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Literary Review CriteriaV1
C1 PLOT
C2 SETTING
C3 PERSPECTIVE
C4 STYLE
C5 CHARACTERS
C6 THEME
C7 ORIGINALITY
C8 IMPRESSIONS
C9 IMMERSION
Full explanation of the Literary Review CriteriaV1 can be found here.
Review Summary
Foundation was first published in 1951 and is the first book in a series of books following the humanity in a distant future, over the course of hundreds of years, as it grapples with conflict and uncertainty. Foundation begins at the end of a prosperous Galactic Empire which ruled supreme for thousands of years. The first book of the series focuses on the pioneer of a prescient field of psychohistory, Hari Seldon, and his efforts to establish societal enclaves with the sole purpose of preserving knowledge in order to save humanity.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Foundation plot is very interesting and dynamic — the first book covers the basics of psychohistory, ending of an empire, and the Foundation‘s three so-called Seldon crises, or major branching points in the Foundation‘s timeline marked by events essential to its survival. Asimov provides vivid descriptions of the planets and cities, such as ecumenopolis Trantor and desolate planets like Terminus. Predominantly driven by dialogues, Foundation covers the span of 150 years from the inception of the plan through psychohistory by Hari Seldon, through masterful foreign affairs by Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow.
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.
Foundation‘s progression tracks cultural shifts in its inhabitants from cataloguers of Encyclopedia Galactica to the nuclear engineering priests, and trading magicians, all while examining somewhat complex themes of politics, conflict, and drive for survival. I highly recommend this book to any fan of science fiction. While some of its aspects are clearly indicative of a time it was written in, i.e., pervasiveness of smoking among the characters, the underlying threads of social dynamics make this a timeless piece.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
This international paperback edition by Harper Collins printed in 2016 features an illustration of a spacecraft in what appears to be a sling-shot acceleration around a star. This is an edition of the book I own and would recommend.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
This media tie-in paperback edition by Del Rey printed in 2021 features a shot from the Apple TV original series Foundation, in which a person can be seen looking at the vault, presumably on Terminus.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
This US paperback edition by Del Rey printed in 2008 features a geometric pattern dot/line art. Similar cover can be found on the mass-market paperback editions.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
This is an unabridged audiobook on Audible.com (purchasable through Amazon.com) narrated by Scott Brick. The length of this audio is 8 hours and 37 minutes.
Detailed Review
C1 PLOT
Plot
