Book 1), Prelude to Foundation (Foundation

It is interesting to see Hari Seldon without his absolute certainty and to watch him stumble through awkward social situations as he tries to learn the equations that will explain the future. The episodes, though, are desperately boring. There doesn't ever seem to be a dramatic point, he simply goes from place to place and fumbles around, picking up a few strays along the way. The concept is brilliant, the application sadly lacking.

"Prelude to Foundation" by Isaac Asimov

Prof. Asimov has a knack for telling a good story. The really interesting part of this is that it is written in 1980 or so, and talks a little about using computers. In some of his older stories, he mentions the 'slide rule guys' figuring stuff out. I suppose that my knowing what a slide rule is dates me some. It is also obvious that he did not write this for serial publication. He can put together a good book with some disparate magazine stories, but this is written differently. It would have been possible to serialize it, but it was not, that I know of.
In the end it turns out that robots are God.

In his later novels, ASimov attempted to tie together his Robot, Empire and Foundation series into a cohesive whole. THis book is one of the main links in the chain. In the Foundation books written previously, Seldon was a legendary figure revered by the people who owed him their existence. In this story, the early adulthod of Seldon is revealed as he sets out on the path that will lead to his refinement of his psychohistory system. Asimov brings in several recurring themes from his books to unite the works. We see the legend of a mythical homeworld of humanity, the stories of robots and the myth of a unique long-lived robot dedicated to protecting humanity. All are linked with Seldon in this masterful story. He shows his ability to create a world of various cultures in Trantor. I try to read the series every few years and each reading rewards with a new insight each time.

This is the first Foundation-novel I read. After finishing it, I immediately went to the bookstore to buy 10 other Asimovs, which should say enough.. . . The galaxy sketched by Asimov is so colorfull and realistic, one is driven to read the entire book at once. Each department of Trantor has its own characteristics, just like each culture on our tiny 'Aurora'. The problems created by these differences are parallel to 'ours' as well. As I recognised the Big Galactic Problems Asimov adresses in this book in our modern society, I was curious to see the development of the special solution Hari Seldon tried to find for them. You can recognise the scientist in Asimov, when Hari Seldon is asking himself questions about the development of his psychohistory. I was very curious about the answers lined out in the following novels. Furthermore, I was fascinated with the idea of our Earth transformed into a mere legend, and the unexplainable 'Easterns' and 'Westerns' spread into the vast galaxy. Last but not least, the plot was very surprising. Asimov tricked me into some wrong ideas the entire novel. I am reading 'Foundation and Empire' now, and I'm still totally obsessed with it, so I recommend this series to everyone who likes SF-novels as well as social sciences.

It is interesting to see Hari Seldon without his absolute certainty and to watch him stumble through awkward social situations as he tries to learn the equations that will explain the future. The episodes, though, are desperately boring. There doesn't ever seem to be a dramatic point, he simply goes from place to place and fumbles around, picking up a few strays along the way. The concept is brilliant, the application sadly lacking.

Of the Foundation books I've read, this one is my favorite. It is the beginning. It introduces Hari Seldon. I think it is the most entertaining, and I truly enjoy the characters of Hari and Dors. The other novels are about what happens much later, although Hari is still a huge over-riding part of the story. I recommend this book, and even if you don't continue on reading in the series, this will still be an enjoyable read.

If memory doesn't fail me, it's the last of the Foundation books written by Asimov himself, and it's one of the links to the other trilogies (that consist in Robot and Empire books). In my opinion, this book is somewhat better than the original Foundation Trilogy books, if nothing more because it is tighter, as long as it was idealized from the beginning as one single volume. The Foundation trilogy was published as short weekly stories, and so it includes A LOT of repetition of the plot's central points, to update (and hook!) the more casual reader.
It's a book from the mature Asimov's pen, so it's somewhat less naive (although not that much), and the reading is easier and "smoother". A nice plot that integrates the Foundation saga with the Robot era, which is lost in the pre-Empire history on Asimov's Universe. Those familiar with the Robot novels will be glad to see again a very beloved character, whom makes this book stand to the high level of the entirety of Asimov's works. Mandatory reading for all those who read and liked the original Foundation books, as are the "Foundation and Earth" and "Forward the Foundation", the two other late-written books which complete the Second Trilogy Foundation by the man himself.

