Foundation

The Foundation Trilogy, Book 1

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: William Hope

WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST ALL-TIME SERIES

The Foundation series is Isaac Asimov’s iconic masterpiece. Unfolding against the backdrop of a crumbling Galactic Empire, the story of Hari Seldon’s two Foundations is a lasting testament to an extraordinary imagination, one that shaped science fiction as we know it today.

The Galactic Empire has prospered for twelve thousand years. Nobody suspects that the heart of the thriving Empire is rotten, until psychohistorian Hari Seldon uses his new science to foresee its terrible fate.

Exiled to the desolate planet Terminus, Seldon establishes a colony of the greatest minds in the Empire, a Foundation which holds the key to changing the fate of the galaxy.

However, the death throes of the Empire breed hostile new enemies, and the young Foundation’s fate will be threatened first.

©2019 Isaac Asimov (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"One of the most staggering achievements in modern SF." (The Times)

"Isaac Asimov was one of the great explainers of the age...It will never be known how many practising scientists today, in how many countries, owe their initial inspiration to a book, article, or short story by Isaac Asimov." (Carl Sagan)

"Asimov displayed one of the most dynamic imaginations in science fiction." (Daily Telegraph)

Seminal work but didn’t age all that well

The work is scientifically prophetic and a true masterpiece.

From a zeitgeist / social relevance point of view I found it disappointing since it seems naively optimistic about science, oversimplifying the characters in a strictly patriarchal way that doesn’t seem to allow for even of the fraction of societal change we’ve seen in the 70 years since it was written, let alone centuries.
Women scarcely feature in this story and when they do they are portrayed in the most infantile and stereotypic ways imaginable.

The narration is also disappointing, with the main characters having rather annoying intonations.

Classic!

What are you waiting for? Read it immediately, just to fill in the gap in your knowledge of classics.

Awesome

Impressive story and excellent reader.
The reader makes the characters’ voices quite distinct, which is really beneficial for a story with long dialogues.

Boring

I loved the tv show, but found the book confusing and boring. It is a DNF for me. Maybe I’ll try to finish it again at some point.

The narrator of this book is superb!

The narrator is performing so well, the dialogues are hilarious and performed so well, I am sure Asimov intended to make it as it is presented here. Great work!