Orhan Pelinkovic's Reviews > Foundation
Foundation (Foundation, #1)
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This Sci-fi narrative takes place fifty thousand years into the future. Humanity has achieved the possibility of interstellar travel and inhabited a large part of our galaxy, although, strangely, still relying on oil, coal, and for the fortunate ones, nuclear power, as the primary source of energy.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Foundation begins on planet Trantor the administrative and ruling capital of the 12,000 year old Galactic Empire. Hari Seldon, who is on trial for treason in front of the Emperor himself, is a psychohistorian (a branch of mathematics that combines psychology and mathematics) uses his deterministic system and calculates that in 300 years the Empire will collapse and enter a 30,000 year dark age period. As predicted and wished by Seldon, he is ousted by the Emperor, along with his scientists and scholars, to a far off insignificant planet Terminus (Foundation) that is located at the edge of our galaxy where he would be allowed to unite all human knowledge and compose the Encyclopedia Galactica in order to reduce the dark age period to 1,000 years.
This book was written at a different time, mostly in the 1940's, but the story takes place in the high-tech future where you would not expect to hear phrases like "women and children", "man to man", etc. Also, it's surprising that, Asimov, envisions a future with a possibility of human interstellar space travel at parsec distances (which is close to impossible) but didn't foresee women having a roll in science, politics, military, and trade. As you probably assume all of the characters are male who still hunt birds for sport and smoke in public areas. Women are referred to as wives and mistresses.
We have here a fairly well-written book, with some really good dialogues, and somewhat developed characters. Although, the allegory of the story is very meaningful! It portrays knowledge as the only and true beacon of hope. The "religion of science", even though practiced by the few, is the path to equality, freedom, and a utopian society. There is also a hidden political message that was relevant at the time the book was written. If you like Sci-fi, you could give it a try.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Foundation begins on planet Trantor the administrative and ruling capital of the 12,000 year old Galactic Empire. Hari Seldon, who is on trial for treason in front of the Emperor himself, is a psychohistorian (a branch of mathematics that combines psychology and mathematics) uses his deterministic system and calculates that in 300 years the Empire will collapse and enter a 30,000 year dark age period. As predicted and wished by Seldon, he is ousted by the Emperor, along with his scientists and scholars, to a far off insignificant planet Terminus (Foundation) that is located at the edge of our galaxy where he would be allowed to unite all human knowledge and compose the Encyclopedia Galactica in order to reduce the dark age period to 1,000 years.
This book was written at a different time, mostly in the 1940's, but the story takes place in the high-tech future where you would not expect to hear phrases like "women and children", "man to man", etc. Also, it's surprising that, Asimov, envisions a future with a possibility of human interstellar space travel at parsec distances (which is close to impossible) but didn't foresee women having a roll in science, politics, military, and trade. As you probably assume all of the characters are male who still hunt birds for sport and smoke in public areas. Women are referred to as wives and mistresses.
We have here a fairly well-written book, with some really good dialogues, and somewhat developed characters. Although, the allegory of the story is very meaningful! It portrays knowledge as the only and true beacon of hope. The "religion of science", even though practiced by the few, is the path to equality, freedom, and a utopian society. There is also a hidden political message that was relevant at the time the book was written. If you like Sci-fi, you could give it a try.
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Reading Progress
April 7, 2020
– Shelved
April 7, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
August 28, 2020
–
Started Reading
September 3, 2020
–
Finished Reading
October 6, 2020
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
October 12, 2020
– Shelved as:
russian
January 19, 2021
– Shelved as:
novel
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I just looked it up, and watched the trailer. It's looks like a lot of money was invested in the production of the series. Also, by the looks of it someone took care of my little remarks :). So, release is in 2021, therefore, I have time to read the rest of the novels.
I just hope that at the end of the day I don't end up saying the typical geek sentence "the book is much better". :)
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![Gerhard](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1665076971p1/7416346.jpg)
I just looked it up, and watched the trailer. It's lo..."
Orhan, I had the same reaction when I watched the trailer: Where did this come from!? I'm sure they'll do justice to Asimov's vision, from the looks of it.
![Gerhard](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1665076971p1/7416346.jpg)
Ha ha! I think the '50 000 years' is as much of a ballpark figure as '1984' was in its day ... Interesting how modern SF has moved away from such distant predictions and tends to be much more rooted in the 'now'.
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I'd like to know more of your thoughts on fusion reactors, Orhan. They promise so much, but do you expect that we will see the breakthroughs in the near future (we have been waiting for more than half a century) that can:
1. Make it a practical technology
2. Can scale it up
3. Can be adopted by under developed as well as developed countries.
Safety concerns are particularly a role for government
Do you see private utilities as being the ones to take over the R&D?
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I feel that the next 30 years will be characterized by better-storing energy (batteries) at every level of technology while processing "free" energy through wind, solar, and hydro power plants. But fusion reactors would solve energy issues once and for all :)
![HBalikov](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1271764879p1/929238.jpg)
Interesting how some Sci-Fi writers have been very good at predicting technical and scientific developments - and for this I imagine reading a book from the 1940s offers apart from a vision onto the future, also a look at the past - but have not succeeding in predicting social and political changes.