Hopefully this will be a good reminder if you read the Foundation trilogy a long time ago, or an introduction if you aren’t planning on reading it before the new show debuts on Apple TV+. Next time I’ll get into the capital city/world of Trantor, and then Hari Seldon and what Psychohistory is all about. Make sure you mark any book spoilers if you want to talk about those.
Hey, love your content. But I understand you're wrong to state that there's is no ethnic diversity, "everyone's multi-racial", in Asimov's universe, at least at the start of his tale. The excellent UA-cam channel 'Quinn's Idea' covered the different ethnicites and where on earth they came from in his June 2020 video: "Foundaton: How Trantor Collapsed the Galactic Empire".
@@georgegrogee5991 I was just saying that the standard is multiracial. There is variety, but characters that would fit into the categories we're familiar with are rare. I just read the story The Currents of Space where two of the characters have a bond based on the fact that one is from a planet where people are pale, and the other is from a planet where they're dark. The fact that they both look different is part of their connection. Haven't seen Quinn's video, he's always seemed to know what he's talking about though. The info I went off of is from the Foundation prequels and book 2 of the Empire series.
Thanks so much for this, it was very informative 😃👍🏾 I would like to read the books, can you recommend which ones to start with? I'm quite unfamiliar with Asimov's work outside of I, Robot with Will Smith which I love.
I'm 71 now and read the foundation series when I was about 16. I read all his works, they were great fun. I'm watching the foundation series now on the internet. My jury is out on whether the series lives up to the books. What a great time in my youth. I worked with a CDC computer that was heptadecimal, all magnetic tape of course and 4k of RAM was the size of the robot in 'Lost in Space'.
That’s really cool imo& I’ve also been watching foundation,i take it it’s nothing like the book then?because I was gonna read it&what’s with the wall cleon is painting or whatever he’s doing?
Asimov’s Foundation trilogy got me hooked to the point that 50+ years later I’m still reading, including SF and Fantasy series! It was a fantastic imagination stretcher!
There are 5 books in the original continuity and 2 prologues book... Just saying, you might want to also read Foundation's edge and Foundation and Earth at the very least. Btw, just curious, did you understood by yourself what "other side of the Galaxy meant" or you had to wait for the reveal?
@@UA-cam_is_Trash he said "the trilogy got me hooked." Was 50 years ago....so he has likely read the whole anthology. Any different books you recommend that are not very commonly recommended? I keep hearing the same couple dozen books recommend
@@UA-cam_is_Trash also. Have you read "I am legend." The book? The ending is so much better than the movie...plus, Richard Matheson's short story collections are so good
@@claudeyaz fair enough, I still was curious to know if he had read the prelude and prologue. That and if he had understood what they meant by other side of the Galaxy by himself, I would like to know too for you btw. I've just started back reading so I'm not the best person to ask. Dune was a blast though.
I, my younger brother and sister read all Asimov series 30 years ago when we were just kids living in Korea, never been abroad. We were so fascinated by the World he created. It felt so real and plausible. Then all of us actually came to North America to study more. I became a data scientist, still thinking the predictive power can be greatly improved someday. I have been waiting for this moment all my life. When I first arrived to US, I borrowed the Foundations from the library and read them again, constantly checking the news to see if they will be dramatized or not. I am really excited.
Me too! No Korea and not data but systems theory and anthropology. Then I realized that advertizers and the worst politics had this stuff down pat and make the Mule look like an amateur.
I got my copy of the Foundation Trilogy from a book club I think in about 1982. Your comment on Asimov's sparse writing really strikes a nerve with me. I have maintained for many years especially since I took my Bachelor of Arts in English literature that Asimov is probably one of the best english language writers of the twentieth century because of his incredibly effective, sparse style. As a child I read this and I perfectly imagined all of the places and all the things that were necessary for me to visualize the world without him needing to describe them because the dialogue was so evocative. It was only after I really studied it more closely that I realized that almost none of the things that I saw had been explicitly described and he was just that good at making a world appear right out of the dialogue. I think it's absolutely brilliant.
@@TheKulu42 To quote Asimov "I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing-to be 'clear'. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics-Well, they can do whatever they wish." This I interpret as him, a scientist, sticking to his forte: analytical clarity to get his ideas across effectively, and linguistic simplicity to make these ideas accessible to a wide audience. Not sure, I agree with you on the "intelligence and imagination of his audience". To me, that quote sounds like he's trying to keep things simple for simplicity's sake.
My favorite books along with the Robot novels. Been waiting forever for someone to make Foundation into a series! Don't have Apple tv unfortunately. Hope it comes out on Blu-ray. Cool you fly gliders . Lost most of my planes in a fire. Never got to fly my art hobby DLG.
9:13: "Obviously at the end of World War 2, they were hoping things would be different going forward." Morgan Freeman: "Going forward, things, it turned out, would not be different."
"they were hoping things would be different going forward." Given that Asimov's humans 20,000 from now acted a *LOT* like humans did in 1950 that statement puzzles me.
Just an FYI that Asimov's Empire novel Pebble In The Sky is a great read, a great adventure that focuses on the origin question. I highly recommend it.
I'm 75 & read SF as a kid. Asimov was one of my first, favorite authors, before Heinlein, & Clarke. I still have copies of the original 3 books & still re-read them for pleasure!
My best friend at the time and I went to a science fiction convention when we were 16 and met Isaac Asimov. It remains one of the highlights of my life. Harlan Ellison was standing nearby and Asimov puffed out his chest that he had these two teen girls squealing over him like he was a rock star. But, I fangirled all the way out and I am not ashamed.
I remember finding out about his death a few months after it happened whilst I was working in Greece, was about 23 at the time, and was so sad that I never got to meet him. Still my favourite author after all these years.
Read this in high school and it is still one of the greatest series ever. The fact that it still resonates today is amazing and the fact that there are groups and governments that have started the process of preserving things shows it’s impact
The Foundation Trilogy was actually my first really big Sci Fi read decades ago as a kid. And of course I went on to read all of the Foundation stories and the much of Asimov's other works.
The Foundation Series and the Robot Series are the "foundation" of all modern Sci-Fi movies and literature and to those non-scifi readers they are also just a damn good read. Much like HG Wells worth your time.
I read all these Isaac Asimov novels during my 20's. One day when the time comes, will give them to my now little daughter so she can enjoy the pure genius of Asimov. These books, one of the best investment I've ever made...
Isaac Asimov, master of sci-fi, Your stories inspire and defy. You showed us the future, both near and far, And challenged us to reach for the stars. Thank you, Asimov, for all you've done, Your legacy will forever outshine the sun. *LOVE FROM INDIA*
I am 66 years old, and I read the Foundation Trilogy when I was a child - maybe 10 to 13 years old. Yes, I was smart and a rabid reader. But the book is truly a constant and I bet that most of the last 50 years innovators in Science and Tech have also read the book.
I know many that have and many that reached similar conceptual understanding via different paths. There was a bit of a push in the late '70s to early '80s for long term projects, Prometheus Projects, among physicists and, interestingly, sociologists with anthropological training. But baby-boomers decided to become the Me generation and, with the help of credit cards, doom the future to the next financial quarter.
