Psychohistorian Hari Seldon is preparing for the future-a bleak future marked by 30,000 years of warfare. Seldon assembles the brightest and greatest minds to create an Encyclopedia that will preserve knowledge after the inevitable fall of the current civilization. This is what I would classify as "hard" or "serious" science fiction. I needed to research the story after reading it to understand what I had read. For science fiction buffs, Asimov rates as a god but I'd be reluctant to read this brand of science fiction again.
Readers who enjoyed this book may also enjoy The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Doubleday, 1958. The tranquility of Mars is disrupted by Earthlings determined to conquer space, colonize the planet, and escape a doomed Earth. Similar to Foundation, this books is also a combination of short stories spun into one larger whole. Psychohistorical Crisis by Donald Kingsbury, TOR, 2002 is based on an article by Asimov that explains his basis for Foundation and also includes elements of that story such as power and war addicts, and male dominance.
Readers who enjoyed this book may also enjoy these non-fiction titles: A Scientific Model of History: Where is the Future Leading Us? by Juan Jose Gomez-Ibarra, Author House, 2003 explains why civilizations decay, wars recur, and other historical cycles and also addresses the limits of social organization. Voyage to the Milky Way by Donald Goldsmith, TV Books, 1999. Although nearly 10 years old, rather than being outdated, this volume is science fiction-like in its predictions (including one for 2008)and includes coverage on space colonization.
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