I read this a very long time ago when I was in my early teens. This book sets the stage for the Foundation series.... Young Hari Seldon journeys around the technotronic planet Trantor and unravels the future of the empire... This book was written after Foundation and the other novels... but is sequenced as the first in the series. It is frequently skipped, but I consider it among the best novels in the series. It really sets the background for anyone jumping into the Foundation series.

It's hard to say anything new about the foundation series. I had always heard good things about it, and finally got around to picking it up. I started with this book, Prelude to Foundation, and I think it was a good choice (even though it's not the first written). However, I think it would have been helpful to have read the full Robot series first because it is slightly intertwined, though so far, I don't think it's spoiled my later enjoyment of that series.

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction writers of all time, is a prologue to his most acclaimed series, The Foundation Trilogy. The book traces the adventures Hari Seldon, a young mathematician who thinks he may have discovered a way to predict the future. Hari call his theory psychohistory, it is based in part on the Chaos theory and lots and lots of math. The one downside is that it can only foresee the future of a large population, so it cannot forecast, for example, the next day¡¦s events for a particular person. Hari goes to Trantor, the ¡§capital¡¨ of the Galactic Empire to attend a conference to present his ideas. Hari¡¦s ideas catches Cleon I ¡¦s eye and he suddenly becomes the most wanted man in the universe and is soon running and hiding from the imperial guards. He explores the terrain of Trantor in the process, looking at different civilizations and further perfecting his theory on psychohistory.
I find this book to be really intriguing and interesting, even though it¡¦s better to have read The Foundation Trilogy before reading the prelude, because there are many allusions and references that new readers might not understand. This book however, still stands very well on its own as an individual book and not part of a series. Asimov is great in character development, bringing all the characters to life with a depth in their thinking. This book is also pretty fast paced compared to some of the other Asimov books I¡¦ve read. Since Asimov wrote this book more than 20 years after The Foundation Trilogy, he has more time thinking everything through and therefore this book was more smooth and easier and more likeable to read. Asimov has also tied most of his major series together, including the Robot series and the Foundation series, along with other novels, so this book also acts as a bridge between works. Overall, the book is really good and I would recommend it to anybody just looking for a good book to read.

This book was written in 1988 as a prequel to Asimov's famous Foundation trilogy which was written during the 1950s. Needless to say the book must generally follow the facts of the trilogy which were based on assumptions out of date by the time the prequel was written.

The biggest discrepancy is the optimistic view of what could be achieved 20,000 years from now. The setting is the Galactic Empire which contains 25 million inhabited planets with an average population of four billion each. The capital planet Trantor has 40 billion people. Needless to say hardly anyone today would believe that we could reach such numbers. The question today is whether we can survive another billion more people or so on Earth without collapsing.

Asimov's main characters are a mathematician and a historian, thereby maintaining his habit of featuring educated intellectuals as opposed to the mindless celebrities we have today. While the story is about finding a scientific formula to predict the future to save a dying empire, the general principles of this here-nascent formula really apply to today's world.

For example, one general principle Asimov mentions is that a central government should allow as much provincial freedom as possible to maintain political stability. Contrast that with today's federal government with federal judges overturning the decisions of millions of voters and an imperial president who does the same.

Can't say enough about Isaac Asimov, reading 'Prelude' was a great experience and seeing the peak of life on Trantor. What was most fascinating was Daneel Olivaw's appearance. Many of you remember him from the Robot series.
Harry Seldon's adventures start here; he is a very human and fallible subject (unlike the phrophesizing old man in Foundation.) I think you will find that this is the best of the foundation series and it'll be hard to put down

There's no such thing as a bad Foundation novel (as long as you don't count the new trilogy by people other than Asimov). "Prelude" is no exception. It is exactly what its name implies, the origins of Asimov's great Foundation. When I reread the series recently, I started with this book, and it really helped make the whole series more complete. It is crafted with the same care for detail as the rest of the series. The characters a great, the story is great, and it is just great. Did I mention that it's a great book?
The Foundation series is Asimov at his finest, and there isn't much reading better than that. If you're a fan of the series, read this. If you're new to the series, read this and all the others. It is definitely worth your time.

