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Description
For the first time Asimov chronicles the life of Hari Seldon, the man who laid the framework for the universe that came to be known as the Foundation. The long-awaited overture to the greatest science fiction series of all time. "Asimov's storytelling skills have never been keener."--Denver... read more
Summary
The story takes place on Trantor during the reign of Emperor Cleon I. It starts with Hari's presentation of a paper at a mathematics convention detailing how practical use of psychohistory might theoretically be possible. The Emperor of the Galactic Empire learns of this and wants to use Hari... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Cast of Characters/Important People
- Hari Seldon: the protagonist of the story. He develops the theory of psychohistory.
- Cleon I: the Emperor of the Galactic Empire
- Eto Demerzel: First Minister of the emperor
- Chetter Hummin: a reporter who runs into Hari
- Dors Venabili: a history professor at the University
- Jenarr Leggen: a meteorologist of the University
- Rogen Benastra: a Chief Seismologist at Streeling University
- Endor Levanian: the pilot who flies Dors and Hari to the Mycogen sector
- Sunmaster Fourteen: a High Elder of the Mycogen sector
- Graycloud Five: a novitiate resident of the Mycogen sector
- Raindrop Forty-three and Raindrop Forty-five: two Sisters who instruct Dors on the operation of kitchen equipment
- Mycelium Seventy-Two: a Mycogenian scholar
- Skystrip Two: an Elder of the Sacratorium in Mycogen
- Jirad Tisalver: a resident working as a holovision programmer of the Dahl sector
- Hano Linder: a heatsink manager of the Dahl sector
- Yugo Amaryl: a heatsink worker who aspires to be a mathematician
- Raych: a kid from Billibotton
- Mother Rittah: a local prophet of Billibotton in the Dahl sector
- Davan: a subversive of Billibotton
- Sergeant Emmer Thalus: a soldier
- Rashelle: the daughter of Mannix IV and current mayor of Wye
- R. Daneel Olivaw: a character
Memorable Quotes
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“It’s hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough”
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“I have given no hostages to fortune.”
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“The LPS-that is, ‘the least possible simulation’ – gains in complexity faster than the object being simulated does and eventually the simulation catches up with the phenomenon. Thus, it was established thousands of years ago that the Universe as a whole, in its full complexity, cannot be represented by any simulation smaller than itself. “In other words, you can’t get any picture of the Universe as a whole except by studying the entire Universe. It has been shown also that if one attempts to substitute simulations of a small part, and so on, intending to put them all together to form a total picture of the Universe, one would find that there are an infinite number of such part simulations. It would therefore take an infinite time to understand the Universe in full and that is just another way of saying that it is impossible to gain all the knowledge there is.”
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“Any memory bit, any record that is not referred to for a long time, eventually drowns in accumulated noise.”
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“…even if you have right on your side, even if justice thunders condemnation, it is usually the tyranny in existence that has the balance of force on its side.”
First Sentence
Suppressing a small yawn, Cleon said, "Demerzel, have you by any chance ever heard of a man named Hari Seldon?"
Table of Contents
Authors & Contributors
- Isaac Asimov (Author)
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