Foundation

I've talked about my difficult relationship with Isaac Asimov's works. Yet, I keep coming back to him. And after finishing Foundation, I think I've figured out why. The book itself is much in the same style as his others - old fashioned science fiction. I specifically emphasize old fashioned, because mid-twentieth century sci-fi has an amazing tendency to show its age in the way they refer to technology. Somehow, words describing hypothetically future tech date it. "Atomics" when referring to advanced atomic powered energy is one of those outmoded terms. Actually, as I wrote the previous sentence I went and double checked - Foundation was published in 1951, at the height of the era when nuclear tech was expected to take over every aspect of life. It's particularly telling in quotes about atomic knives and ovens in the kitchen.

But for all of the oddities that come with reading old science fiction, and for my slight discomfort with Asimov's writing style, his works embody an attitude that makes them somewhat irresistible. He's considered a master of the art for good reason - Asimov's works helped define the genre of sci-fi. Therein lies my fascination with his works, as well as those of other classical writers. They don't appeal to me for the science or the fiction. Rather they are the ancestors from which many of my favorite stories found their roots. For instance: I have no recollection in which of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics were introduced. Yet they serve as one of my bases for what I consider ethical robotics. We've reached the point where a lot of past science fiction is becoming science reality. And just like the ancient writers sketched out proper behavior for people, these science fiction authors sketched out a path for our technology.

Back to Foundation: I think it might be one of my favorites of Asimov's books. It illustrates an attempt to keep society's knowledge through a galactic dark age, calling back to a similar time period of falling empires in the early middle ages in Europe. So yes, imagine roughly the late 500s AD, but instead of the Roman Empire falling and leading to European chaos, it's the empire ruling the whole galaxy. Worth reading? Maybe for the story. But definitely worth reading if just to consider the legacy of 20th century science fiction writers.