Adult, Young Adult

Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov – Book Review

Science Fiction, Space Opera

Rating

Goodreads:

4.17

Novel Fables:

3/5

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Book Review

Foundation

Isaac Asimov

3/5

Science Fiction, Space Opera

(The above links for Amazon and Kobo are affiliate links & I earn a small commission if you purchase a book through them)

Foundation

Isaac Asimov

3/5

Buy a copy:

The above link(s) for Amazon and/or Kobo are affiliate links & I earn a small commission if you purchase a book through them at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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“If you're born in a cubicle and grow up in a corridor, and work in a cell, and vacation in a crowded sun-room, then coming up into the open with nothing but sky over you might just give you a nervous breakdown.”

Synopsis

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, 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 future 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.

Review

In the first part of this book, we had some space exploration. It was atmospheric and gave us a glimpse at the technologically advanced universe with space travel. More of a modern sci-fi storyline as we follow Gaal, a country boy who travels through space into a large city for the first time. We get a taste of the world-building with planets and the different socioeconomic structures and learn more about the political history and destiny of the Galatic Empire. We get a taste of Psychohistory, which at times, made me giddy. This first part gave me strong Star Wars vibes, which made me excited to read this one.

Now, enter parts two, three, and so on, and I feel like that first part was kind of a bait and switch because the rest of the book is nothing like that. If you don’t manage your expectations, you’ll likely end up hating this one. After part one, we don’t get much exploration nor character development, and the story progresses on with more high-level politics and religious talk around the Foundation and Galatic Empire.

I did find it quite boring at times during the initial switch, but I was still very much invested in the inevitability of where this was going, and that want to know kept me going. Once you consider that dimensional characters or a fun, exciting storyline are not the forefronts here, it’s still possible to get through this one. That said, by the end, I was extremely bored and over it.

I’m not sure I’d call this book enjoyable, but it’s worth reading. I don’t know if I’ll ever read the next, but we shall see. I hope the show is more entertaining than this.

Best,

Ashley

From novelfables.com

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(The above link(s) are affiliate links & I earn a small commission if you purchase a book through them on Amazon or Kobo's websites.)​

“If you're born in a cubicle and grow up in a corridor, and work in a cell, and vacation in a crowded sun-room, then coming up into the open with nothing but sky over you might just give you a nervous breakdown.”

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