FOUNDATION

[E. Magill]

Now that the summer is nearly over, e's Book Club is back up and running. Our book for Sep/Oct 2014 is FOUNDATION by Isaac Asimov. This is a personal favorite of mine, though it might seem a bit outdated. It was also one of my father's favorites, and one of the most important and influential science-fiction novels ever written (although, technically, it was a series of short stories that were tied together into a novel). Here's the Amazon description:

"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."

[ericv]

Hey! I remembered my sign in!

First!

I don't have a lot of time right now, but I just wanted to say that I finished it and I loved it. I have the next two books right now, but there are a few things I need to do before I get to them.

Balls in your court pal.

[E. Magill]

Thanks!

Rereading it was a blast. Even though I always list this book as one of my favorites, it felt like I forgot how awesome it truly is.

It's unconventional, to be sure, filled to the brim with characters. But each of those characters feels different and distinct. Granted, there is some mild, anachronistic sexism, and some of the language is cheesy in that special mid-20th Century way (Atomo blasters and such). Still, I love the paleo-futurism stuff.

What amazes me is that this is a book that doesn't have any clear protagonist or antagonist. It's written like an epic historical fiction, only set in the distant future. It's full of big, sweeping machinations and events, and knowing where it's leading in the next two books (actually there are four more books, but two of them are prequels) makes me happy. (Although, remembering that Asimov died before bringing us what he promises in the end makes me a bit less happy.)

This kind of sci-fi is easy to contrast with my other favorite sci-fi author, Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke is all about the hard science and realistic extrapolation, but he isn't as good at creating characters. Both do politics well, but Asimov injects this sense of adventure that most of Clarke lacks (while Clarke has more science than Asimov does).

[E. Magill]

I've extended this book through the end of the year to give others a chance to read it and comment.