I think part of the reason these classic scifi stories might seem dated or cliche' now is that they were often written in the 30s, 40s & 50s when scifi as a genre wasn't very popular or respected. Their ideas were novel at the time but have since been borrowed & built upon by the authors who came after & are more well known. It's unfortunate it's taken this long for special fx technology & public interest to catch up with Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, etc to do their stories justice in a visual medium. I don't have Apple TV so I'm hoping Foundation will be available via other streaming services eventually so I can watch it. It's got a great cast & I'm super curious.
When I finished reading a chapter of an Asimov book, I often got a visualization in my mind of the curtains closing and the stage crew making ready for the next act.
"he's explaining some of these factors; a rising bureaucracy, loss of initiative, lack of upward mobility, a lessening of curiosity of exploration and the people who have power holding on to it to the extent that they begin to lose the connection with the citizens and therefore their usefulness comes into question" Sounds a lot like the Silicon Valley Technocracy powering the political sphere of the United States of America and an allegory for Western Civilization as it is right now.
@@hectortroy8671 all good - apart from the evanescing hopes for our immediate future on this planet. BTW yes I have read the trilogy - twice - and it is as good as mid 20th C SF gets.
@@Agarwaen Democrats who have found a different machete than the Taliban - and lose their way when stealing from working runs then unable to buy votes for themselves
One aspect I liked was that Asimov tied the creation of the Empire back to his Robot series of stories. It explained why there are only Humans and no aliens in the galaxy.
If one values ideas over characters, and takes into account WHEN these ideas were first expressed, I think Foundation & Robot books could be remarkable even for one who would read them for the first time today. I mean, tho I _dare_ call myself a SF fan, I've only read them for the first time about 2 years ago. And I found them captivating. I can't say I didn't notice how dated they can be at times, especially when they reflect the domestic life of the times when they were written lol. Or the paper thin characters. BUT, the explored ideas (in context) are fascinating still, IMO. As for the show, I do hope it won't be an _extremely faithful adaptation_ . I'm hoping they'll keep the big ideas from the books (for structure) but they will build more on characters. Introduce new ones even if necessary, with their own little subplots which will allow the viewer to get a better feel of the universe and get emotionally invested. Since the big ideas of the books are no longer revolutionary by today's standards, they'll have to make it about the characters, I think. Or I hope lol I've seen many Asimov fans skeptical about the show but I am hopeful it will be a great show. Even if not a _great_ adaptation ... PS: I'd really love to see Daneel's journey on screen, tho I'm not sure they'll ever get to it.
Completely agree. Asimov’s books were more about the evolution of human society on a macro scale than the actual characters. The concept of an empire isn’t dated, humans keep repeating history. Additionally, as technology evolves, society changes. The pandemic has made many of us into Solarians because we have the technology to be isolated now (albeit without the vast estates).
Hi Alexandra! I actually think the Foundation novels benefit from not having the melodrama of more conventional fiction - sort of like the music equivalent of 80s synth and cold wave as compared to the emotion of R&B. They are short and to the point, reading close to alternate history, with the Empire and its dissolution rightfully taking centre stage - and I was equally captivated, even if I found the concept of Psychohistory unattractive, having echoes of the historical determinism of Marx. I have written a novel centred on a galactic empire, "Imperial Knight", although my characters are fully developed and take centre stage with the plot: at least the melodrama and interaction of characters were fun to write.
@@jamesevans1890 yeah but the TV show needs a huge audience (like how many read GoT books compared to those that saw TV show), so some drama needs to be there for a show to exist and to go on for 80 episodes that they plan. I doubt it can exist for 8 seasons if all it has is what was in original Foundation trilogy
"the big ideas of the books are no longer revolutionary?!" I have only read the first book and i can tell you it is more revolutionary than most things that are made into streaming simply because of they are thought out ideas. While i disagree on how everything seem to be stationary for cenuries or how certain people are being foolish, they are more intelligent than most shows that are made.
The lack of alien species is explained in the other novels. Before the Settlers could pass the Spacers and reach other worlds, robotic ships has been set out to sterilize earth--type planets and, presumedly, any alien life already there. In preparation to them being reached by humans later. However, there is at least one alien species out there. It's interaction with the Empire is described in Asimov's short story BLIND ALLEY.
I read Foundation back in 1989, I still have the old books. Have kept them all my life and had also been waiting for a movie to portray the wonderful world of The Foundation. Thanks for this video its been very nicely done. I hope to see the other videos that you make.
I read Gibbons...it’s pretty long and has a lot of detailed analysis of Roman society losing its grip, but he does get into the robots which is something most historians overlook.
I am not the most well read person, even among my friends. But in what I have read, I love most when an author can paint the picture of the world and the situation primarily through dialog. The other notable writer able to do that was Shakespeare. The alternative is to have the narrator describe everything, which is not bad, but to me seems less sophisticated; less Socratic.
True, I'd add _good_ dialogue. To give a contrapoint example: Stanislaw Lem. I like his ideas and worlds and "futures" just as much as Asimov's, but .. the dialogues .. like, you and I wouldn't have a conversation where we discuss how a toilet is built and how it works and what effect the advent of toilets had on society, because toilets aren't new, and they're common and everyone has a rough idea how they work - it's all unremarkable. Lem's characters on the other hand often explain a lot of stuff to each other (for the sake of giving the reader necessary information). Stuff, that _should_ be as common and self-understood to them as to us toilets. Such dialogues seem so forced and unnatural lol
Breaks my heart because i cant stop thinking this will be a disaster. Just finished reading an article making excuses for this series before it even airs about how the series cant be made true to the books. If you cant make a good adaptation of something, then please leave it alone.
... have you considered that in its original form, it can't be done, unless it will cater to JUST the SF hardcore? That gatekeeping mindset will keep others from discovering this work.
He was biochemist professor and his writings was that of academic style, clear and concise. Bradbury’s writing came from the libraries, books stacked with non-conformist authors, not all of them, with bad writing and yet he managed to evoke the emotions in his writing.
They're just saying Fall of 2021. I agree that there are similarities in the fall which is what makes it relatable. Just think it also makes Hari Seldon's plan a bit optimistic in hindsight. There are advantages to his waiting 30 years before writing the 4th book though.
To put the age of these works in context, the first Foundation story was published less than 20 years after the first definitive proof that other galaxies existed outside the Milky Way, just 6 years after Hubble formally classified the shapes of galaxies, and well before we had a firm estimate of the actual size of our own galaxy. If it's not the very first story of galactic empire, it's probably the one that everybody knows about because of some of the scientific discoveries happening immediately prior to and likely during the writing of the series.
This sounds interesting. I very recently bought the first Dune book, and I’m finding it a slow read (learning the definitions and vocabulary of that world is cumbersome, imho), but I’m looking forward to the good stuff I know is coming. Once I finish the series, I’ll be looking for something new to read, and this will be on my list. Thank you, as always, for your wonderful analysis and introduction to this material.
It's definitely interesting. One thing about his writing is that he's good at getting his point across. There's twist and turns, but it's never confusing.
I like the first Dune book, but don't really recommend the rest of the series unless you just can't get enough of that world and writing style. And Foundation is very different, Herbert and Asimov were very different writers in spite of both being known for their Science Fiction.
Spoiler (for those who don't the books yet, especially the "extended foundation cycle") The "Spacers" were long gone even before the Empire formed. They were the first wave of settlers which stopped expanding after 50 worlds. The Empire was founded hundreds of years later by the second wave of space exploration.
