sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

Prelude to Foundation
  • Rated 0 stars
Read Prelude to Foundation
Foundation: Book 6

Prelude to Foundation (1988) (edit title/settings)

by Isaac Asimov (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

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 edit see section history

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)

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 for political gain. After an interview with Hari, however, Cleon concludes that Hari is of no use to the Empire.

Hari then meets reporter Chetter Hummin, who convinces him that Cleon's first minister Eto Demerzel is attempting to capture him, and that it is therefore imperative for Hari to escape and to try to make psychohistory practical. Thus, Hari goes on his "Flight" and is introduced to Dors Venabili by Hummin. Hari takes an immediate liking to Dors, and (in a later book) he marries her.

Hari and Dors narrowly evade capture at Streeling University, following which the pair move to Mycogen. Hari and Dors are welcomed to Mycogen by Sunmaster Fourteen, the leader of Mycogen. Determined to work out his psychohistory with the knowledge that the Mycogenians supposedly possess, Hari decides to speak to a Mycogenian alone about history. He manages this by convincing Raindrop Forty-three to show him the prized Mycogenian microfarms, a prized source of food for the aristocracy and Mycogenians alike.

When Hari inquires about that the peculiar Mycogenian ways might be the product of religious belief, Raindrop Forty-three is offended and says that the Mycogenians have something better: History. Hari inquires into the source of Mycogenian history and Raindrop Forty-three reveals that it is encompassed in "The book". Hari asks for the book but Raindrop Forty-three accepts on the condition that Hari allows her to touch his hair; (hair being expressively forbidden in Mycogenian society). When Hari starts reading the book, he finds it disappointing except for the revealing of what the Mycogenians call their home planet, Aurora.

Hari and Dors are almost killed when they try to find what they suspect is a robot in the Mycogenian "temple" until Hummin arrives in the nick of time to save them. The action then shifts to the Dahl sector, where Dors displays her amazing knife fighting skills. While in Dahl they meet a guttersnipe named Raych (whom Hari later adopts as his son), and Yugo Amaryl (who would become Hari's partner in developing psychohistory).

Towards the end of the novel, Hari, Dors, and Raych are kidnapped by agents from Wye, a powerful sector situated at Trantor's south pole. The finale reveals that "Hummin" is actually Cleon's first minister Eto Demerzel, who we later learn is in fact the robot R. Daneel Olivaw. By the end of the novel, Hari suspects that Dors is a robot, too. This theme would later be picked up in Forward the Foundation.

Characters/People edit see section history

Show all 21 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “It’s hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough”
  • “I have given no hostages to fortune.”
  • “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.”
  • “Any memory bit, any record that is not referred to for a long time, eventually drowns in accumulated noise.”
  • “…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.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Trantor: The capital city/planet of the Galactic Empire
  • Billibotton: A sector on Trantor.
  • Mycogen: A sector on Trantor known for it's mushrooms
  • Dahl: A sector on Trantor known for it's heatsinks.

First Sentence edit see section history

Suppressing a small yawn, Cleon said, "Demerzel, have you by any chance ever heard of a man named Hari Seldon?"

Table of Contents edit see section history

Mathematician
Flight
University
Library
Upperside
Rescue
Mycogen
Sunmaster
Microfarm
Book
Sacratorium
Aerie
Heatsink
Billibutton
Undercover
Officers
Wye
Overthrow
Dors

Errata edit see section history

Page 195: instead of Skymaster it should be Sunmaster.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 6 of 12 in Foundation. (standard series)

Preceded by Foundation and Earth, and followed by Forward the Foundation.

This is book 19 of 25 in Asimov's Future History. (universe)

Preceded by Pebble in the Sky, and followed by Forward the Foundation.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Isaac Asimov (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Isaac Asimov

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: United States
Publication Date: 1988
ISBN: 0553278398
Page Count: 505

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3551.S5
  • Dewey: 818'.54

We’re hiding the movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close