Foundation: Volume 1

My favorite book. It was a mind-bending exploration of the future of humanity. Asimov's world-building was intricate and believable, and the characters were compelling. It's a must-read for fans of science fiction." Negative review: "Foundation: Volume 1 was a bit disappointing. The pacing was slow in parts, and some of the concepts were difficult to grasp. While the ideas were interesting, the execution could have been stronger. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced read

I remember reading the foundation series in school. The series had an optimistic look into the future, the science of city planning and preparation as well as writing an encyclopedia to learn and apply lesson from history. I wish they had made the movies for the books. I think the First Foundation was focused more the project of technological progress and the Second Foundation was on people and human progress. The story is far into the future where Hari Seldon is a guardian of the time-line as the history progresses through generations. Foundation and Earth has two interesting plots one is the future of humanity and the other is remembering the origins of humanity (Earth).

Foundation, as part of the original Foundation trilogy, is the standard by which all sagas of the stars must be judged. It goes much further in style, thought, imagination, and character than any other novel of the same era, and it is hardly matched even by modern works. If Asimov had never written Foundation, he'd still be famous, but now his legacy is deservedly bound to this most seminal and lasting work. It's not a perfect piece of literature. Asimov never had Robert Heinlein's easy story-telling ability or LeGuin's writing power. Foundation is plagued by Asimov's pedantic voice, which at its worst can drag on interminably. This particular volume of the series also suffers because it lacks any surprise or mystery, something that is made up for in succeeding volumes. In fairness to the Asimov, this volume is a very early work, gathered together from short stories. It shows the hesitancy and stumbling of a still-learning writer. Even so, it is engaging and solid, and establishes Asimov as a solid craftsman. If he lacks the inventiveness or force of Heinlein, he makes up for it with a more charitable, less irascible view of humanity. Unlike Clarke or LeGuin, he doesn't let mysticism or emotion overtake his ideas. Some of the technical details are clearly archaic, which is the hazard that all SF writers face. Foundation is obsessed with nuclear power, and deservedly so, given its importance at the time it was written. Many of the technical details of the book seem crude, silly, or retro, in the space opera "blaster and flying car" style. Yet unlike other writers, Asimov never lets his technology take over the story. In all of his work, despite its reliance on science, it is the humans who move the story along. The humans are always in charge. Asimov's fiction is about humanity. Following in his best scientific heritage (Asimov was a professor of biochemistry in his "other" life"), the science is always questing and questioning, following the inner motivations of the people who practice it. Foundation is, along with the Robot books, Asimov at his best. He was the writer that everyone liked, that everyone admired. He, along with John W. Campbell, was a prime force in taking science fiction from the realm of Flash Gordon into the true space age. His works are deservedly classics of modern writing. Foundation is a novel and a series that every student of science fiction and modern literature must read.