Foundation
Where to buy Foundation books online?
- ISBN13: 9780553382570
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Sheldon, 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 fututre 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 ruined.Amazon.com Review
Foundation inscription the first of a series of tales set so far in the future that Planet is all but forgotten by humans who live throughout the galaxy. Yet all is not well with the Galactic Empire. Its vast size is crippling to it. In particular, the administrative planet, honeycombed and tunneled with offices and staff, is vulnerable to attack or breakdown. The only person willing to confront this imminent catastrophe is Hari Seldon, a psychohistorian and mathematician. Seldon can scientifically predict the future, and it doesn’t look pretty: a new Dark Age is scheduled to send humanity into barbarism in 500 years. He concocts a scheme to save the knowledge of the race in an Encyclopedia Galactica. But this project will take generations to perfect, and who will take up the torch after him? The first Foundation trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation) won a Hugo Award in 1965 for “Best All-Time Series.” It’s science fiction on the grand scale; one of the classics of the meadow. –Brooks Peck
Buy Cheap Foundation Online
Related posts:
- Foundation and Empire
- Base Building for Cyclists: A New Foundation for Endurance and Performance
- Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
- Positive Discipline: The First Three Years: From Infant to Toddler–Laying the Foundation for Raising a Capable, Confident Child
As an avid sci-fi reader, I felt I had to rectify an oversight and read the book that really is a foundation of much of today’s sci-fi. When I ongoing the book, I plotted to read the entire series. I was so completely let down that I don’t know if I’ll ever read Asimov again. Foundation simply failed to place a match to any spark in my imagination. The characters are poorly developed, largely because of the huge leaps in time throughout the book. In addition, the inability of a person writing sci-fi — which by its scenery looks to the future — to envision any role for women in that future is deplorable. I thought Asimov’s work trite, dull, and completely missing in the sort of foresight that makes books by authors like William Gibson and Tad Williams so amazingly captivating. Kudos to Asimov for opening the door for better writers but too terrible his work (at least this early work) is terrible. Don’t waste your time reading this one. Go straight to the many better post-Asimov authors.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
I tried to listen to this tale on CD, and aside from the tale not being terribly appealing, I was surprised at Asimov’s attitude towards religion. I suppose I shouldn’t have been. He is a sci fi writer, after all. But I thought he was supposed to be a smart guy. He’s not — at least on this point.
The basic outline of the tale (at least the beginning — I didn’t make it all the way through) is that some guy predicts that the galactic empire is going to fall, so he tries to make provision to preserve equipment so that the succeeding dark ages don’t last as long as they otherwise might. Toward that end he gets a select group of scientists onto this relatively isolated planet where they can carry on their work, which becomes the invention and maintenance of a religion that’s supposed to preserve certain technologies through the coming dark ages. In this religion the high priests know the theory — the equipment and all that — but the local priests and the people are duped into believing in some mumbo giant.
It’s as if you’re supposed to picture some priest waving infuriate and adage prayers while he adjusts the knobs on the nuclear reactor, believing that it’s God doing something while it’s really just equipment.
I know that “equipment as magic” and “religion = magic” are common themes in the sci-fi genre, but for some reason I expected better from Asimov. It shows a rather alarming lack of thought.
Religious rituals are permanently geared towards the chaotic and the mysterious. There aren’t religious rituals to cause the sun to rise, because it’s regular and dependable, but there are religious rituals for storms and floods and harvests and childbirth and whatnot. Religion is also used to clarify hidden things — psychology, forgiveness, etc.
IOW, religion is theme to criticism (“it’s not measurable”) in precisely the area where Asimov is trying to squeeze it. He’s trying to make religion the mystical cape for something that’s regular, predictable and logical. It just doesn’t work that way.
If religious rituals had precise, measurable results, people would suspect that there’s nothing religious or mysterious about them and they’d look for a material cause. Anyone who doubts that simply doesn’t know the religious mind, or hasn’t been paying attention. Sure, there are gullible religious folk out there who’ll judge anything, but the majority have half an eye out for tricks and deceptions.
The very thought that you can hide equipment behind a cape of religious ritual is a rather silly science fiction writer’s fantasy.
Anyway, the tale wasn’t that compelling, and this “religious take in for nuclear equipment” business was so incredibly stupid, I couldn’t end it.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
I still haven’t received the book yet. It’s been nearly a month. Hopefully it gets here. I only check mail every couple of weeks. We’ll see
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
This has to be one of the worst books i EVER selected up. Within the fist 50 pages, iwas bored out of my mind. I don’t know why everyone reflect this book is SOOOOO excellent, don’t listen to them. If you like BAD books this is the one for you! I hope Asimov has some better books, cause he has to be acclaimed a excellent writer for something (or book)!
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
This book is one of the most overrated books I have ever read. There is very small in the way of plot and character development. There is no climax in this book. The book reads like a past record, similar to Tolkiens Silmarillion, rather than an actual tale. If you like reading past records, you may like this book. If you are looking for an exciting novel…. better luck elsewhere.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5