That is why we need long-lived robots to guide humanity through the crises of history, following the Zeroeth Law of Robotics: ‘A robot must not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.’
Филма много ми харесва! Голяма фантастика е ,но ме грабна!Не съм чела книгата.Едва ли щях да я прочета някога,но това което е направено по нея е супер интересно! Благодаря!
This genetic dynasty idea is pure genius and a very interesting concept. There was mention in the show that these Cleon clones possesses no soul which is a great ground for a philosphical debate.
You have to look into Psychohistory and the anomaly which is The Mule, Foundation is just a brilliant epic at a time when space operas where in their infancy.
I would recommend to read Jared Diamond's "Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succded" . The parallels between the Empire and the current inability to address our existential threats are too many to list here. That's what great thinking and writing must do.
I Don't know if the BBC Foundation series you mentioned is the same one, but the version I've got is a dramatic adaption of the original three books, over eight cassette tapes (~30 minutes a side, with two episodes on each tape) for those who remember such things 😊. The tapes are from 1980 and are from the original radio broadcasts a few years earlier. As you sort of alluded to, I suspect Asimov's style of writing adapts better to a radio dramatisation than a visual one, though one is pretty much left to do the visuals one's self Tape titles: 1) Psychohistory & Encyclopedia 2) The Mayors 3) The Merchant Princes 4) The General 5) The Mule 6) Flight From The Mule 7) The Mule Finds 8) Stars End They don't cover all the story elements in the books, but do cover the majority and manage to develop some of the characters to a greater extent than the books. It's going to interesting to see if Apple allow their version to be shown on other streaming services at some point so I can see what they've done with it.
Nice video Pete! As you say, this was very early Asimov. I think he grew as a writer and came to appreciate better the limitations of we fallible humans. "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley. An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy!" --Robert Burns, "To A Mouse"
I didn't want to give anything away beyond the early motivations of the Foundation. I think the fourth book was a really great addition, and certainly showed how his thinking evolved.
I loved this series of books. I also love that to get the whole story of both series you have to read the I Robot series too. Asimov was the best Science Fiction writer I've ever read. And I think I've read most of them by now.
I tried to keep spoilers from how the Robot and Foundation series are connected out of these videos because I wanted it to work as an introduction for people who were interested in the show. There are a lot of interesting twists.
One notes in historical context 'Foundation' first appeared in John W Campbell's magazine Astounding Science Fiction (1942-1950). Campbell was Asimov's mentor and to a great extent Campbell helped Asimov frame Foundation, which has its origins in a suggestion from Asimov to Campbell about doing an SF version of Gibbons Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.
@@PetePeppers1 Yeah Campbell had a real soft spot for PSI powers , I think he got the best from Herbert in Dune , I am not sure if that was a Campbell suggestion since Dune first appeared in Analog. The Mule was a quite clever plot device , up to that point it seemed Psychohistory was deterministic. Since 'Chaos Theory' (as we know it now) did not exist (well explicit or at least very obscure) when Asimov was writing in the 1940s , it was perceptive of Asimov to figure that it had a 'horizon of predictability' , so not only the Mule but Seldon also intuits some contingencies which figure later in Second Foundation.
In my top 3 Science Fiction series ever. I discovered sci-fi in grade school and because I read so fast (785 wpm with retention, tested) I would pour through everything I could find. My reading speed helped me immensely all through college and beyond but I still retain my Hari Seldon fascination. And Psycohistory, I suck at math but still enjoyed it.
Asimov's universe as reflected in his combined science fiction library includes much more than just the Foundation series itself. To be enjoyed to it's fullest, it should be read chronologically.
I wouldn't suggest reading the Foundation prequels before the original trilogy (or the last two Robot books for that matter). Kind of undermines the build up to the ending. I suppose there's no great reading order since when he wrote the add on books in the eighties he pretty much wrote them all for people who read the old ones already. I think for someone wanting to read something before the show airs start with the original Foundation trilogy and then decide how deep into the Robot series you want to get before you read Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.
For anyone who wants to read something similar but with some more character development, I highly recommend "a memory called empire" by Arkady Martine. It's about an ambassador from an independent space station who goes to the capital of an empire (inspired by the byzantine empire) in order to protect her station from annexation. It deals with themes of soft power and cultural influence. Personally made me thing of what the empire from foundation would have been like earlier in its history.
I'm currently super hooked to The Expanse. Like insanely into it. How do you think Foundation compares with The Expanse? Bookwise at least since the show did not start yet.
Both are good , but Foundation is superior . I have read all 15 of them that's on same universe. Robot series, Galactic Empire series and Foundation series and it was an amazing journey.
Idk what Pete has to say, but here is my take. Tho I greatly enjoyed both series (books & novelas), they were very different experiences, to the point where I'm not sure a comparison is relevant. For example, u'll be hard pressed to find a Foundation character you really enjoy or care about (w/ one later exception in my case). On the other hand, the amount of ideas/concepts Asimov is juggling is exceptional. Especially for the time when they were written. And there is a (verly) long game at play. And there is mystery. But the form in which they are delivered may not be good enough for modern readers. I guess one reads Asimov for his ideas not his style (or lack thereof). As I already said in a previous comment, if you value ideas over characters AND take into account when these ideas were first expressed, it's impossible not to be able to appreciate Foundation/Robot book series. But if you need to connect emotionally to characters in order to enjoy a story, then Asimov's writing in general will be a challenge. ETA
@@alexandrasandu3947 Thank you very much for that explanation. I understand now that asking for a comparison between these two is kinda not a good question to ask. since they are two different things entirely.
Original trilogy indeed and the short stories in I Robot , you can not attach to any of the characters as the time jumps even in the same book are huge. But on prequels and sequels Asimov followed a more traditional story telling, even on the Robot series.
I thought so! When I read the Foundation series, I was in grade school (6th or 7th ), it was little after I had read Gibbon's Series, The Roman Empire. I recognized the similarities; recall thinking that this was like reading a history book. Didn't really care for it. Read them both again, decades later and I found a better appreciation of both Gibbon's works and Asimov's. Though I will admit the Foundation series is my least favorite one of Asimov's works.
It's interesting that Asimov, in the latter stories of the trilogy and later stories touching on that universe, gradually abandons the idea that an elaborate, secret 1000-year plan for a whole Galaxy of human-populated worlds could be set up ahead of time and then play out like clockwork. It's like weather prediction: weather is completely deterministic as far as we can tell, but it can't be predicted because models can't be simplified enough to compute with without losing the determinism.
He seems to have modelled psychohistory on the well established branch of physics called statistical mechanics, which uses complex mathematics to derive general properties and behaviour of large masses of atoms based on simplistic properties of individual atoms. That part of psychohistory seems believable, especially when you have hundreds of quadrillions of people. Some other bits are less believable, but it is fiction after all. It doesn't have to conform to hard-nosed experiments.
I remember that even after several centuries when terminus was the center of the peripheral kingdom and the empire lost most of the outer rings of influence, Trantor was still the same, powerful, shining, technological and cultural. As the video says, the center did not saw any decadence until the very end.
I read all of Isaac Asimov's books and dtories except for the Foundation books. Tried one, and never got passed the first chapter. Maybe it is time to revisit them.
