Foundation (Apple Series Tie-in Edition)

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The first novel in Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series

The epic saga that inspired the Apple TV+ series Foundation, now streaming. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

For 12,000 years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future - to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire - both scientists and scholars - and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best - and worst - that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.

Listen to all of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, including (in chronological order):

Prelude to FoundationForward the FoundationFoundationFoundation and Empire Second FoundationFoundation's EdgeFoundation and Earth

©1982 Isaac Asimov (P)2010 Random House

What a classic!

Wonderfully entertaining and read well. Its hard to imagine that next year will be the 70th anniversary of its first publishing in 1951!

Brilliant story telling

I was originally going to give Brick 4 stars for his performance because he relied on minor inflection changes to signify the different characters rather than character voices. I got lost in the dialogue from time to time but I think he made that choice to keep Asimov's story pure.

At any rate, the story is wonderful. I love how Asimov explored the reasons an empire would fall and how a new empire might rise up.

Amazing book

absolutely amazing book. The story is excellent and well told and the concept of moving through the generations linked by the overall story is actually really well done. There are some things that date the book such as the tobacco use and the use of certain words which would no longer be socially acceptable oh, but overall a wonderful read and wonderful listen. The voice actor did a great job was pleasant to listen to and put the correct emotion at the appropriate spots.

Written 60 years ago and still a very good sci-fi

The story stands the test of time! I was hooked after the first two chapters. My mind was constantly working trying to figuring out what the next chapter would bring. When I finished the book, I purchased the second one immediately. If you’re a Larry Nevin or Jerry Pournelle fan you will most likely love this book. A few things to consider are that you have to on occasion suspend your critical eye as certain thing show this book was written in the 50s (everyone is smoking and some of the technology references date the book). Also the narrator was pretty good but sometimes did not change his intonation enough when changing character. Note that he improved this significantly in the second book and was no longer an issue for me.

Excellent story, good performance

Foundation is a wonderful work of classic SciFi that I have enjoyed many times. While its assumptions about gender roles haven't aged well, the politicking and maneuvering are exciting and intriguing.

Scott brick doesn't change his voice to indicate different characters so it is sometimes hard to tell who's speaking, but his performance is enjoyable and makes for an easy listening experience.

My first Asimov book

I had no idea what to expect, but now I'm hooked. ...I listened to the last chapter twice though because I couldn't believe it ended like that

As wonderful now as it was 50years ago

I enjoyed this book more than 50 years ago. Dated in some of it detail, it remains a masterwork. Anyone who has not read it cannot claim to be a science fiction fan.

Understanding human nature

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I listened to I Claudius and Plain Simple Men How amazing that human nature is virtually the same over the past 2000 years and probably will remain the same in the future. The only real difference is may be in the content of our character. But in this future there is an abundance of both character and hope.

Not a great narrator. Great story though.

It feels like Jerry from Rick and Morty is reading to you. really weird and hard to enjoy sometimes.

Accurate to a fault!

Would you listen to Foundation again? Why?

I reread this series every so often, I make it a point to buy a paperback whenever I visit the US so I do not have to borrow my dad's 40 year old giant omnibus of Asimov stories. Listening to the audiobook is relaxing because I know most of the story by heart, but obviously forget some details. So apparently did another reviewer that must be silenced for his heresy! But I'll get to him, first:

What did you like best about this story?

This story is one of the cleverest in science fiction although it's the result of Asimov doing what he did best, build a world, and write about a series of interesting or challenging events within that world. On that topic I highly reccomend I, Robot as well as the sequels to Foundation.

Any additional comments?

As for the heresy, I use the word because as Asimov did I think the use of religious terms might steer ignorance: The other reviewer in question railed against the performance of the audiobook as being faulty and jarring, and that anyone who appreciated the written form as he had in his youth would know that "it's not Psychologists but Psychohistorians." Except, as stated in part 2 chapter 4, after 50 years, not one Psychohistorian remains on Terminus, as intended by Hari Seldon, to keep the Foundation ignorant of their destiny for the first 50 years of the project and to keep them ignorant of the workings of Psychohistory. So naturally, as they do in the paperback sitting on my desk the people of Terminus refer to the Psychohistorians not as such or even as Mathematicians but as Psychologists, because contrary to their imagined primary goal of preserving knowledge, Psychohistory is a forgotten term!So the audiobook, in short, is accurate, and people misremembering that while yes they were Psychohistorians, they were not referred to as such in the book until at least after the time vault first opened.
The only fault I can lay with this recording is that 'every' word is read to us, as advertised, it's unabridged, but the Question: Answer: headings of the transcripts of a judiciary hearing, were unnecessarily emphasised.