should i read these sci-fi novels

[jordanc123]

i was recomended a series of books called the foundation series by asimov once and was jw if anyone who had read them could tell me what the basic premise of the series is and what it is all about thanks.

and ive heard that do androids dream of electric sheep by phillip k dick is very good as well however i wasnt very keen at all on the film version blade runner so is the book diffrent enough from the book for me to enjoy it or is it pretty much the same thanks aagain.

[Bev Vincent]

I enjoyed them when I was in university. The main concept is that a mathematician named Hari Seldon has devised a mathematical way to predict the future and uses it to anticipate the fall of the galactic empire that would lead to a monumental dark age. To keep this from happening (or at least shorten its duration), he creates Foundations that are the repositories of all knowledge.

[frisbee]

Next to The Dark Tower the Foundation trilogy is my favorite series of all time. I highly recommend it.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Thoroughly recommend the Foundation Trilogy and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (VERY different from the movie - much better IMO) though, like Bev, it's many years since I read them.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Kim L.]

Recently read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep for the 1st time and thoroghly enjpyed it. I liked Blade Runner, so you may want to take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[milkguy420]

i actually just recently finished all seven Foundation novels. in a weird sort of way, they are Asimov's Dark Tower series because they also tie in several of his other novels (such as the robot and empire novels, as well as many of his short stories). They are pretty epic in scope and span several hundred years. they are very much a political and social commentary and deal with many different civilizations and how each one has an effect on others (as well as how a few individuals can alter the course of human history). I read them in the order that he wrote them but you can read them in chronological order which is: Prelude to Foundation; Forward the Foundation; Foundation; Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation; Foundation's Edge; and Foundation and Earth. i have to say, i wish Asimov lived a while longer to write a book that takes place after Foundation and Earth because it would've been even more epic!

[milkguy420]

Next to The Dark Tower the Foundation trilogy is my favorite series of all time. I highly recommend it.

i agree. but have you read the other four Foundation novels by Asimov? they expand the story greatly and are well worth the read.

[jordanc123]

thanks for the feedback im gonna buy the prelude to foundation and see what i think about the novel another quick question are these novels long in length or very tough to get through.

[Bev Vincent]

They aren't all that long, and I didn't find them hard to get through. However, Asimov's various series all started to bleed together after a while, including his Robot novels.

I'm not entirely sure that I'd recommend starting with Prelude. It sorta kinda makes sense to do so, but the original trilogy was Foundation, Foundation and Empire and The Second Foundation. The other books came after the trilogy had been around for decades. Prelude might presuppose that you're familiar with the original trilogy, even though it's earlier chronologically. My advice would be to read them in the order of publication.

[no bounce no play]

I loved the Foundation trilogy. Its been forever since I read it though so I'm not sure if I'd still like it as well as I had. Foundation prepared me for Stephen King. Asimov had a habit of giving names to one-line characters which drove me crazy since I have a terrible memory for names. Foundation made me start making character lists... which came in handy once I started reading SK's multi-character novels lol.

I've noticed that some people who read well written fantasy (like David Eddings' Belgariad which was written well after LOTR) before they read LOTR don't think much of LOTR. There have been a few good sci-fi epics written after Foundation so I don't know if Foundation will still hold up y'know?

I'd suggest reading the Foundation novels in their original order starting with the trilogy - Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. I know it sounds strange but sometimes prequels arn't spose to be read first lol. apologies milkguy I read the Harper Hall trilogy after the Dragon Riders of Pern trilogy too lol.

The books are of medium length and there isn't much huh? science (like there is in the tv series Eureka... I love Eureka but the science makes me say huh? pretty often lol) so they're not tough to get through