mark monday's Reviews > Foundation

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
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bookshelves: scifi-classic

psychohistory - "that branch of mathematics which deals with the reactions of human conglomerates to fixed social and economic stimuli" - says that the patterns and cycles of human societies can be accurately predicted.

Hari Seldon - that genius psychohistorian whose homely visage speaks to his followers hundreds of years after his death - says that the Empire must fall and that thousands of years of barbarism must follow.

The Foundation - that secretive colony of scientists established by Seldon on the planet Terminus - says that they will be humanity's last hope for shortening those thousands of years of barbarism and building humanity back up to its former glory.

Isaac Asimov - that celebrated science fiction Grand Master and clear-eyed progressive - says that he can fix up five linked stories and make of them a single novel with a single-minded purpose, a novel with prose that is straightforward but often witty and resonant, and a narrative that moves forward swiftly towards the inevitable.

mark monday - that dilettante - says that this novel was a pleasure to read. it often told instead of showed, but that was no problem. it often lead to a climax that was purposely anticlimactic, and that was no problem either. it had one story of the five that held familiar pleasures such as action and sweet revenge and a face-off with a villain, and that was a delightful surprise. it had mystery and intelligence and a dry tone with spiky undercurrents and a lot for him to think about. can humanity's behavior over time truly be predicted?

history - that condescending know-it-all, that ignored librarian, that screaming Cassandra - says that Yes, it can!
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Reading Progress

June 18, 2017 – Started Reading
June 18, 2017 – Shelved
June 23, 2017 – Shelved as: scifi-classic
June 23, 2017 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)

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Manny "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent"! I love that line!


mark monday a great line! there were a bunch of good ones, and even more in the sequel.


Francine I find that it told more than showed because of when it was written. Readers were simpler then. 😌 I know that I was probably much too young to read this when I did and adult me appreciates the simplicity of it because of that. I think if I re-read it now, I'd probably not enjoy it quite as much. Still the grand-daddy of real sci-fi in my mind. :-)


Manny By no means the grand-daddy. Read Kingley Amis's New Maps of Hell to find considerably older examples of the science-fiction genre!


message 5: by Ted (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ted I too read it at too young an age to get much out of it. But a re-read is planned.


message 6: by William (last edited Jan 16, 2022 09:56PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

William An exciting start to a seminal series of my teen years. Astounding. I'm so lucky to have had so many incredible sci-fi authors nourish my mind in my teen and early-college years.

Thank you for the review!

Update: After episode 4, the tv series turns into absolute crap. 😥


message 7: by Jonathan (new) - added it

Jonathan "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" I wonder if anyone ever asked Asimov why his family fled Russia or what he would have done if he were in the same position as FDR or Truman. I suspect the quote is more personal in context, rather than applying to nations. Asimov used it in other novels, directly or implied. But just to argue the point, what can anyone do when faced with hostile regimes like the Nazis? Chamberlain tried to negotiate, exactly in the manner Asimov's quote demands. It didn't work. Was Admiral Churchill wrong to oppose Hitler? "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" is a truly stupid line. That's all I can conclude without knowing Asimov's thoughts on it.


message 8: by Jonathan (new) - added it

Jonathan p.s. Good review, Mark. Manny always pushes my argue buttons because he's wrong about just about everything he writes here.


mark monday When applied to the individual, it makes a certain sense to me. When applied to nations, I think it only makes sense in certain situations.

At this point, I remember the line but not the context in which it was used.


message 10: by mark (new) - rated it 3 stars

mark monday and thank you, I appreciate it. although :( re. Manny always being wrong! I love Manny, he's a favorite of mine. although I often disagree with his perspective on classic science fiction novels!


message 11: by Jonathan (new) - added it

Jonathan LOL sorry, I didn't disclaim my obvious troll remark with a happy face. I enjoy his stuff too and like to bait him from time to time. My sense of humor is drier than a martini and I forget how hard that is to read in print. (is that a double entendre? I think it might be...).


message 12: by mark (new) - rated it 3 stars

mark monday I will take it as a double entendre!


drowningmermaid "history - that condescending know-it-all, that ignored librarian, that screaming Cassandra - says that Yes, it can!"

Unless a bat-flu comes along and wipes you off the face of the map. Or a meteor. Or some unknown unknown.


message 14: by mark (new) - rated it 3 stars

mark monday History is glass-half-empty, not glass-all-the-way-empty!


Julian Mark monday- “that writer of post- book reviews, stretching and twisting the format far beyond what we mere goodreaders could expect or imagine.”


message 16: by mark (new) - rated it 3 stars

mark monday well thank you Julian. I love the idea of writing post-book reviews! as a post-human, the concept really speaks to me.


Abyssdancer (Hanging in there!) Amazing review!


message 18: by mark (new) - rated it 3 stars

mark monday :) thank you!


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