Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Series, Prelude #1)
by Isaac Asimov
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Unless you're just a die-hard Foundation fan and have to read them all, "Prelude to Foundation" can safely be skipped. In particular, I'm not sure that I would recommend reading it prior to the other Foundation novels despite the fact that it's a prequel.
It's not spoiling anything to briefly explain why this is. In "Foundation," which is really more a shorts collection than a novel despite the fact that the stories do flow very well together, Hari Seldon is already an o...more
It's not spoiling anything to briefly explain why this is. In "Foundation," which is really more a shorts collection than a novel despite the fact that the stories do flow very well together, Hari Seldon is already an o...more
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Read in August, 2007
My first Asimov book, it was both wonderful and disappointing. I loved the hugeness of the imagination at work here. The bizarre and diverse societies of Trantor with their rituals, structures, foods, ways of living, and just the physical structure of the world itself, with multiple layers and a surface covered with sand and the occasional forest, made for fun reading. As for the disappointments, although it is probably a cliché at this point, I could not stand the squareness of the dialogue...more
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It was nice to see Asimov finally start varying his characters a little more. Not only was the hero actually a flawed character this time, but the hero was of course the (later) near deified Seldon. I was very pleasantly surprised to see he wasn't cast into the same mold of so many of his other heroes later in the series (quiet, introspective man with an uncanny sense for social subtleties and a near infallible sense of intuition). It still felt a little clumsy though, Seldon was still treate...more
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Read in May, 2008
My first Asimov novel & a very compelling story line. Basically, since I saw a free copy on the paperback swap shelf at the library, I decided to jump into the mega-praised Foundation series with "Prelude," despite it not being part of the ultra-praised trilogy, as a prequel (therefore, potentially spoiling the impact of the plot presented in the actual series). But I was not a bit disappointed with this book, despite the hype. If the trilogy is even better (I'm trying not to get m...more
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Read in January, 2008
Isaac Asimov. The man has published 390 books in his lifetime. You might be thinking with so many books how can any of them be any good? Well having only ready a handful myself I can't speak for most of them. However "Prelude to Foundation" is a fine read. Not cutting edge in the scifi genre but a solid novel. The Foundation Series is really one of the classics of SciFi, with the first three novels in the series being written many many years before. This one does well adding to ...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
People who already have background in the Foundation series.
I was a bit disappointed in Prelude to Foundation. I originally read the Foundation series first, and then read Prelude later as it was published later. I then re-read the series in chronological order, starting with Prelude and going forward. I would not recommend this latter method. Prelude moves very slowly and not much happens. It serves better as background information for the Foundation enthusiast who has already read the rest of the series. For people being introduced to Asimov, I'd...more
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Read in January, 2008
Very interesting perspective on human psychology and the ability to use human nature as a way to predict future events on a global scale. It takes the idea of how trends, mostly large scale, continue to reappear and uses the evolution, or in some cases deevolution, of human civilization to show how not all advancements progress society forward.
Good introduction to the series, but the style does differ greatly from the earlier portions of the series due to Asimov writing this book so much la...more
Good introduction to the series, but the style does differ greatly from the earlier portions of the series due to Asimov writing this book so much la...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Asimov/sci-fi fans
So I finally made it: I have read one of the quintessential books of the science-fiction genre. I've finished the first of seven books in the Foundation series. While it wasn't as magnificently Earth-shattering as I had hoped, it was still a darn good read. Impressively satisfying ending, but with an unusually slow-paced latter half, this book showed Asimov's typical emphasis on logic and conversation (preferred to emotions/romance and action). It's amazing how clearly defined his character...more
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Read in April, 2008
This book is really more for people who are fans of Asimov's Foundation, Robot, or Emprire series. But I think it works tolerably in own right. I will also say that it grew on me as I read it, and I rated it much higher at the end than I would have had a stopped reading before I got there. I think Asimov really excels at the short story, and I think that that style and punch sometimes shows through into his longer works. There are a few slight things that would make me hesitate to recommend ...more
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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
scifi lovers
This prequel to Asimov's Foundation Series is pretty fun, but is not like the rest of the series. It explores a non-apocalypic super-populated earth, by following the adventures of a mathematician whose theories eventually save humanity. The rest of the series works with large themes by moving too quickly through time and touching on too many characters - but for those who like more technical scifi, you might like it. I didn't, so much. Couldn't get through the first book in the series - a r...more
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Asimov wrote this prologue to his FOUNDATION series after he had already completed the main part of the series. It totally shows too, because PRELUDE is a really fun sci-fi novel. His earlier work was not terribly well plotted, but this story follows Asimov's psychohistorian hero as he first comes to Trantor. Some very cool scenes throughout, even for newcomers to the series. I actually think you could read this one and forget about the rest.
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Read in January, 1994
This is the 5th book in the series but is actually a "pre-qual". Asimov wrote this years after he finished the original series (he wrote most of the original in the 1950's and 1960's) based on huge demand for more.
I personally like the book and there are some interesting twists but some is so updated that it can miss some of the feel of the original.
Regardless, if you enjoyed the series, it's a quick read and worth a look.
I personally like the book and there are some interesting twists but some is so updated that it can miss some of the feel of the original.
Regardless, if you enjoyed the series, it's a quick read and worth a look.
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Read in January, 2008
This one was a good read; at least, it was good enough to get me to want to read the next book in the series. But it wasn’t that great. It reminded me of a travel book… maybe an introduction to the world of the series? I don’t know… interesting, but not great.
Am I rambling?
Am I rambling?
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It was a little hard for me to get through the first time, but I enjoy thinking about it. I would probably like it more the second time, because I started re-reading it and was definitely enjoying it more than the first time. 'specially since it's been years since I read it.
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I remember reading this book in junior high. It had two effects on me. Number one, it gave me intense fears about overpopulation and number two, I'm pretty sure that Lucas stole a lot of ideas from this for his Imperial planet scenes.
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Read in February, 2008
Wow. I loved this book in 8th grade. Now I'm quite disillusioned with the sci-fi master. Maybe it is just the voice actor on the audiobook, but I am shocked at how dry this is. Still, it's an Asimov, so I'll finish it.
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Read in June, 2007
The prose isn't the most eloquent, but the ideas are quite thought-provoking. I probably should have planned on reading this one AFTER reading the trilogy, but it's still good on its own. Now I'm working on Foundation...
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Read in October, 2007
Foundation was good in it's epic exposition - is Prelude even better? We'll see. It will be interesting to see how his writing style changed in the nearly 40 years between Foundation and this Prelude...
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Read in November, 2002
recommends it for:
EVERYONE
Asimov--a writer credited with writing over 400 books in his liftime--writes a series on the fate of humans of the future and a mathematical formula that can predict its grim future.
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Read in September, 2007
This book seemed slow and aimless, but it all tied together in the end, more or less. I kind of didn't like how the Foundation series tied into the Robot series.
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