Benjamin Kohl

For the first time in a long time, I just completed a fiction novel that was so good that I had trouble putting it down. Thankfully, it is just part one in a series of seven books. The book is called Prelude to Foundation (Foundation, Book 1) (See all Literature & Fiction Books) by Isaac Asimov. Before starting this book, I learned that Asimov wrote it long after writing the original Foundation trilogy so I am fortunate enough to be able to read the series in chronological order though it was not written that way. One thing that I really liked about this book is that it has a great plot and it is very fast-paced. I can’t stand stories that drag on forever or spend ten pages describing nothing relevant in great detail. This story wastes no time with any of that nonsense.

I have also learned that Isaac Asimov’s robot series is part of this timeline though those stories take place many years prior to the Foundation series. I’m going to go ahead and finish up this series before taking a trip back in time to read the robot series. I’ve already read I, Robot (See all Literature & Fiction Books) a long time go which is what got me interested in Isaac Asimov in the first place. I highly recommend that book as well if you have never read it.

I won’t spoil any surprises, but Prelude to Foundation is about a mathematician that gives a presentation on his theory that mathematics can be used to predict the future. This concept captures the attention of many powerful people and the book follows his adventures as he is being pursued by various local governments and the emperor’s assistant. If you’ve already read the robot books by Asimov, this book is cool because it makes references to the existence of robots in “historical” times.

If you like science fiction as much as I do, I am pretty sure you will like this book. So get reading!