Foundation by Isaac Asimov

[Cheetah]

I've just bought some Asimov books I found in a bookstore:

The Complete Robot
Prelude to Foundation
Foundation
Foundation and Empire

The Complete Robot is a collection of lots of Robot-short stories and I really like it. But I was thinking of starting on the foundation-series and
I just wonder, in what order should I read those Foundation-books?

Please don't tell me I should read some of the other Foundation books before these.

Oh, and no important spoilers please.

 

[MOTH]

Read the Foundation series in the order they were written. IIRC it is Foundation and then Foundation & Empire and then Second Foundation. I believe if you read Prelude first it will give you some spoilers.

One of the things I found most interesting was how the changing morals of American society were reflected in the writing of the series over several decades. For example: The first book makes little metion of sexuality and it is introduced in the writing as you move through the series.

 

[farting bob]

How about reading them in the order they were published? Are the 3 books connected in any way, or just 3 totally seperate stories?
Spoiler: The main character might die. Or might not. I dunno.

 

[Cheetah]

It's an entire continous series.

And reading them in the order they were written/published were my first though. I just wanted to make sure that it was the best way to read them.

 

[Serutan]

It's an entire continous series.

And reading them in the order they were written/published were my first though. I just wanted to make sure that it was the best way to read them.

Yes, it is. Moth is right, if you don't read them in that
order, you will get hit with spoilers.

the order:

Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
All from the early 50s.

Foundation's Edge. ~1983.

{I am unsure of the order of the rest}.

 

[Keirador]

Actually, you can't read the entire series without encountering spoilers. The main problem comes from Prelude to Foundation. It contains several slight spoilers for the future Foundation books, but I prefer to read it first, because the Foundation series is interesting even with these slight spoilers. However, reading the Foundation books first reveals the solution or lack thereof that Hari Seldon reached in Prelude to Foundation. Of course, reading the backs of these books may have already revealed this to you, but I would still advocate reading Prelude to Foundation first.

Also, Asimov has a habit of interconnecting his series. Reading the Foundation series first will spoil much of the plot of the Robots series. Reading Robots first might spoil a tiny bit of Foundation, but not severely. I recommend reading:

ROBOT SERIES:
The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
The Robots of Dawn

CONNECTIVE NOVEL:
Robots and Empire

EMPIRE SERIES: (The most stand-alone of the lot, and largely out of print. They just detail the beginning and growth of the Empire we encounter at the beginning of Foundation.)
The Current of Space
The Stars, Like Dust
Pebble in the Sky

FOUNDATION SERIES:
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth

There is also a SECOND FOUNDATION series that continues the plot line that Prelude to Foundation starts, but is not written by Asimov. It is written by three seperate established science-fiction writers with the blessing of the Asimov estate.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Wow, I havent read the Foundation series in decades. Loved it as a kid and read it many times. I dont think I even have the complete series anymore, I'll have to rectify that.

 

[Masquerouge]

Foundation is really great. And yes, you have to read them in order since it's just one big plot unfolding. And I think you are missing some of the books in the serie
The main one are
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth

and you want to read them in that order, or else you will ruin the story.
It's not very important if you read Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation
before, after, or never

 

[Elrohir]

I recommend reading them in the order of:

Prelude to Foundation
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation

And don't both with Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth. Really, don't. They suck, and I wish I had never read them. Compared to the earlier ones they are badly written and the plot sucks, and Asimov tried too hard to tie it in with his other novels. I mean come on, what are the odds that they would actually land on Baleyworld? Phh....

 

[TrailblazingScot]

I think "Nemesis" by Isaac Asimov fits in well before "Caves of Steel" as the start of the Spacer colonization of space. Irregardless, it is one of the best books I've read and has an interesting end if you regard closely what Janis Pitt is thinking at the end.


AH!

But, let us say you are an Asimov fan...

Reading Isaac Asmiov's "Caliban", "Inferno" and "Utopia" by Roger MacBride Allen (3 books) is WELL worth doing as are three books set in the Asimov Universe written by Greg Bear, Gregory Benford and David Brin:

Foundation's Fear (Second Foundation Trilogy (Paperback)) by Gregory Benford
Foundation's Triumph (Second Foundation Trilogy) by David Brin
Foundation and Chaos : The Second Foundation Trilogy (Foundation Trilogy Series) by Greg Bear

Of course, Greg Bear wrote the best one, but then he is an absolutely fantastic author, though could do with me editing his books to stop them getting silly - oh "Vitals" how you were so good till Stalin was found floating in a big tank of goo

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Spacers vs Earthmen, yes? I have the book.

Asimov's series of books were the greatest I have ever read. The concepts contained therein are simply mind-boggling.

 

[Cheetah]

Your not making this easy guys.

"The Complete Robot" isn't very complete, it's mostly short-storys by Asimov that didn't fit in any previous collection-book. So I lack the three robot storys Keirador mentions, and I also lack "Forward Foundation".

I guess I'll start with "Foundation" and "Foundation and Empire", then see if I can get some more books and ask again then, since I'll probably be to lazy to use the search-function.

Edit: And I have no idea kittenOFchaos and Knight-Dragon are talking about.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Spacers vs Earthmen, yes? I have the book.

Asimov's series of books were the greatest I have ever read. The concepts contained therein are simply mind-boggling.

Compared to alot of Greg Bear, Isaac Asimov is Sci-Fi for kids - not that this is a BAD thing as I got alot of it.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

@Cheetah.

Asimov has written a ton of books and short stories on almost everything.

There isn't really any set path to appreciate the whole realm of his writings.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Compared to alot of Greg Bear, Isaac Asimov is Sci-Fi for kids - not that this is a BAD thing as I got alot of it.

Well, I read most of them when I was a kid.

His style of writing is very simplistic and easy to understand, for someone who isn't using English as a first language (then) like me.

 

[Cheetah]

Stop destroying my fun and give me a nice single-line timeline to read through (loops is acceptible)!

 

[Elrohir]

Well do you want to focus on what we think are the best books, or what happens chronologically, or some of both?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Stop destroying my fun and give me a nice single-line timeline to read through (loops is acceptible)!

I just want to reveal to you he has written more, arguably better stuff. Like his short stories.

Like The Ugly Little Boy. Nightfall. The Azrael stories. The Fantastic Voyages. Etc.

As well all those crime stories and the pscyhic probe.

 

[Elrohir]

I just read Nightfall, and it was fantastic. If you can find Nightfall and other stories then buy it. (It's probably out of print, I bought an old edition) It's very interesting, and has several stories on alien civilizations or alien planets of humans, which is rare in Asimov's stories.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

There's also a full-book version of Nightfall. I think it was in collaboration with Robert Silverberg.