Prelude to Foundation was the first Asimov novel I ever read and I am currently reading it again for the fourth time ! Many people told me to read his famous 'Foundation Trilogy' in my youth (20yrs ago) but I never got around to it. Fortunately by the time I did 'Prelude' had just been published, so it seemed a logical place to start !! I did not regret it..
Prelude to Foundation is just one episode in Asimov's sci-fi tapestry woven from several independent series of novels and short stories, all set in the future but with some connecting threads. It comes after the 'Robot' and 'Empire' novels and sets the scene for the later 'Foundation' books.
Its setting is about 20,000 years in the future after mankind has invented hyper-spatial travel and populated the galaxy. We are introduced to Hari Seldon a math professor from a small planet Helicon, who travels to Trantor the galactic capital of the empire to attend the 10-year math conference. There he makes the claim that the future of man might be predicted mathematically, since the net actions of quadrillions of humans become more predictable rather than less so (just like for atoms !) Whilst Hari realises that his theory is correct but impractical, it excites the interest of the emperor's minister Demerzel. The emperor Cleon, is fearful of assassination, so would like the future to predict a long and successful reign.. Soon poor Hari is in over his head as both imperial forces and their enemies seek to use him as a pawn to further their political aims.
With the aid of the benevolent Chetter Hummin, who wants Hari to actually work on his prediction theory called 'Psychohistory' in order to save mankind from an impending collapse of the empire Hari escapes, but only proceeds from one mishap to another. He is encouraged in his work on Psychohistory and also protected by a colleague of Hummin, the adorable red-head Dors Venabili who is a academic historian, has great legs, but can also wield a mean knife...!
The plot is fast moving and varied, with a hint of mystery. As usual with Asimov there is a twist or two in the tail..
I think 'Prelude' is a lot of fun and more enjoyable each time I re-read it (I have gone through Asimov's history of the future three times now!!) I think it is my favorite - it has a feel-good ambience pervading the book and I'm sure Isaac had a lot of fun writing it..no doubt there is a lot of himself (a former biochem asst. professor) in the Seldon character !!
Isaac Asimov has left a staggering legacy and an irreplaceable hole for his multitude of fans. Asimov's work is highly complex and not always accessible, some of his writing is now half a century old. Asimov has done a great job in 'Prelude' in linking up many of his future-based novels. In his preface to Prelude he gives a potted history of his future universe and indicates how his books fit chronologically together. As he says some inconsistencies arose since the books were not originally planned to form one future.. but it kind of evolved that way !!
For newcomers to Asimov I encourage you to go no further and start here, many of you will become hooked for life...
For afficionados of 'Robot'-lore and the 'Empire' this is a continuation of these novels and the action is all set on magnificent Trantor in its heyday and splendor. It will not dissappoint. The master sci-fi story teller was also at his mature best. A partial solution to the question of what ever happened to the spacers of Aurora is also revealed...
For first or second 'Foundationers' this book is a beautifully crafted piece linking the different halves of Asimov's future together, where Seldon is the fulcrum.
I wonder if his works will still be read in 20,000 years and what they will make of it all....

Although it may be helpful to read the Foundation Trilogy and perhaps Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth before this prelude-and Forward the Foundation-this is an excellent read in whatever order you read it. The series is fantastic, and this prelude-which chornicles how Hari Seldon was introduced to psychohistory and the principal, early developments he made during the period of The Flight. It also introduces many of the important characters that later play a greater part in Forward the Foundation. The novel is very suspenseful indeed, and is notably fast-paced, which is a pleasant surprise from Asimov. There is a lot to look forward to, including several glimpses at the Galactic Empire while it still had the appearence of grandness, robots and the search for information about Earth, and two interesting surprises in the end, which involve a reunion with an old friend, if you have read another series by Asimov. This book is definitely as good as, if not better than, the three novels of the Foundation Triolgy. Read it!

This was a very readable Sci-fi that takes place in the far, far future when there are numerous planets inhabited by humans, called the Galactic Empire. It follows the path of Hari Seldon, a mathmetitian that came up with the idea of psychohistory, a mathmatical way to possibly predict the future. This novel is the adventure of Hari with another character sent to protect him, on the center of the Galactic Empire, the planet of Trantor. Hari and his companion find one interesting adventure after another.

The Foundation trilogy, written more than 50 years ago, was an amazing accomplishment in science fiction -- a construction of a galactic society of near-infinite complexity that also (as it happens) correctly anticipated the mathematization of the social sciences.

