Foundation and Earth

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

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

THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION

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.

Narrator makes the story dry and dull

What didn’t you like about Larry McKeever’s performance?

His portrayals were dry, dull and the timing was as if he was forced to stop after each word and make sure he annunciated each letter with special emphasis.

The story gets lost. And I couldn't listen to more than 15 minutes in a sitting without losing the plot.

The book and author are great, so I knew the plot already. But I feel bad for anyone who doesn't know the plot. I strongly recommend against this narrator.

Like having a robot read to you

The overall plot line is interesting and offers the listener a single set of characters to identify with, unlike many of the prequels. It is more like an adventure novel, instead of the political strategy theme of the initial Foundation books.

It is however, quite long and the narrator is nearly monotone. The narrator also over-inflects syllables and over-emphasizes the pauses between sentences, while maintaining a consistent cadence between each syllable.

Considering Asimov seemed to focus more on dialogue in this book and really left nothing to the audience to infer or conclude on their own, this made me impatient at times and reluctant to endure the robotic reciting of the narrator.

Good ending — bad narration!

I like the way this book brought robots and galactic empire together but the narration almost made me give up and toss it. How LM got picked to read any of these is beyond me. If the monotone wasn't enough, the mispronunciations made me crazy.

most horrific reader I have ever heard

the only reason I listened to the entire book was because I wanted to finish the series. If Scott Brick was to do a version I would buy it in a heart beat.

The narrator drove me crazy with his pauses

speed up the speed of the book or Larry will ruin the story. This book was not one of favorites.