Today a professor, who read these book fifty years ago, is developing future history; he predicted 2020, being chaotic! 8 years ago. Peter Turchin is a Russian-American evolutionary anthropologist, specializing in cultural evolution and cliodynamics-mathematical modeling and statistical analysis of the dynamics of historical societies! "Too many elites, their competition for wealth and power, destroy societies." Crazy, maybe?
Everything has always been chaotic if you listen to people you will not only know it but you will see it. We have to find ways to be happy and do what is good so that the heart will be healthy and we can love what it is we can’t control by the way we choose to deal with people. Think learn and grow.
The main goal of the Hari Seldon's foundation was to reduce the time the "Empire" spent in decline after it had collapsed and to bring it back faster. This was going to occur over many thousands of years; My only question was why?
I was going to point this out too. Seldon wasn't trying to save the empire, but preserve the accumulated knowledge. Maybe the point was to preserve the knowledge for it's own sake.
I doff my hat at anyone trying to take on the extremely complex task of taking it to the screen. The books are ahead of their time (yes, I know, that’s what science fiction is about, though they were ahead of their time in terms of science fiction writing). The overlapping narrative of history, science and character development at a galactic scale is immense. Though as the creator of the video states, it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Asimov is a great writer and his books are exiting to read, I don’t understand what you mean by «would not recommend to read», Pete. You literally just describe what you seen in the series.
The reason I hated the show was the huge changes to the first Seldon crisis from the books. I loved how Hardin dealt with the Anacreonians in the book through the establishment of the church of technology. That whole story is removed for some flashy, action packed sequences spanning multiple episodes. It takes away from the writing I feel in portraying that the Foundation can only solve threats against them, at the start, using their intellect and technological know how compared to their less civilized yet militarily powerful neighbors.
Regarding 2:30 - While I fundamentally agree that we would optimistically expect society to improve and evolve over the next 18k-20k years, we also have little historical evidence to support such a view. Some of the key similarities include the fact that both modern and ancient civilizations have developed complex systems of government, social organization, and economic systems, and both have made significant advances in areas such as technology, science, and the arts. As was said, Foundation was inspired by the fall of the Roman empire, and Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC is generally seen as a significant turning point in Roman history and a key event leading to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. While the time difference from 49BC and 2021 AD is only 10% of the 20,000 years, the USA, we can already see comparisons in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and Caesar's crossing the Rubicon. The January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, while not as momentous or consequential as the event of Caesar crossing the Rubicon, can be seen as a turning point in modern American history in a similar sense. The attack was a shocking and unprecedented event that raised concerns about the stability of American democracy and the potential for political violence. It also led to calls for increased security measures and reforms to address the threat of such violence. However, it is important to note that the attack on the Capitol was not a direct challenge to the authority of the U.S. government in the same way that Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon was a challenge to the authority of the Roman Senate, and the consequences of the two events are not directly comparable. It is worth noting that the attack on the Capitol was a shocking and unprecedented event in the history of the United States, and it sparked widespread condemnation and outrage. If the attack had been successful in achieving its stated goals, it is likely that the consequences would have been severe and far-reaching, potentially leading to a constitutional crisis and potentially even to a civil war. The comparison to Caesar crossing the Rubicon would likely be stronger in this scenario, as both events involved a direct challenge to the authority of the government and the potential for conflict and instability.
Have bought-sold-rebought the paperback trilogy so many times I’ve lost count. When I heard this was coming 2 the small screen I sought out the same paperback trilogy. I’m excited 2 c how it pans out on TV .. been wishing 4 this 4 decades actually. Writing style seemed “shallow” but it was the sheer epic story-line that intrigues. I think it was the thinking then why it all seemed so “anthropomorphic”. The gr8est twist also I think is “what” was responsible 4 setting this “history” in motion not alluded to here but explored in other stories.
i am really surprised they made a series about Foundation... its HUGE ass shoes they need to fill in... i hope it wont end up being terribad. i love the books of Foundation
I remember picking up Foundation when I was about ten, liking the premise on 5he blurb and then bouncing off it hard. Asimov is one of the classic SFF authors I haven't really gone back to, even though I adore Dune and have a love/hate relationship with Heinlein.
All the books were such a great read... Hopefully the screen series is a great watch (and available to all, other than apple tv subscribers). (did I see a picture of the Mule?)
Hopefully this will be a good reminder if you read the Foundation trilogy a long time ago, or an introduction if you aren’t planning on reading it before the new show debuts on Apple TV+. Next time I’ll get into the capital city/world of Trantor, and then Hari Seldon and what Psychohistory is all about. Make sure you mark any book spoilers if you want to talk about those.
Hey, love your content. But I understand you're wrong to state that there's is no ethnic diversity, "everyone's multi-racial", in Asimov's universe, at least at the start of his tale. The excellent UA-cam channel 'Quinn's Idea' covered the different ethnicites and where on earth they came from in his June 2020 video: "Foundaton: How Trantor Collapsed the Galactic Empire".
@@georgegrogee5991 I was just saying that the standard is multiracial. There is variety, but characters that would fit into the categories we're familiar with are rare. I just read the story The Currents of Space where two of the characters have a bond based on the fact that one is from a planet where people are pale, and the other is from a planet where they're dark. The fact that they both look different is part of their connection. Haven't seen Quinn's video, he's always seemed to know what he's talking about though. The info I went off of is from the Foundation prequels and book 2 of the Empire series.
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What happened to the planned video about Trantor?
Thanks so much for this, it was very informative 😃👍🏾 I would like to read the books, can you recommend which ones to start with? I'm quite unfamiliar with Asimov's work outside of I, Robot with Will Smith which I love.
I'm 71 now and read the foundation series when I was about 16. I read all his works, they were great fun. I'm watching the foundation series now on the internet. My jury is out on whether the series lives up to the books. What a great time in my youth. I worked with a CDC computer that was heptadecimal, all magnetic tape of course and 4k of RAM was the size of the robot in 'Lost in Space'.
Yep the future is now
That’s really cool imo& I’ve also been watching foundation,i take it it’s nothing like the book then?because I was gonna read it&what’s with the wall cleon is painting or whatever he’s doing?
I hope that you enjoy the show.
That's so awesome
So you were brother Dawn when first reading the books and now you can call yourself brother Dusk.
Asimov’s Foundation trilogy got me hooked to the point that 50+ years later I’m still reading, including SF and Fantasy series! It was a fantastic imagination stretcher!
There are 5 books in the original continuity and 2 prologues book... Just saying, you might want to also read Foundation's edge and Foundation and Earth at the very least.
Btw, just curious, did you understood by yourself what "other side of the Galaxy meant" or you had to wait for the reveal?
Me as well, Asimov and Clarke masters RIP both
@@UA-cam_is_Trash he said "the trilogy got me hooked." Was 50 years ago....so he has likely read the whole anthology.
Any different books you recommend that are not very commonly recommended? I keep hearing the same couple dozen books recommend
@@UA-cam_is_Trash also. Have you read "I am legend." The book? The ending is so much better than the movie...plus, Richard Matheson's short story collections are so good
@@claudeyaz fair enough, I still was curious to know if he had read the prelude and prologue.
That and if he had understood what they meant by other side of the Galaxy by himself, I would like to know too for you btw.
I've just started back reading so I'm not the best person to ask. Dune was a blast though.
