Foundation and Earth

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

Length: 18 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the great masterworks of science fiction. An ingenious blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women determined to shield enlightened humanity from a ceaseless threat of darkness and ultimate annihilation.

Golan Trevize, former councilman of the First Foundation, has chosen the future, and it is Gaia. A superorganism, Gaia is a holistic planet with a common consciousness so intensely united that every dewdrop, every pebble, every being, can speak for all - and feel for all. It is a realm in which privacy is not only undesirable, it is incomprehensible. But is it the right choice for the destiny of mankind? While Trevize feels it is, that is not enough. He must know.

Trevize believes the answer lies at the site of humanity’s roots: fabled Earth...if it still exists. For no one is sure where the planet of Gaia’s first settlers is to be found in the immense wilderness of the galaxy. Nor can anyone explain why no record of Earth has been preserved, no mention of it made anywhere in Gaia’s vast world-memory. It is an enigma Trevize is determined to resolve and a quest he is determined to undertake, at any cost.

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

©1986 Nightfall, Inc (P)2011 Random House Audio

Larry McKeever is the worst

Would you try another book from Isaac Asimov and/or Larry McKeever?

I love Isaac Asimov, but Larry McKeever is the worst narrator I have ever heard. Its like having a book read to you by the mac voice. That said, Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite authors.

How could the performance have been better?

When you read the line "'What are you doing here?' she said with surprise," there should be some surprise in your voice. Simple deliveries like that should be pretty basic for a narrator. I don't even know how he got a job reading books when the delivery is so awful.

Why was this not narrated by Scoot Brick

Is there anything you would change about this book?

After a great series with the first four books why would you record this with out Scott. This narrator is is boring and dry. My only choice will be to read this on Kindle. I returned the Audible edition after only 23 minutes of listening.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Larry McKeever?

Scoot Brick

Was Foundation and Earth worth the listening time?

Not with this narrator.

Sorry Larry Mckeever :(

I haven't finished this book yet, but Larry McKeever is awful! I have listened to the rest of the Foundation series and enjoyed them immensely. Scott Brick was the narrator and while I don't think he is amazing; he is infinitely better than McKeever. Every other sentence uttered by McKeever grates on my nerves, like fingernails on a chalkboard. It's not that his voice is bad per se. It's that his voice is boring, and somehow annoying at the same time. As if that isn't bad enough all of his characters sounding exactly the same so I am not sure which character is speaking sometimes. Again I actually thought this about Scott Brick a little bit but his characters have loads of personality by comparison. I never thought that a narrator would have such an effect on my overall perception of a book, but I was wrong. I don't know, the best thing I can say about McKeever is maybe I was spoiled by Scott Brick and maybe his performance just falls flat by comparison. I wish I knew what Audible/Amazon was thinking when they chose McKeever to narrate this novel. All I know is Scott Brick probably wasn't available.

M O N O T O N E

The narrator recited the story with a painful lack of emotion. Very monotonous. A computer could have read it with more interest.

Disappointing Reading

After the lively narration of the first books, this one was very disappointing. like listening to a severe weather alert.

Why change narrators several books in?

I enjoyed the book and found it to be one of the more interesting stories of the series so far. However, I had a difficult time enjoying the narrator. The switch in narrators after several books was uncomfortable. The current narrator isn't horrible. However, I found his change in pronunciation of characters and his occasionally unnatural sentences to me discomforting.

Mechanical narration

Narrator is very distracting. Sounds like IBM's Watson reading with no comprehension. Misplaced inflection. Absent expression. Unnatural cadence.

Great novel, okay narration

Needs to be re-recorded with Scott Brick! Other wise a decent telling of an excellent novel.

superb science and social perspective

I couldn't stop listening. this series is one The best of all time. I'll be buying the next one today.

Great story, flawed voice performance

A wonderful conclusion to a fantastic series. However, I wish they would have gotten a different voice actor. The performance tended to be lifeless and mechanical.