This 1988 novel is chronologically (although not in publication date) the first of the Foundation series, one of two prequels that fill in the back story of the Foundation trilogy. Its main goal is to bridge the Robot and Empire novels, while Forward the Foundation explains how the Foundation came to be in the dying days of the Empire.

The plot (such as it is) covers "The Flight" (as the Encyclopedia Galatica explains it), how Hari Seldon begins his psychohistory research and also makes a series of friends that will last the rest of his life. The Flight itself has as much plausibility as a typical 80s chase movie, with our heroes careening into yet another crisis, only to be saved (Deus ex Machina) to continue on to the next.

Both prequels deal with the flesh-and-blood exploits of Seldon, the mythological figure that overshadows the trilogy. As such, they offer insights into Seldon's character not available in the later books. But since the trilogy was written more than three decades earlier, such insights are superfluous to an understanding of the basic premise of the two foundations and psychohistory.

The book is somewhat more interesting as a travelogue across the various city-states of Trantor, and (like its sequel) in demonstrating the latent decline in the final days of the empire.

But along with the plot, the book also suffers by projecting (needlessly) details from today into the year 12,000 G.E. This includes allegorical commentaries on late 20th century U.S. social issues that demonstrate both a political correctness and contrived intrasocietal controversy that would be implausible to continue into an advanced civilization 20 millenia hence. Equally implausible are the mention of three distinct races within the human species continuing without impact from 600 generations of intermarriage, and age milestones of birth, puberty, marriage and death that (despite presumed advances in medicine) changed less in 200 centuries than they have in the past five.

The book fails badly to live up to the impact of the classic trilogy. Although it fills in some of the gaps, even for a hard-core Asimov fan (as I once was) there's nothing in it essential to understand the three core books (as 35 years of readers would attest). So it is more a curiosity, one of the final works of an incredibly prolific and influential author.

On the whole I am not fond of books written to round out a series. They tend to lack the depth that the books of the series itself possess. In this case, this book is an equal to the others in the series.
First of all, I would read the Foundation series first, before you read this. I would also read the Robot series before you read this. There are aspects of this book what would spoil the suprises in the other books if this was read first.
It gives you an in-depth look at the sheer diversity of mankind, all from the diversity he finds fleeing the government, a diversity that offsets the making of a mathematics that deals with our similitude.
The ending is also a suprise, even if you have read the other books, and for that, I must give Asimov credit.
Hari Seldon is given an impossible task, to find a way to quantify all of human activity, and he doesn't think he can do it. Meanwhile, he is being hounded by agents of the government of Trantor, capitol of the Galaxy. Yes, this book takes place when psychohistory is just an idea, before Hari became the all-knowing sage that he is pictured as in other books.

This book is the 7th Foundation book I've read...actually I've read them in order of their printing dates (with the exception of reading "Forward the Foundation" beofre "Prelude"...becuause of this I was able to think critically of the way in which a younger (yet still fiesty and stubbourn) Hari Seldon comes into his life long struggle with an abstract theory "psychohistory"
When reading the books in the order that I have, I was able to get an idea of what Seldon's glorified, andsometimes Cannonized legacy became the basis of a new culture and society. In "Foundation" you get a tiny glimpse of Seldon as an old yet proud man...warry that the end is near....and that's it...no more. in the next two books inthe trillogy you get hints of him further, but still...you wonder..who was this man? Was he indeed a man? was he not a figure head for a much larger mind, group, or collective? You are given a sence of his omnipotence, this I think Asimov achieved with litle less than Perfection!
then later In Foundation's Edge you get some answers. Of course Hari Seldon was just a man..and because of this his Psychohostory could not be perfection, he is a man, and human's make mistakes. So if you are or were wondering how a Plan such as his could maintain integrity and not sway (except where the Mule is concerned) and wonder if really the efforts of the Second foundation in it's (in contrast to the population of the galaxy...some 25 million inhabited plannets) small numbers could really keep the plan going...well you get your answer here.
When you then continue into "Foundation and Earth" (which I really consider this to be the same book as the previous, as it follows right after "..Edge") You are suddenly brought back into a much older story..the story of R.Daneel Olivaw. Now if you know your Asimovian history then great if not..you'll be forced to quickly find all the Robot and Empire novels to satisfy yourself (as I did). Now to get to the point. Reading Prelude to Foundation is very IMPORTANT!!! this book is the key to joining the old empire and Earth with the revolutionary times of Hari Seldon...this book is wonderful and perfectly relaized. It gives you the knowledge you need to understand who Hari Seldon is..What Daneel's role in this is and to answer your own personal questions about the future of the Plan. The book itself is Exciting and awe inspiring. You get to imagine Trantor in its Hayday and Daneel and Hari both in their prime (well In Daneel's case he's always Prime.) However I did Enjoy Reading Forward the Foundation Before reading Prelude..only because I liked the fact that I didn't know what Dors realy was and I did not know her fate was imminant...I understood that she was not human...with Asimov's slight hints (these hints..in all his books...should be referred to as "Asimovian Slights.")I still enjoyed the surprises surrounding her.
So to wrap up, I'd say Prelude to Foundation is a key brick or Cinder block in the structure of Asimov's Foundation...which strangly enough has grown into an amazing piece of prophetic architecture!
thanks..and Enjoy!