I, my younger brother and sister read all Asimov series 30 years ago when we were just kids living in Korea, never been abroad. We were so fascinated by the World he created. It felt so real and plausible. Then all of us actually came to North America to study more. I became a data scientist, still thinking the predictive power can be greatly improved someday. I have been waiting for this moment all my life. When I first arrived to US, I borrowed the Foundations from the library and read them again, constantly checking the news to see if they will be dramatized or not. I am really excited.
Me too! No Korea and not data but systems theory and anthropology. Then I realized that advertizers and the worst politics had this stuff down pat and make the Mule look like an amateur.
Did you read it in English in Korea or was it translated to Korean?
AI is here now from its most advanced in the military research institutes and its simplistic in these AI apps on your phone
I got my copy of the Foundation Trilogy from a book club I think in about 1982. Your comment on Asimov's sparse writing really strikes a nerve with me. I have maintained for many years especially since I took my Bachelor of Arts in English literature that Asimov is probably one of the best english language writers of the twentieth century because of his incredibly effective, sparse style. As a child I read this and I perfectly imagined all of the places and all the things that were necessary for me to visualize the world without him needing to describe them because the dialogue was so evocative.
It was only after I really studied it more closely that I realized that almost none of the things that I saw had been explicitly described and he was just that good at making a world appear right out of the dialogue. I think it's absolutely brilliant.
Agreed completely. He was a brilliant futurist and his dedication to detail is unparalleled.
Asimov respected the intelligence and imagination of his audience. He knew that he didn't have to describe everything in detail.
@@TheKulu42 To quote Asimov "I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing-to be 'clear'. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics-Well, they can do whatever they wish."
This I interpret as him, a scientist, sticking to his forte: analytical clarity to get his ideas across effectively, and linguistic simplicity to make these ideas accessible to a wide audience. Not sure, I agree with you on the "intelligence and imagination of his audience". To me, that quote sounds like he's trying to keep things simple for simplicity's sake.
That's the challenge of this show:--making live action stories that were only described in conversations in the books. I love it so far.
Modern readers just cannot understand anything that isn’t a character driven narrative.
Memories. I read Asimov during my high school days, 30+ years ago. Think I owned most of the books. Still holding fond memories for me.
My favorite books along with the Robot novels. Been waiting forever for someone to make Foundation into a series! Don't have Apple tv unfortunately. Hope it comes out on Blu-ray. Cool you fly gliders . Lost most of my planes in a fire. Never got to fly my art hobby DLG.
@@rchoper21 I sure do.
F3B gliders nowadays, earlier in my life I was a full scale glider pilot.
Sad to hear about the fire :(
9:13: "Obviously at the end of World War 2, they were hoping things would be different going forward."
Morgan Freeman: "Going forward, things, it turned out, would not be different."
I keep seeing Morgan Freeman references when this film is being discussed. What's up with that?
"they were hoping things would be different going forward."
Given that Asimov's humans 20,000 from now acted a *LOT* like humans did in 1950 that statement puzzles me.
I also like The Current of Space.
Just an FYI that Asimov's Empire novel Pebble In The Sky is a great read, a great adventure that focuses on the origin question. I highly recommend it.
Thank you!!!
Thank you!!
I'm 75 & read SF as a kid. Asimov was one of my first, favorite authors, before Heinlein, & Clarke. I still have copies of the original 3 books & still re-read them for pleasure!
My best friend at the time and I went to a science fiction convention when we were 16 and met Isaac Asimov. It remains one of the highlights of my life.
Harlan Ellison was standing nearby and Asimov puffed out his chest that he had these two teen girls squealing over him like he was a rock star. But, I fangirled all the way out and I am not ashamed.
I bet that was a trip.
I remember finding out about his death a few months after it happened whilst I was working in Greece, was about 23 at the time, and was so sad that I never got to meet him. Still my favourite author after all these years.
Read this in high school and it is still one of the greatest series ever.
The fact that it still resonates today is amazing and the fact that there are groups and governments that have started the process of preserving things shows it’s impact
The Foundation Trilogy was actually my first really big Sci Fi read decades ago as a kid. And of course I went on to read all of the Foundation stories and the much of Asimov's other works.
The Foundation Series and the Robot Series are the "foundation" of all modern Sci-Fi movies and literature and to those non-scifi readers they are also just a damn good read. Much like HG Wells worth your time.
I read all these Isaac Asimov novels during my 20's. One day when the time comes, will give them to my now little daughter so she can enjoy the pure genius of Asimov. These books, one of the best investment I've ever made...
Isaac Asimov, master of sci-fi, Your stories inspire and defy.
You showed us the future,
both near and far,
And challenged us to reach for the stars.
Thank you, Asimov, for all you've done,
Your legacy will forever outshine the sun.
*LOVE FROM INDIA*
I am 66 years old, and I read the Foundation Trilogy when I was a child - maybe 10 to 13 years old. Yes, I was smart and a rabid reader. But the book is truly a constant and I bet that most of the last 50 years innovators in Science and Tech have also read the book.
I know many that have and many that reached similar conceptual understanding via different paths. There was a bit of a push in the late '70s to early '80s for long term projects, Prometheus Projects, among physicists and, interestingly, sociologists with anthropological training. But baby-boomers decided to become the Me generation and, with the help of credit cards, doom the future to the next financial quarter.
I was surprised at how easy it was to read such a book
The opening title crawl for the new Foundation series has been leaked: "A long time from now in a galaxy that's, well, actually not far away at all"
I think part of the reason these classic scifi stories might seem dated or cliche' now is that they were often written in the 30s, 40s & 50s when scifi as a genre wasn't very popular or respected. Their ideas were novel at the time but have since been borrowed & built upon by the authors who came after & are more well known. It's unfortunate it's taken this long for special fx technology & public interest to catch up with Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, etc to do their stories justice in a visual medium. I don't have Apple TV so I'm hoping Foundation will be available via other streaming services eventually so I can watch it. It's got a great cast & I'm super curious.
When I finished reading a chapter of an Asimov book, I often got a visualization in my mind of the curtains closing and the stage crew making ready for the next act.
"he's explaining some of these factors; a rising bureaucracy, loss of initiative, lack of upward mobility, a lessening of curiosity of exploration and the people who have power holding on to it to the extent that they begin to lose the connection with the citizens and therefore their usefulness comes into question"
Sounds a lot like the Silicon Valley Technocracy powering the political sphere of the United States of America and an allegory for Western Civilization as it is right now.
sounds more like republicans
The tale of empires or republics really.
@@hectortroy8671 all good - apart from the evanescing hopes for our immediate future on this planet. BTW yes I have read the trilogy - twice - and it is as good as mid 20th C SF gets.
@@Agarwaen Democrats who have found a different machete than the Taliban - and lose their way when stealing from working runs then unable to buy votes for themselves
@@jwarmstrong try english
One aspect I liked was that Asimov tied the creation of the Empire back to his Robot series of stories. It explained why there are only Humans and no aliens in the galaxy.
If one values ideas over characters, and takes into account WHEN these ideas were first expressed, I think Foundation & Robot books could be remarkable even for one who would read them for the first time today. I mean, tho I _dare_ call myself a SF fan, I've only read them for the first time about 2 years ago. And I found them captivating. I can't say I didn't notice how dated they can be at times, especially when they reflect the domestic life of the times when they were written lol. Or the paper thin characters. BUT, the explored ideas (in context) are fascinating still, IMO.
