Foundation (Series)

I read the 7 books of Asimov’s Foundation cycle, about 1,500 pages. I’m noting my thoughts since it was an interesting read. Too bad about the ending; I expected (and remembered - I read some books several years ago) something quite different.

The first two are fine; they cover Hari Seldon’s life with a couple of nice twists at the end.

Then the three Foundation books are solid: the early crises, the great commanders, the Mule. They are suspenseful and definitely the best.

The last two were a bit of a disappointment. Gaia and the search for Earth left me unconvinced. I remembered Seldon having importance, but he seems no longer relevant, and now there are powerful entities that can manipulate what they want. I did not enjoy that as much, though the adventures on dangerous planets were intriguing.

All in all, Asimov writes well and keeps me engaged, even if the dialogues are odd: characters are very (too) reasonable and use complex rhetoric for everyday conversations, a bit unnatural, but fine. There is a lot of exposition to handle. He tied the books together well; it feels like a continuous narrative.

I would not reread it, since the first five books build a climax around Seldon that does not lead to anything in particular. There are 500 years left until the end of the story, and there is this vague idea of creating Galaxia that left me unconvinced. Still, it was worth it.