Foundation

[D_Davis]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

However, as you say, this may just be one not to your taste; it isn't to everyone's, nor even to a fair amount of the sf fans. Whether to go on or not is, of course, a decision only you can make; but personally I think I'd continue a bit more, at least until the Mule makes his appearance, and you may see not only the shift in narrative strategy but the reasons for each type a little better....

I've decided to put this in my "come back to at a later time" pile. Which, incidently, contains Darkness and The Light, another future history. I think that, perhaps, future history is not my thing. I require a more personal narrative it seems.

[Connavar]

Even if you hate the book, The Mule is still worth what he is about.

[manephelien]

That's why I actually prefer the later books, such as Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation and Foundation and Earth. These tell the story from a participant's rather than a narrator's POV.

I enjoyed the other books too, but I wouldn't read them again just for the Mule.

[AE35Unit]

Originally Posted by D_Davis

After reading about 20 more pages last night, I've given up. I cannot muster the enthusiasm to continue.

I guess Foundation is not for me. I've found no dramatic impetus in anything, zero character, the setting is so nondescript as to be totally generic - where are people? - and I am finding the ideas put forth quite dull. Everything feels so dead to me - there is so little emotion. It's all told through dialog, rarely is anything shown through narration or action. I'm just not feeling it.

I wouldn't feel bad D D,thats how i feel about it too. I have read the original 'trilogy' twice tho but when i tried to read Foundation's Edge i found it sapping my will to live. Dune was a bit like that too. Too much people talk,waffle and politics,no sense of wonder. And as for the avoiding the word God well a lot of authors have used alternatives like Oh space. Its not like Asimov was avoiding religion,i just thought that perhaps he felt that in the future religion may be renounced (oh if only!)