It feels as though the sci-fi genre has always felt somewhat inferior in my eyes. Not because of the content itself, I would just prefer a good classic that influenced generations. It would go amiss, therefore, to not mention that I have enjoyed at least one science fiction novel that truly has inspired just many as your average Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, or Dracula. And maybe it’s because I’ve aged that I tend to lean towards the more gothic and romantic book. But at age ten, I was far more interested in anything involving space, (as are most ten year old.) Have you ever heard of Dune or Hitchhiker’s Guide? Perhaps Star Wars? Then you’d be happy to know each of those sci-fi juggernauts all took great inspiration from the book series Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

I’m not all too familiar with the series as a whole, but I’d be remiss to say if this first book completely reimagined how a story can be told to my younger, developing, affluently creative mind. The sci-fi elements themselves, however, are quite far-flung between. There are no laser swords, nor giant death spaceships; the most outreaching element of the book is the new type of math one character had discovered. Other than that, the futuristic technology merely acts as a path for the greater sociological story to tread along. Not surprising for something considered the first modern science fiction novel.The books originate from a magazine during the second world war. Asimov had an idea adjacent to Edward Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and developed the idea with the magazine’s editor, John Campbell. Together,  they came up with the prospect of an empire on the galactic scale that was on the brink of collapse. This first novel is a collection really of five short stories that came from the magazines, each story taking place 30-50 years apart from each other.

The story revolves around the idea that one Hari Seldon, who had discovered a new kind of mathematics called psychohistory, and can thusly predict the empire, which has been standing for over 12 000 years, will fall, and soon. The age that will follow its fall would be an age of savagery and brutal warfare that would last 30 000 years. With this inevitable upcoming event, Hari Seldon establishes “The Foundation,” an organisation whose goal is to shrink the amount of time between the next civil age from 30 000 to just 1 000 years. Foundation, and its series have left just as much an impact on our society as the usual classics as it explores themes of power, morality, and technological advancement, contains complex characters and plot lines, and provides meaningful commentary on our world. Foundation novel is a thrilling and captivating work of science fiction, it is a story of discovery, struggle, and of hope. Isaac Asimov has crafted a masterpiece of storytelling that will keep readers enthralled from start to finish, the novel is full of interesting characters, exciting plot twists and turns, and a grand vision for the future. It is a must-read for not only fans of science fiction, but for those willing to expand their literary pallet. This is a novel that will stick with you long after you have finished it.