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The 12000 year-old Galactic Empire is on the brink of collapse. Or so psychohistorian Hari Seldon claims, much to the authorities' displeasure. After a brief sham of a trial, the government ends up exiling Seldon and his associates (well, the latter mostly) to the boonies: a.k.a. the planet Terminus, at the edge of the Galaxy. Little do they realise, that this was in fact all according to plan...



I originally read the first three books from the series back in my late teens/early twenties, and recall having adored them. The entire Doomsday concept and its subsequent salvation seemed like the best thing since sliced bread. And to be fair, as plots go, it still is. I mean, just how awesome is the entire idea of exiling random people to the edge of the Galaxy under false pretences, have the circumstances force them to evolve into a very narrow direction, and have them eventually fight full on wars without shedding a single drop of blood. *gives TV series the stink eye* What the eff happened to the season 1 finale there, huh?!

And yet rereading it now, I was dismayed to discover just how much my reading standards have changed. Don't get me wrong: I still love a good action-adventure/mystery story, but I also need a bit more exposition to get attached to the protagonists. Something that is all but impossible to do with a series of short stories, set several decades apart. Is it naïve to prefer cheering for a specific hero, rather than a grand idea? Perhaps. But as a citizen of a post-communist country, I can't help the mirthless laughter.



The adaptation felt very much like a mixed bag. I'm of course delighted to have this amazing masterpiece adapted for TV. But I really disliked all the mystical plot lines, and fighting scenes, that turn Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardin into completely different characters. The serial cloning of the emperor however, was an interesting way of showing the restrictive life of royalty, even if it ends up liberally mixing with concepts and characters from the prequel (Prelude to Foundation).

Score: 4/5 stars

As previously stated in my review of The Currents of Space, a story set in the same universe albeit several thousand years prior , Asimov's plot lines are just brilliant. No ifs, and, or buts. This is what keeps me coming back to his books, despite the exasperating protagonists.

Final verdict: still a favourite, even if it loses one star.
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Review of book 1 (chronological order): Prelude to the Foundation
Review of book 4 (chronological order): Foundation and Empire
Review of book 5 (chronological order): Second Foundation