As for the show, I do hope it won't be an _extremely faithful adaptation_ . I'm hoping they'll keep the big ideas from the books (for structure) but they will build more on characters. Introduce new ones even if necessary, with their own little subplots which will allow the viewer to get a better feel of the universe and get emotionally invested. Since the big ideas of the books are no longer revolutionary by today's standards, they'll have to make it about the characters, I think. Or I hope lol
I've seen many Asimov fans skeptical about the show but I am hopeful it will be a great show. Even if not a _great_ adaptation ...
PS: I'd really love to see Daneel's journey on screen, tho I'm not sure they'll ever get to it.
Well put.
Completely agree. Asimov’s books were more about the evolution of human society on a macro scale than the actual characters. The concept of an empire isn’t dated, humans keep repeating history. Additionally, as technology evolves, society changes. The pandemic has made many of us into Solarians because we have the technology to be isolated now (albeit without the vast estates).
Hi Alexandra! I actually think the Foundation novels benefit from not having the melodrama of more conventional fiction - sort of like the music equivalent of 80s synth and cold wave as compared to the emotion of R&B. They are short and to the point, reading close to alternate history, with the Empire and its dissolution rightfully taking centre stage - and I was equally captivated, even if I found the concept of Psychohistory unattractive, having echoes of the historical determinism of Marx. I have written a novel centred on a galactic empire, "Imperial Knight", although my characters are fully developed and take centre stage with the plot: at least the melodrama and interaction of characters were fun to write.
@@jamesevans1890 yeah but the TV show needs a huge audience (like how many read GoT books compared to those that saw TV show), so some drama needs to be there for a show to exist and to go on for 80 episodes that they plan. I doubt it can exist for 8 seasons if all it has is what was in original Foundation trilogy
"the big ideas of the books are no longer revolutionary?!" I have only read the first book and i can tell you it is more revolutionary than most things that are made into streaming simply because of they are thought out ideas. While i disagree on how everything seem to be stationary for cenuries or how certain people are being foolish, they are more intelligent than most shows that are made.
This is the video I needed. Thank you.
Glad to hear it was helpful
Yep, I need to dig out my copies I first read 30+ years ago. I love Asimov!
The lack of alien species is explained in the other novels. Before the Settlers could pass the Spacers and reach other worlds, robotic ships has been set out to sterilize earth--type planets and, presumedly, any alien life already there. In preparation to them being reached by humans later.
However, there is at least one alien species out there. It's interaction with the Empire is described in Asimov's short story BLIND ALLEY.
Just wanna say...god damn...Rome was a great show and I miss it.
Thought about that when I was looking for clips. Been a long time since I watched that.
👍SPQR
I was so mad when I found out there was only two seasons
I really enjoy your videos. They help me recoup, not physically on the outside, but on the inside, in my mind. I call it inner-resting
I read Foundation back in 1989, I still have the old books. Have kept them all my life and had also been waiting for a movie to portray the wonderful world of The Foundation. Thanks for this video its been very nicely done. I hope to see the other videos that you make.
I hope to se the mule in the further seasons, love this character))
I imagine he'll show up at the end of season 2 or in season 3.
love this channel. they way you explain Syfy is so pleasing. Learned a lot.
Just for the reference, Foundation is part of mandatory book list for all cadets of military academy West Point in US…
I'm dubious. Citation?
(You may be confusing this with Starship Troopers.)
@@RonJohn63 my cousin studied at the WP academy that’s why I know it
@@kwizatzhaderach it's certainly not on any West Point book list I've ever seen. (Maybe you misunderstood him?)
Im impressed you have stayed with it this long...
I read Gibbons...it’s pretty long and has a lot of detailed analysis of Roman society losing its grip, but he does get into the robots which is something most historians overlook.
I am not the most well read person, even among my friends. But in what I have read, I love most when an author can paint the picture of the world and the situation primarily through dialog. The other notable writer able to do that was Shakespeare. The alternative is to have the narrator describe everything, which is not bad, but to me seems less sophisticated; less Socratic.
True, I'd add _good_ dialogue. To give a contrapoint example: Stanislaw Lem. I like his ideas and worlds and "futures" just as much as Asimov's, but .. the dialogues .. like, you and I wouldn't have a conversation where we discuss how a toilet is built and how it works and what effect the advent of toilets had on society, because toilets aren't new, and they're common and everyone has a rough idea how they work - it's all unremarkable.
Lem's characters on the other hand often explain a lot of stuff to each other (for the sake of giving the reader necessary information). Stuff, that _should_ be as common and self-understood to them as to us toilets. Such dialogues seem so forced and unnatural lol
Loving this!!! Keep flooding us with Foundation contents 💜💜💜
(What about Debris? How does it looks to you?)
I haven't watched Debris. Will do at least two more Foundation videos in the near future.
I was so pleased when I heard about this series. And I enjoy it so far very much.
Im reading the Foundation series at the moment. Fantastic.
Breaks my heart because i cant stop thinking this will be a disaster. Just finished reading an article making excuses for this series before it even airs about how the series cant be made true to the books. If you cant make a good adaptation of something, then please leave it alone.
Soo true, im scared to even watch the trailer. But im prob going to watch the series anyway
... have you considered that in its original form, it can't be done, unless it will cater to JUST the SF hardcore? That gatekeeping mindset will keep others from discovering this work.
@@ntlespino I believe good writers can get the job done. That is if they leave their politics out of it and just focus on making a good show.
greatest sci-fi books I've ever read. even found an old hardcover copy of "I Robot".
He was biochemist professor and his writings was that of academic style, clear and concise. Bradbury’s writing came from the libraries, books stacked with non-conformist authors, not all of them, with bad writing and yet he managed to evoke the emotions in his writing.
I hope for great respect for the original work which was part of my reference books in my youth!
What brings about the fall of their Empire, certainly sounds what is now happening to our (US) crumbling Empire.
I hope we get to see the show before the collapse.
@@steriopticon2687 Do you know when it's set to begin...the series that is?
Hari Seldon pulls out his stylus... hmmm, carry the four.... "Nope."
They're just saying Fall of 2021. I agree that there are similarities in the fall which is what makes it relatable. Just think it also makes Hari Seldon's plan a bit optimistic in hindsight. There are advantages to his waiting 30 years before writing the 4th book though.
Exactly, history repeats for the unwary.
To put the age of these works in context, the first Foundation story was published less than 20 years after the first definitive proof that other galaxies existed outside the Milky Way, just 6 years after Hubble formally classified the shapes of galaxies, and well before we had a firm estimate of the actual size of our own galaxy. If it's not the very first story of galactic empire, it's probably the one that everybody knows about because of some of the scientific discoveries happening immediately prior to and likely during the writing of the series.
This sounds interesting. I very recently bought the first Dune book, and I’m finding it a slow read (learning the definitions and vocabulary of that world is cumbersome, imho), but I’m looking forward to the good stuff I know is coming. Once I finish the series, I’ll be looking for something new to read, and this will be on my list. Thank you, as always, for your wonderful analysis and introduction to this material.
It's definitely interesting. One thing about his writing is that he's good at getting his point across. There's twist and turns, but it's never confusing.
I like the first Dune book, but don't really recommend the rest of the series unless you just can't get enough of that world and writing style. And Foundation is very different, Herbert and Asimov were very different writers in spite of both being known for their Science Fiction.
