Book Review: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

4 out of 5 Stars

The Blurb

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.

My Thoughts

I’ve been trying to expand my horizons and delve into some classic science fiction. Although the language and certain other aspects of the novel are exceedingly dated, I found this to be an intriguing and worthwhile read.

The story follows Hari Seldon and his followers as they try their best to conserve humanity as we know it. The future is bleak. Society is set on a course that will lead it into a dark age for tens of thousands of years unless Seldon’s followers can do the impossible–preserve a vast library of human knowledge and manipulate the rest of humanity into not destroying them.

Some of the concepts in this novel are fascinating, and particularly revolutionary considering it was published in 1951. Asimov displays strange mix of feudalism and high science fiction. I loved the idea of a religion created by scientists to control populations, technological advances portrayed as mystic secrets, and the concept of psychohistory as a whole. One of my favorite parts of the novel was Seldon’s repeated cameos, harassing residents of the Foundation from beyond the grave.

There’s definitely some issues with this novel. The cast of characters is pretty much entirely male, which is likely due in part to the time period in which it was written. One of the few times a woman appears, she’s vapid and focused only on jewelry and her appearance. The character interactions often feel two-dimensional, making it difficult to feel invested in them despite being highly invested in the political and social machinations as a whole.

Despite the sometimes dry narrative, I still enjoyed Foundation and plan to someday pick up the sequel. If you’re interested in digging into a high concept sci-fi classic, I would certainly recommend giving this one a try.

Happy Reading!