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Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series

Michigan

Michigan

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I've just started Prelude to Foundation (I'm enjoying it a lot - big sci-fi fan) and I'd like to know what people have to say about it -- or anything else by Isaac Asimov!! :)
 
I have not read that but I have read the original Foundation books and enjoyed them a lot. They are a little dated now but still a great read if you don't mind the dated aspect of them :)
 
Don't forget, too, that Asimov wrote a wonderful pair of short mystery series, the "Tales of the Black Widowers" and "Union Club Mysteries". They're collections of stories that appeared in Ellery Queen magazine. They are AMAZING for their ability to take mundane events and turn them on their head. All of the facts are laid out and I struggle with each one to see the very obvious answer (once explained.)

I liked the whole Foundation series, but haven't seen the Prologue. Is that the new one published after his death?

Cathy
Only Asimov can make a penguin fly!
 
I'm working on the Foundation Series too, though I started with the Robot Novels (read them several years ago) and am now working my way through the Caliban Trilogy according to the recommended reading sequence at Wikipedia (it's at the bottom of the page).

I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep it up. Robots and Empire didn't excite me too much, and I'm slowly making my way through Caliban, which is written by Roger MacBride Allen with Asimov's input.

We'll see...
 
Cathy C said:
Don't forget, too, that Asimov wrote a wonderful pair of short mystery series, the "Tales of the Black Widowers" and "Union Club Mysteries". They're collections of stories that appeared in Ellery Queen magazine. They are AMAZING for their ability to take mundane events and turn them on their head. All of the facts are laid out and I struggle with each one to see the very obvious answer (once explained.)

I liked the whole Foundation series, but haven't seen the Prologue. Is that the new one published after his death?

Cathy
Only Asimov can make a penguin fly!
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Yeah, im pretty sure it was published after his death. I head that it's not as good :) But have not read it and so do not know!

*throws the penguins a fishy*
 
I've always loved Asimov stuff, but this is the one set of his books I could never get "in" to. Mind you - it was a while back (when the great man was alive and visiting the same bookshop as me in Bermuda - never chanced to meet him though :( )... Maybe I should give them another go now.
 
Well, if Prelude to Foundation isn't Asimov's best then I can't wait to read the 'better' ones cause I'm enjoying this much!!! :D :D :D :D :D

I first decided to try Asimov after reading his book of facts (anyone else read that? it's non-fiction and it's amazing!) and seeing the movies Bicentennial Man and I, Robot. I thought they were pretty good but it's my theory that the book is always better, so I hope to read those books too sometime. What's the name of the book of Bicentennial Man?
 
Positronic Man is the novel, which is based on Asimov's novella, Bicentennial Man.

I thought PM was pretty good. It's co-written with Robert Silverberg.
 
I've read all the foundation novels, (apart from Prelude) and yes, they do take some 'mental chewing', but I think Assimov does 'ramp' up the story when the Foundation is threatened by the 'Mule' and the 'twisty turny cat and mouse' storyline, (at this time!) is just sheer brilliance in it's scope and anticipation of the outcome.
 
I'm a huge fan of Asimov! I've read the all the Foundation & Empire series and most of the Robot series. What I loved best was how he eventually merged the Empire, Foundation, and Robot storylines. For those of you who haven't read to the end of the series yet, I won't go into details, but it's brilliant.

Michigan, I have his "Book of Facts" and you're right -- amazing stuff in it.

Mort, thanks for the Wikipedia link. What do you think of the Caliban Trilogy?

ell
 
Ell said:
Mort, thanks for the Wikipedia link. What do you think of the Caliban Trilogy?
Click to expand...
I'm halfway through the first book in the trilogy and things are starting to pick up again. It's pretty good. If you liked I, Robot and the robot novels, you'd probably like Caliban. I'll have to get back to you on the rest of the trilogy. And just to warn you... it may be quite a while before I get the rest of them read. Then again, if Caliban ends up being really good, I may jump right into the next in the trilogy. I'm feeling an itch lately for non-fiction.
 
I love Asimov's work, and the entire concept of psychohistory I find intriguing. Wonderful work, though the 4th and 5th books (written several years after the original trilogy) aren't nearly as good in my opinion, Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation are one of my favourite series.
 
To me Asimov's original Foundation Trilogy is essential. I don't know if you can say "I read SF" unless you have read or plan to read it. It just vibrates through modern SciFi, where have you seen a city that covers a whole planet recently?
 
I just loved the scope of the original books. I mean even the first book takes place over how many years? It's just awesome.

As for the prelude books...ehhh well I thought the originals were much better. I remember the second one in particular getting terribly draggy at one point, in my opinion. Still, the payoff at the end was great.

Actually I liked the way I read the books, in the order they were written. It led to a lot of 'oh so that's how it happened' moments. I am assuming the timeline you are following puts them in some type of chronological order, which would be an interesting read, but wouldn't give you some of the cool surprises.

All in all, a great series! Stick with it, and make sure you pick up the extra books like Pebble in the Sky and stuff. I don't think I've read the Caliban trilogy, I may have to go back and pick that one up.
 
Asimov wrote some incredibly cheesy stuff as well, though. Has anyone ever read his 'Lucky' Starr stories?

I'd like to give The Gods Themselves an honourable mention though.
 
Got the book from the library but I wanted to read A game of Ice and Fire first....ARGGGGGH so many books to read!!!!
 
Foundation will be well worth your time but I've heard Fire and Ice is good too.

And thus you find yourself in a predicament that we all fall into: Which book do we read now?
 
I second the suggestion of "The God Themselves" ... a great book, with interesting physic's concepts...quite particular
 
...

Prelude to foundation was the last foundation book asimov wrote... I'm pretty sure it was published before he died... around the same time as the book Nemisis another one of his final works. Prelude is a lot less dated than the older foundation books he wrote I think but the whole series is so confounding. And now other authors are writing add ons to the foundation series... I haven't read any of those yet but I bet I will when I run out of other stuff to do.
 
i think bi-centenial man was a short stroy published in one of the many SF mags that Asimov used... if you liked the two movies then there are several Outer Limits episodes that you should see that based on several of his other ROBOT short series
 
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