. As Gaal arrives, his imprisoned and taken to trial with Hari. For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Hari has predicted that the empire is dying and only Hari Seldon can see into the future. The empire will disappear in just 500 years and a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years will ensue. Although very little can be done to prevent the Empire's decay, plenty can be done to prevent the 30,000 years of decay. A Galactic Encyclopedia will be created to preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire - both scientists and scholars - and brings them to Terminus, a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation. As Harry predicted, the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Crises occur 50 years after the foundation is founded, but guided by Harry, they will need to adapt to survive. Another crisis happens 30 years later, and the final one in this book occurs 75 years later. Narrated from the third-person point-of-view, this is a wonderful sci-fi novel, the first in many books that deal with the subject. Asimov's prose is simple but engaging. It will hold you from the beginning and will keep you guessing until the book is done. I was inspired to read the book after viewing the Apple TV series of the name. I was surprised by the fact that the series decided to take a different path. That said, I enjoyed both just as much. Highly recommended!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fantastic Opening to the Classic Trilogy
Justifiably high on the list of science fiction classics, this first of the three original Foundation novels sets the stage for the series. Protagonists come and go, typically present for one, or at most, two, of the five parts that make up the novel, but they're well characterized and nicely serve this plot- and idea-driven book that describes a small group of scientists, situated at the outer rim of the galaxy, who are tasked with shortening the interregnum between the failing and the future Galactic Empires, from 30,000 years to (only) 1000 years. The dilemmas which they face, and the solutions thereof, are a delight to read. I'm excited to move on the next installment in the series!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com