For me, Asimov is the master of science fiction, but the early Asimov tends to deliver better on this than the later one. I've read quite a bit of the Foundation series, Including the Original trilogy and the two sequels to it, and now I've finished Prelude to Foundation. I've also read several of his Robot books, and others as well. I think I am confident in saying that Asimov's early work was certainly his his best, but that his later stuff is still great for an Asimov fan. Much like with Foundation's Edge and Foundation and the Earth, Asimov weaves a brilliant and winding story of character on an important journey. But as with these other two, the ending really fails for me. Especially with this story, there seems to be a touch to much of the manipulation by greater forces theme. Still, it is well worth the read, if you are prepared for a similar ending to the Foundation trilogy sequels.

If you have read Asminov's Foundation series many eons ago, this is a must read. It gives you an excellent idea of how everything started. I read the Foundation series years ago and never read the prelude. Since reading this I am reading the series again. It is fascinating and as always Asminov touches on truths. Anyone interested in Astronomy or any type of science for that matter must read this book and of course the whole series.

the store delivered the item as scheduled and it was in excellent condition.

Although I am an Asimov fan, this book was disappointing. As he explained, the sole purpose for this volume was to connect the dots in his previous Foundation series, but I am not sure why that was necessary and why it had to be so dry.
Much of the dialogues are contrived and contain Asimov's musings about food, society and state of the Galaxy thousands of years from now. It is interesting that he projects the kind of social injustices and class struggles that dominated our political discourse during the cold war decades that far into the future. This theme of challenge of maintaining social order is common in most of his works. It would be so depressing if that were really the case for future civilizations that have supposedly solved so many of the fundamental problems of humanity.
The plot does have a few pleasant surprises, especially at the end and one also detects the innocent romanticism of Asimov throughout. I do not think it is a must to read this book to enjoy the other books in the series; they were all very well done and memorable on their own.

"Prelude to Foundation" by Isaac Asimov

Prof. Asimov has a knack for telling a good story. The really interesting part of this is that it is written in 1980 or so, and talks a little about using computers. In some of his older stories, he mentions the 'slide rule guys' figuring stuff out. I suppose that my knowing what a slide rule is dates me some. It is also obvious that he did not write this for serial publication. He can put together a good book with some disparate magazine stories, but this is written differently. It would have been possible to serialize it, but it was not, that I know of.
In the end it turns out that robots are God.

In his later novels, ASimov attempted to tie together his Robot, Empire and Foundation series into a cohesive whole. THis book is one of the main links in the chain. In the Foundation books written previously, Seldon was a legendary figure revered by the people who owed him their existence. In this story, the early adulthod of Seldon is revealed as he sets out on the path that will lead to his refinement of his psychohistory system. Asimov brings in several recurring themes from his books to unite the works. We see the legend of a mythical homeworld of humanity, the stories of robots and the myth of a unique long-lived robot dedicated to protecting humanity. All are linked with Seldon in this masterful story. He shows his ability to create a world of various cultures in Trantor. I try to read the series every few years and each reading rewards with a new insight each time.

Don't waste your time reading this stuff. In spite of his reputation, it's hard not to think that the author is an imbecile. His characters are nitwits.

His other novel, "Foundation" is not so bad, but you might like to stay away from that too if you prefer hard SF.

