Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels)
Book Review: The Start
Summary: 5 Stars
A full and proper start to this epic story of mathemetician and Psycohistorian Hari Seldon. His prediction for the future of the galaxy he knows, one where the human race with the help of robots have created an empire so grand, all has to come to an end. This story takes us on the great Flight the Hari had to endure as his prediction of humanity's survival did not impress the emperor in the slightest.The old tale of where humans came from is dotted in this book as with all the Asimov epics of this story. Characters are introduced that would be a major influence in the Foundation trilogy as well as the next prequil, Forward the Foundation.
Reading it before or after the Trilogy dosen't really matter but treat the second prequil as a continuation of the first.
Book Review: Incredible!
Summary: 5 Stars
Asimov's "Prelude to Foundation" was fortunately the first work I ever read from this master writer. My expectations were more than fulfilled.The main character is Hari Seldon who possesses a rudimentary mathematical framework for predicting future events. His problem is living in a universe where there are 25 million planets and trying to take the massive amount of information from each to make a reliable model from which to predict the future. Seldon is aided by Hummin who helps transport him across the planet and Dors, a historian, who try to keep Seldon and his ideas from being seized. Seldon gradually refines his approach to predicting the future, leading Seldon (and the reader) to a great many surprises about the many whom he trusted along the way.
Asimov creates a complex plot which could have easily unraveled, but he ties all loose ends together in this skillful and brilliant novel. A must read for anyone interested in science fiction!
Book Review: This is an excellent start to a classic sci-fi series.
Summary: 5 Stars
Isaac Asimov lost none of his ability in the long gap between writing the original, Hugo award winning (Best All Time Science Fiction Series) Foundation Trilogy and Foundation's Edge. Hari Seldon is a young man of about 30 who has just arrived at Trantor from his native Helicon to present a lecture on his theories of psychohistory. He does so and is immediately sucked into a web of other people's ambitions and ideals, including the Emperor's and his aide's and other rival factions. This is an engrossing, politico-science fiction thriller that involves a planetwide chase, a puzzle to solve (for Seldon AND for the reader), and even some developing romance. An excellent read, I could not put it down.Book Review: A most pleasant surprise
Summary: 5 Stars
Having enjoyed the original Foundation trilogy and the two follow-up books, I was reluctant about Asimov's telling of Hari Seldon's life. It didn't really seem interestin to me, and if it was interesting, I was leery of peeking at the magic behind the curtain, as it were.What I found instead was an excellent character study. I've read elsewhere that the character of Seldon is in many ways autobiographical of Asimov himself, and that's not hard to believe. Seldon often comes across in the novel as Asimov himself does - driven and humorously self-effacing. In this way, Seldon himself is perhaps the most clearly fleshed out of all the characters Asimov has written about. When combined with the surprising (at least to me) plot points of Hari's life, you're left with a whole new spin on the series itself.
In short, strongly recommended.
Book Review: Genisus of the serise
Summary: 5 Stars
When Asimov first came up with the idea for this series he was trying to model it on the fall of the ancient Roman empire, but even he never guessed at the wonderful legacy he would unleash. Here we first meet Harry Seldon, who at this point is just a struggling mathematician. It is also in this "Prelude" to the epic as it were we meet characters never before seen in the other books (although we do meet their descendants in other books). Asimov was the last of his kind there will never be another to match imagination and sear attention to detail. This another one my essential additions to any serious Sci-fi fans itinerary.