In the far future psychologist Hari Seldon creates the new science of Psychohistory, applying the principles of psychology on a grand scale to the whole of society and using them to accurately predict the future of that society. Seldon predicts the fall of the great galactic empire and using the principles of psychohistory creates a haven of technology to survive the collapse and nurture a more rapid recovery from the ensuing anarchy. Seldon also predicts a series of crises during this period of anarchy and recovery, and each story revolves around one of these crises.
This is a classic collection of short stories from one of the masters of the “golden age.” And it is a collection of linked short stories rather than a contiguous novel which is unfortunate for someone like myself who is less keen on that format; I feel I’m just getting to know the characters when the story ends and we jump forward several decades in time and have to make the acquaintance of a completely new set. A problem for a reader like me who loves to become immersed in the characters and their progress through the plot of a good book. But that is a problem for me not for Asimov; there are many who love and even prefer the short format!
The overarching story is excellent, as should be expected from a work of such acclaim, though to my mind it does once again suffer from that pervasive naivety found in such golden era works; it is just bursting with the all too common enthusiasm for the anticipated future progress of a science that has no apparent constraints. So much work from this era, whether it is from scientist or engineer authors like Asimov or Clarke, seems to take the view that nothing will prove impossible for science given enough time. Modern authors, or at least the better ones, tend towards a little more realism in their outlook. But this is only a niggle that never really spoils the grand vision of the far future that Asimov has conjured up.
My only real complaint with Foundation is that the stories are inconsistent with this new science of psychohistory in one fundamental aspect. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded that psychohistory can only predict the development of a society on a large scale and cannot hope to account for or predict the actions of individuals and yet, as each crisis is successfully overcome in exactly the manner predicted by Seldon, it is only overcome by the actions of a single individual fighting against all the odds and all the momentum possessed by society to continue on its course without change. Still, ignoring that one discrepancy and the occasional feeling that I am playing student to Asimov’s pet theories of politics, this is a great example of that golden era of SF writing.
3/5 stars
This is a classic collection of short stories from one of the masters of the “golden age.” And it is a collection of linked short stories rather than a contiguous novel which is unfortunate for someone like myself who is less keen on that format; I feel I’m just getting to know the characters when the story ends and we jump forward several decades in time and have to make the acquaintance of a completely new set. A problem for a reader like me who loves to become immersed in the characters and their progress through the plot of a good book. But that is a problem for me not for Asimov; there are many who love and even prefer the short format!
The overarching story is excellent, as should be expected from a work of such acclaim, though to my mind it does once again suffer from that pervasive naivety found in such golden era works; it is just bursting with the all too common enthusiasm for the anticipated future progress of a science that has no apparent constraints. So much work from this era, whether it is from scientist or engineer authors like Asimov or Clarke, seems to take the view that nothing will prove impossible for science given enough time. Modern authors, or at least the better ones, tend towards a little more realism in their outlook. But this is only a niggle that never really spoils the grand vision of the far future that Asimov has conjured up.
My only real complaint with Foundation is that the stories are inconsistent with this new science of psychohistory in one fundamental aspect. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded that psychohistory can only predict the development of a society on a large scale and cannot hope to account for or predict the actions of individuals and yet, as each crisis is successfully overcome in exactly the manner predicted by Seldon, it is only overcome by the actions of a single individual fighting against all the odds and all the momentum possessed by society to continue on its course without change. Still, ignoring that one discrepancy and the occasional feeling that I am playing student to Asimov’s pet theories of politics, this is a great example of that golden era of SF writing.
3/5 stars