This is the first Foundation-novel I read. After finishing it, I immediately went to the bookstore to buy 10 other Asimovs, which should say enough.. . . The galaxy sketched by Asimov is so colorfull and realistic, one is driven to read the entire book at once. Each department of Trantor has its own characteristics, just like each culture on our tiny 'Aurora'. The problems created by these differences are parallel to 'ours' as well. As I recognised the Big Galactic Problems Asimov adresses in this book in our modern society, I was curious to see the development of the special solution Hari Seldon tried to find for them. You can recognise the scientist in Asimov, when Hari Seldon is asking himself questions about the development of his psychohistory. I was very curious about the answers lined out in the following novels. Furthermore, I was fascinated with the idea of our Earth transformed into a mere legend, and the unexplainable 'Easterns' and 'Westerns' spread into the vast galaxy. Last but not least, the plot was very surprising. Asimov tricked me into some wrong ideas the entire novel. I am reading 'Foundation and Empire' now, and I'm still totally obsessed with it, so I recommend this series to everyone who likes SF-novels as well as social sciences.

My book scale goes like this: 1-poor, 2-fair, 3-excellent. A 3. I read this in high school & now, couple years later, I'm back into it.

It's a great book for any sci-fi fan, esp. ones who like the future. I always wonder what happens next, and I also constantly visualize seeing what's going on in my imagination. The places they visited had unique settings and dialogue. To me, that makes for excellent material.

Oh, it's worth collecting, too. :)

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!

Most people who have reviewed this book have read the other Foundation books before this, but the book is ABSOLUTELY awesome when read after reading the Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, and Robots and Empire..in fact, i think it reading these 4 first makes the book more enjoyable because one knows of the past which Hari Seldon is searching for and there's the reunion with an old friend. But either way, Asimov is such a master that his books are wonderful in any order!

Prelude to Foundation was simply incredible. It surpasses any movie I have seen, by far, and is probably my favorite book of all time (unless it's Foundation itself). The book not only manages to amaze and shock you, but it does so repeatedly! When you finish this book, you easily need to take a 10 to 15 minute period lost in deep thought, pondering the book.
This book is so powerful, if you take the time out to read it, you will be forced by mere curiosity to read the other 5 novels in the Foundation Series.

I think Isaac Asimov wrote this one more out of whimsy or nostalgia than as a useful addition to the Foundation story. The book is full of sterotypes and standard plot devices and surprises - almost juvenile. Cute, perhaps, but I almost didn't bother to finish. Not his best stuff, by any means.

If you read Foundation and left wondering more about Hari Seldon, the man, as I did then this is a great book. If you hope that this book will provide some deep insight into psychohistory this is not the book to read. If you have never read the Foundation series before, this would be a fine book to start with. However I think it is a little lacking in the level of richness and detailed plot that the other books have. It is however still a fun book to read.

This book was written 25 years after the others in the series, and Asimov's writing skills had obviously matured and improved. He was a master writer in his 20's but he continued to get better. The characters
in this work are more believable, and in this book he incorporated a very interesting surprise at the end. Asimov earned all the tributes reviewers
have given him through the years.

Prelude to Foundation is a spell-binding adventure leaving the reader only wanting for more. This is the first of the Foundation series I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like his other sci-fi works, Asimov used a simplistic, yet enjoyable writing style. The way he wove in twists into the whole story is truly remarkable. Asimov truly knew the art of good science fiction.

Asimov is able to accurately and interestingly end with the beginning of one of the best sci-fi collections of all time. Prelude to Foundation gives a stunning background to the future novels as it shows Seldon's struggles to achieve a working psychohistory. Twists at the end of the novel are an added reward to reading this stellar book.

It was my first Asimov's book, and I think it had been a very good choice. Now I'm starting Forward the Foundation, and I'd like it to be like its previous in the Foundation Saga. Either you like science fiction or not, you may try read this beutiful book, written in a very simple but deep scientific language. Don't loose time...buy it!!! Ciao Alex

This book, Forward the Foundation and Foundation and Earth are connecting the robot series (The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire) with the Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation). Still I would recommend first to read the robot novells and the Foundation Trilogy.

This is the first book by Asimov i have read, and I was not disappointed. This book was completely enthralling, and I coundn't put it down! The ending was wonderful- it had me guessing until the last moment. I can't wait to read the other Foundation novels!

Althoug this book is called "Prelude" it should probably be read after all his other foundation and robot books, in order to appreciate all the tie-ins. I have read almost all of Asimov's novels, and this one is easily one of the best. The last fifty pages are incredible.