I started with Dune too, thanks to the TV movie and from there moved to Assimov.
I have read the entire series 4 times. I recommend everyone who is into SiFi to read the series. You won't be sorry. Sincerely, Sentebey
LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE VIDEOS GREAT CONTENT
Scott Brick's reading of several of the books in this series on Audible are awesome!
Spoiler (for those who don't the books yet, especially the "extended foundation cycle")
The "Spacers" were long gone even before the Empire formed. They were the first wave of settlers which stopped expanding after 50 worlds. The Empire was founded hundreds of years later by the second wave of space exploration.
History repeats itself because human nature does not change. - Martin Armstrong.
Wtf Martin Armstrong ...was he protesting on moon
History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.
That is why we need long-lived robots to guide humanity through the crises of history, following the Zeroeth Law of Robotics: ‘A robot must not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.’
Филма много ми харесва! Голяма фантастика е ,но ме грабна!Не съм чела книгата.Едва ли щях да я прочета някога,но това което е направено по нея е супер интересно! Благодаря!
This genetic dynasty idea is pure genius and a very interesting concept. There was mention in the show that these Cleon clones possesses no soul which is a great ground for a philosphical debate.
I read the Foundation Novels when I was 16 in 1993.
What drew me in was after reading the fall of the Roman Empire. A lot of analogy’s can be drawn between these books and past and current empires
The original series is what got me interested in sci-fi. I still love Science Fiction and do try and read / watch as much as I can.
You have to look into Psychohistory and the anomaly which is The Mule, Foundation is just a brilliant epic at a time when space operas where in their infancy.
excellent review. great insight. ty.
He certainly built the foundation for modern science fiction. Pun somewhat intended.
I find this more interesting and relatable than most science functions along with Dune.
Being 47 years old, I am feeling we as a species won't be evolving any time soon. Names change, lands change but humans are still just hairless 🐒
I would recommend to read Jared Diamond's "Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succded" . The parallels between the Empire and the current inability to address our existential threats are too many to list here. That's what great thinking and writing must do.
Nice thanks. Never read, but maybe I’ll check it out!
You've got me wondering where my copies of the Trilogy are that I bought more than 40 years ago.
Pete, a good summary and commentary.
11:11, nicely done.
I Don't know if the BBC Foundation series you mentioned is the same one, but the version I've got is a dramatic adaption of the original three books, over eight cassette tapes (~30 minutes a side, with two episodes on each tape) for those who remember such things 😊. The tapes are from 1980 and are from the original radio broadcasts a few years earlier. As you sort of alluded to, I suspect Asimov's style of writing adapts better to a radio dramatisation than a visual one, though one is pretty much left to do the visuals one's self
Tape titles:
1) Psychohistory & Encyclopedia
2) The Mayors
3) The Merchant Princes
4) The General
5) The Mule
6) Flight From The Mule
7) The Mule Finds
8) Stars End
They don't cover all the story elements in the books, but do cover the majority and manage to develop some of the characters to a greater extent than the books.
It's going to interesting to see if Apple allow their version to be shown on other streaming services at some point so I can see what they've done with it.
The tapes you have sound the same as what's online.
Overall nicely done :)
Nice video Pete! As you say, this was very early Asimov. I think he grew as a writer and came to appreciate better the limitations of we fallible humans. "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley. An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy!" --Robert Burns, "To A Mouse"
I didn't want to give anything away beyond the early motivations of the Foundation. I think the fourth book was a really great addition, and certainly showed how his thinking evolved.
I loved this series of books. I also love that to get the whole story of both series you have to read the I Robot series too. Asimov was the best Science Fiction writer I've ever read. And I think I've read most of them by now.
I tried to keep spoilers from how the Robot and Foundation series are connected out of these videos because I wanted it to work as an introduction for people who were interested in the show. There are a lot of interesting twists.
@@PetePeppers1 Indeed there are. Many. Its a very long story.
One notes in historical context 'Foundation' first appeared in John W Campbell's magazine Astounding Science Fiction (1942-1950). Campbell was Asimov's mentor and to a great extent Campbell helped Asimov frame Foundation, which has its origins in a suggestion from Asimov to Campbell about doing an SF version of Gibbons Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Campbell suggested adding characters with mental abilities as well. That led Asimov to come up with the Mule.
@@PetePeppers1 Yeah Campbell had a real soft spot for PSI powers , I think he got the best from Herbert in Dune , I am not sure if that was a Campbell suggestion since Dune first appeared in Analog.
The Mule was a quite clever plot device , up to that point it seemed Psychohistory was deterministic. Since 'Chaos Theory' (as we know it now) did not exist (well explicit or at least very obscure) when Asimov was writing in the 1940s , it was perceptive of Asimov to figure that it had a 'horizon of predictability' , so not only the Mule but Seldon also intuits some contingencies which figure later in Second Foundation.
Damn I love this series
In my top 3 Science Fiction series ever. I discovered sci-fi in grade school and because I read so fast (785 wpm with retention, tested) I would pour through everything I could find. My reading speed helped me immensely all through college and beyond but I still retain my Hari Seldon fascination. And Psycohistory, I suck at math but still enjoyed it.
Asimov's universe as reflected in his combined science fiction library includes much more than just the Foundation series itself. To be enjoyed to it's fullest, it should be read chronologically.
I wouldn't suggest reading the Foundation prequels before the original trilogy (or the last two Robot books for that matter). Kind of undermines the build up to the ending. I suppose there's no great reading order since when he wrote the add on books in the eighties he pretty much wrote them all for people who read the old ones already.
I think for someone wanting to read something before the show airs start with the original Foundation trilogy and then decide how deep into the Robot series you want to get before you read Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.
For anyone who wants to read something similar but with some more character development, I highly recommend "a memory called empire" by Arkady Martine.
It's about an ambassador from an independent space station who goes to the capital of an empire (inspired by the byzantine empire) in order to protect her station from annexation. It deals with themes of soft power and cultural influence.
Personally made me thing of what the empire from foundation would have been like earlier in its history.
I'm currently super hooked to The Expanse. Like insanely into it. How do you think Foundation compares with The Expanse? Bookwise at least since the show did not start yet.
Both are good , but Foundation is superior .
I have read all 15 of them that's on same universe. Robot series, Galactic Empire series and Foundation series and it was an amazing journey.
Idk what Pete has to say, but here is my take. Tho I greatly enjoyed both series (books & novelas), they were very different experiences, to the point where I'm not sure a comparison is relevant. For example, u'll be hard pressed to find a Foundation character you really enjoy or care about (w/ one later exception in my case). On the other hand, the amount of ideas/concepts Asimov is juggling is exceptional. Especially for the time when they were written. And there is a (verly) long game at play. And there is mystery. But the form in which they are delivered may not be good enough for modern readers. I guess one reads Asimov for his ideas not his style (or lack thereof).
As I already said in a previous comment, if you value ideas over characters AND take into account when these ideas were first expressed, it's impossible not to be able to appreciate Foundation/Robot book series. But if you need to connect emotionally to characters in order to enjoy a story, then Asimov's writing in general will be a challenge. ETA
@@alexandrasandu3947 Thank you very much for that explanation. I understand now that asking for a comparison between these two is kinda not a good question to ask. since they are two different things entirely.
