Irish and Russian accents. Really?

The random use of Irish, and even almost Russian accent for Hari is really annoying. If I didn't live the story so much, I would have returned and asked for a refund.

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The science fiction master

A fascinating story. It feels like a history book of a real universe. Easy to listen to. Once started the story draws you to the conclusion leaving you wanting more. Luckily it is only the beginning of the end.

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Masterful story telling

Isaac Asimov is without doubt a master story teller. However the narrator is too, he is measured, has great diction and Conveys personality and emotion very well. a most enjoyable experience

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great story and foundation to the foundation

I realy enjoyed the story of Harry Seldom from before the time of the trilogy. the narrator made it realy good to listen to. made me chuckle many times.

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Where there is Hope there is hope.

Overall the story itself is rather dull at times but quite fascinating at others. The one constant for the entire Foundation series is of course the narrator, whose treatment is never found wanting. A necessary listen if only to obtain completion but, unlike the core trilogy, I am unlikely to revisit.

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There’s reason why the name Asimov is synonymous with Sci-fi

There’s reason why the name Asimov is synonymous with Sci-fi. He is a master of it. Original ideas and plots with more twists than French braids. Great story as one would expect

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beginning of a fantastic journey

This is a beautiful book. There is emotion and fear but hope too. Well worth a listen!

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Masterful narration of the master of science fiction

I have re read the Foundation series several times over the last 35 years. I remember the shock when I heard that Isaac had died.

In the same way that Tolkien created the entire genre of fantasy with the Lord of the Rings, Asimov created the entire genre of what we think of as science fiction.

His two major contributions are the idea of humanoid robots and galaxy wide empires. Whenever you read a book or watch a film that has these two features know that Asimov created the entire cultural framework for these concepts. As companies such as Tesla and Boston Dynamics move into the manufacture of humanoid robots the engineers are paying homage to Asimov. As SpaceX lifts humanity into space and onto Mars it is the dreams created by Asimov that inspired them.

William Hope is the perfect narrator for this series. Each character is given a memorable voice which enhances the entire story.

Skip the AppleTV TV adaption of the Foundation series and settle yourself down to the best Asimov experience available today. Once you have finished this book you will find yourself instantly downloading the next book in the series.

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Lettura magistrale

Certamente il testo non è discutibile. Asimov è un monumento della letteratura fantascientifica e purtroppo la serie televisiva prodotta da Apple ha sconvolto l’opera dello scrittore distorcendone profondamente personaggi e trama al fine di adattarla al neo politically correct, BLM, LGBTQ, cancel culture, etc.
Il volume recensito, scritto tardivamente dall’autore, si pone come antefatto alla trilogia della Fondazione, fornendo le informazioni di base per conoscere meglio i personaggi, l’ambiente e i presupposti della psychohistory.
L’interpretazione del testo di William Hope è semplicemente magistrale!

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Enjoyable slower paced prequel expertly narrated

This prequel proceeds the excellent original Foundation trilogy by thrusting a younger Hari Seldon into the role of main protagonist for a longer form tour of Trantor as he attempts to understand the beginnings of psychohistory.

For the most part the book feels as if no major time gap had taken place between the writing of the previous book and this prequel. The major difference being that the trilogy books are a series of contained story vignettes whereas this book is one longer continuous story of a more relaxed pace.

We visit and explore much more of Trantor, which is fleshed out in much greater detail than the original trilogy. Hari Seldon gets some degree of character development through his growing relationship with Dors Venabilli who accompanies Seldon throughout the book.

I give Asimov an 'A' for effort by trying to include character development, but as with most Asimov books the ideas and concepts are much better executed than people.

William Hope continues to be a top narrator, with excellent performance and delivery well suited to bring Asimov's work to life.

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