Asimov keeps topping himself. A exciting story with belivible characters and imaginative and clever points. Wery well tied up with earlier stories as well as later. We get to know Hari Seldon as a real person, not as a distant legend as in the earlier foundation novells.

I come across by this book by accident, and I'm sure glad I picked it up. I enjoy reading trilogies (read Sonja Blue by Nancy A. Collins if you want something great in horror) and this first book has me wanting more. Hopefully the author continues on with the current cast of charters and problems with the theory on psychohistory. Overall a very good book.

Ever since I've read this book, I have never passed an opporuntiy to read any Issac Asimov books that I have come accross. A must read if you haven't read it, a must buy if you don't own it, and a must read again if you already own it

A compelling story that took me a couple weeks to read because I couldn't put it down. The character, plot, action, and love in this story were very realistic and has a great surprise ending!
This is a definite!

I've read some of Asimov's other books, and admit I was sometimes confused or bored, but this book was a non-stop thrill ride! I couldn't put it down, almost finishing the whole thing in one day! One of the best I've read in a long time.

There is absolutely no development of the Trilogy concept here, and as such it is only character filler and not that coherent as a novel. Asimov knew what would sell, and he wrote some great stuff, but to be honest I thing he wrote WAY too much. THis is too much.

Not recommended.

I think that this is one of the best books ever. It has great twists and no one ever suspects what is going to happen next. But the last two pages are the best two pages of a book that i've ever read!

To start, I want to say that I am a big fan of the Foundation Trilogy. I read it while I was growing up, and it had a major influence on me: the concept of Psychohistory, and the focus on social movements and structures instead of individual "great men" was both fascinating and rare. I borrowed this book a few months ago from a friend, and now have read it twice. I think it is simply horrible writing. The characters are bland and sterile, the plot is simply an excuse to connect up threads from the other series - and it is done in a rough and unsubtle way. The story winds from one location to another - with no purpose or reason, except to connect to the history from the previous robot novels.

In some ways, this novel reminds me of the even-more-repulsive Star Wars prequels in 3 major ways:

1.) They are a poor addition to the storyline, the quality is much lower than the originals (minus the Ewoks, of course)
2.) They are clearly based on the idea of an existing fan base wanting to have details filled in and the publisher counting on this for sales even if the quality level is low.
3.) The social structures, customs, attitudes, and cultures are overly simplistic, unimaginative, and based sterotypically on current day earth.

On this last point, I had to shake my head when I read about the cultures of Mycogen and Dahl - along with the fact that tens of thousands of years in the future, the plot hinged on soldier not being willing to follow a woman as a leader. Mycogen with its unimaginative taboos, and then Dahl with its 50's-style morality (and hyper-simplistic social stratum). Top it off with the unlikely scenario that "Aurora" and "Earth" cultures have survived is even somewhat recognizable forms - AND ON TRANTOR AS WELL!!! That's just too silly to even consider.

The social stratum in Dahl requires even more criticism ... of course Seldon has to find a "diamond in the rough" among the Heatsinkers: one who does manual labor, but has a Ramanujan-like mathamatical ability - in order to show Seldon's nobility and his ability to see past social class, unlike the "silly" Dahlites. Compare the projected social structures here to those of Herbert in Dune, or even to those created by Asimov himself in the Robot or Foundation Trilogies, and you will see that here Asimov paints poorly, and with a very rough brush at that. I agree with one of the 2-star reviews that Asimov is at his best when focusing more on the conceptual level, like in the Foundation Trilogy, although he did succeed with the characters in the Robot novels (though I haven't read them in quite a while.)

It is too bad really - I went to the reviews here expecting Asimov readers to be more discerning and honest with themselves, as opposed to lapping up anything with the "Foundation" label on it.

SR

I wanted a good Sci-Fi book or fantasy book. I remember the Xanth series, John Carter of Mars books, but this was rediculously dull. If I hate a book half way I'll stop reading it, which I did. It seemed like a story about a scientist running away from agents of a leader who were trying to kill him. He wanders around on a top of a dome for several pages and I told myself, that's it. I'm done. I'm sure Asimov has done well for himself with the other books, but this one seemed like he was just trying to stretch out a story way too long.

Don't waste your time reading this stuff. In spite of his reputation, it's hard not to think that the author is an imbecile. His characters are nitwits.

His other novel, "Foundation" is not so bad, but you might like to stay away from that too if you prefer hard SF.