Foundation - The rise and fall of a galactic empire!

Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time

These books are among the most popular works of the Golden Age of sci fi, and for good reason. The overall story arc established in the first book is very, very good.

Hari Seldon combines mathematics and psychology to create the new science of psychohistory and predicts that the galaxy-wide empire that has ruled and kept the peace for tens of thousands of years will collapse within 500 years. The collapse is inescapable, but Seldon sees a single, narrow path that could shorten the dark ages after the collapse from 30,000 years to 1,000 years, and establishes a Foundation at the barren edge of the galaxy to enact that plan. The books are essentially organized as collections of short stories, each story detailing the story of a new generation of foundationers as they seek to navigate a crisis that threatens the plan and the very existence of the Foundation.

The technology holds up as well - Asimov was a master of making things futuristic without being too specific about how they worked, and its made his series into a timeless classic. Asimov's view of history as the result of the collective work of humanity rather than the actions of a few great men is also very refreshing and real - a nice change of pace from the typical hero's journey.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend I, Robot by Isaac Asmiov, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.