Original trilogy indeed and the short stories in I Robot , you can not attach to any of the characters as the time jumps even in the same book are huge. But on prequels and sequels Asimov followed a more traditional story telling, even on the Robot series.
@@Myrkonius Thank you as well for the insight, I am not really familiar with Isaac's work almost at all. That's why I am here, fishing for info.
I thought so! When I read the Foundation series, I was in grade school (6th or 7th ), it was little after I had read Gibbon's Series, The Roman Empire. I recognized the similarities; recall thinking that this was like reading a history book. Didn't really care for it. Read them both again, decades later and I found a better appreciation of both Gibbon's works and Asimov's. Though I will admit the Foundation series is my least favorite one of Asimov's works.
"you would expect that they would evolve in some way" *deep drag on lit cigarette*
Yeah, you really would think so, wouldn't you?
I ordered Foundation from the Science Fiction Book club back in '84 I think.
7:50 It is interesting how Hollywood pictures the fall of Asimov's Galactic Empire
I worked for Isaac at Doubleday Publishing. I had to file the membership card for the Science Fiction Club, lol.
The basic premise of phycho history I've always found compelling, that the masses in their trillions are predictable...
It's interesting that Asimov, in the latter stories of the trilogy and later stories touching on that universe, gradually abandons the idea that an elaborate, secret 1000-year plan for a whole Galaxy of human-populated worlds could be set up ahead of time and then play out like clockwork. It's like weather prediction: weather is completely deterministic as far as we can tell, but it can't be predicted because models can't be simplified enough to compute with without losing the determinism.
He seems to have modelled psychohistory on the well established branch of physics called statistical mechanics, which uses complex mathematics to derive general properties and behaviour of large masses of atoms based on simplistic properties of individual atoms. That part of psychohistory seems believable, especially when you have hundreds of quadrillions of people. Some other bits are less believable, but it is fiction after all. It doesn't have to conform to hard-nosed experiments.
Psychohistory is a great premise for fictional world building, just like the 3 Laws of Robotics.
I remember that even after several centuries when terminus was the center of the peripheral kingdom and the empire lost most of the outer rings of influence, Trantor was still the same, powerful, shining, technological and cultural.
As the video says, the center did not saw any decadence until the very end.
When I first read Foundation, in the 70s, it was a hard read but I finished it.
dang...Whelan's works look so good up close...
I read all of Isaac Asimov's books and dtories except for the Foundation books. Tried one, and never got passed the first chapter. Maybe it is time to revisit them.
Today a professor, who read these book fifty years ago, is developing future history; he predicted 2020, being chaotic! 8 years ago.
Peter Turchin is a Russian-American evolutionary anthropologist, specializing in cultural evolution and cliodynamics-mathematical modeling and statistical analysis of the dynamics of historical societies! "Too many elites, their competition for wealth and power, destroy societies."
Crazy, maybe?
Everything has always been chaotic if you listen to people you will not only know it but you will see it. We have to find ways to be happy and do what is good so that the heart will be healthy and we can love what it is we can’t control by the way we choose to deal with people. Think learn and grow.
The main goal of the Hari Seldon's foundation was to reduce the time the "Empire" spent in decline after it had collapsed and to bring it back faster. This was going to occur over many thousands of years; My only question was why?
I was going to point this out too. Seldon wasn't trying to save the empire, but preserve the accumulated knowledge. Maybe the point was to preserve the knowledge for it's own sake.
to reduce human misery, save countless lives in pointless wars, famines etc. Of course it was a huge goal, just like empire itself
Foundation 1&2 has very strange pacing but that's due to its original source that was glued together.
I doff my hat at anyone trying to take on the extremely complex task of taking it to the screen. The books are ahead of their time (yes, I know, that’s what science fiction is about, though they were ahead of their time in terms of science fiction writing). The overlapping narrative of history, science and character development at a galactic scale is immense. Though as the creator of the video states, it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
this sounds cool
Let's hope
Love Asimov's work.
Asimov is a great writer and his books are exiting to read, I don’t understand what you mean by «would not recommend to read», Pete. You literally just describe what you seen in the series.
I don’t want the fall of the Empire. That’s by far the best part of the show ha
The reason I hated the show was the huge changes to the first Seldon crisis from the books. I loved how Hardin dealt with the Anacreonians in the book through the establishment of the church of technology. That whole story is removed for some flashy, action packed sequences spanning multiple episodes. It takes away from the writing I feel in portraying that the Foundation can only solve threats against them, at the start, using their intellect and technological know how compared to their less civilized yet militarily powerful neighbors.
Great miniseries. Now I have hope someone will adapt the Lensman series. It's more cinematographic, and could be adapted similarly.
Regarding 2:30 - While I fundamentally agree that we would optimistically expect society to improve and evolve over the next 18k-20k years, we also have little historical evidence to support such a view. Some of the key similarities include the fact that both modern and ancient civilizations have developed complex systems of government, social organization, and economic systems, and both have made significant advances in areas such as technology, science, and the arts.
As was said, Foundation was inspired by the fall of the Roman empire, and Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC is generally seen as a significant turning point in Roman history and a key event leading to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
While the time difference from 49BC and 2021 AD is only 10% of the 20,000 years, the USA, we can already see comparisons in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and Caesar's crossing the Rubicon.
The January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, while not as momentous or consequential as the event of Caesar crossing the Rubicon, can be seen as a turning point in modern American history in a similar sense. The attack was a shocking and unprecedented event that raised concerns about the stability of American democracy and the potential for political violence. It also led to calls for increased security measures and reforms to address the threat of such violence. However, it is important to note that the attack on the Capitol was not a direct challenge to the authority of the U.S. government in the same way that Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon was a challenge to the authority of the Roman Senate, and the consequences of the two events are not directly comparable.
It is worth noting that the attack on the Capitol was a shocking and unprecedented event in the history of the United States, and it sparked widespread condemnation and outrage. If the attack had been successful in achieving its stated goals, it is likely that the consequences would have been severe and far-reaching, potentially leading to a constitutional crisis and potentially even to a civil war. The comparison to Caesar crossing the Rubicon would likely be stronger in this scenario, as both events involved a direct challenge to the authority of the government and the potential for conflict and instability.
Have bought-sold-rebought the paperback trilogy so many times I’ve lost count. When I heard this was coming 2 the small screen I sought out the same paperback trilogy. I’m excited 2 c how it pans out on TV .. been wishing 4 this 4 decades actually. Writing style seemed “shallow” but it was the sheer epic story-line that intrigues. I think it was the thinking then why it all seemed so “anthropomorphic”. The gr8est twist also I think is “what” was responsible 4 setting this “history” in motion not alluded to here but explored in other stories.
i am really surprised they made a series about Foundation... its HUGE ass shoes they need to fill in... i hope it wont end up being terribad. i love the books of Foundation
I remember picking up Foundation when I was about ten, liking the premise on 5he blurb and then bouncing off it hard. Asimov is one of the classic SFF authors I haven't really gone back to, even though I adore Dune and have a love/hate relationship with Heinlein.
Star War's Death Star was just a capital ship that intimidated in the same fashion as the Foundation Series' Empire's capital ships.
All the books were such a great read... Hopefully the screen series is a great watch (and available to all, other than apple tv subscribers). (did I see a picture of the Mule?)