Foundation Books In Order

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Publication Order of Foundation Books

Chronological Order of Foundation Books

Publication Order of Original Foundation Books

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Author Isaac Asimov wrote the “Foundation” series of science fiction novels. The first three novels are made up of nine stories, eight of which were first published from 1942 until 1950 in Astounding Magazine. The novel “Foundation” is made up of the first four of these short stories, with a fifth that precede all of them. The final four stories were published in pairs and make up the first two sequels of the series. The books in the series were published Gnome Press.

A few of the ideas used for these books were based off of the Roman Empire’s crumbling that he got from a book written by Edward Gibbons that documented the fall of the Roman Empire. Asimov put a few ideas for these stories together while he was about to meet with an editor named John W. Campbell. The two developed psychohistory, the Galactic Empire’s collapse, and the civilization-preserving Foundations.

At the end of John and Isaac’s two hour meeting, he planned to write a series of stories about the fall of the first Galactic Empire and the subsequent rise of the second. He submitted his first “Foundation” story on September 8, and Campbell bought it the next week and it was published in May of 1942. The books, which were published between 1951 to 1953, and they went on to become some of Asimov’s most popular work.

During his time working at the Naval Yard in West Philadelphia, he lived in an apartment and worked on these stories.

Hari Seldon is the leader of the Psychohistorical movement that creates the Foundation as well as the Seldon plan. He formed the Foundation in the first place to preserve the best parts of galactic civilization after the Galactic Empire’s collapse.

After “Second Foundation” was released, the series was a trilogy. During the eighties, he was persuaded to pen more books in the series, and wound up writing and releasing four more books. The first two were sequels, while the final two were prequels to the series. This happened because Asimov had no idea how to continue the story after the fifth novel in the series. Every “Foundation” novel published after “Second Foundation” was considered to be a part of a spinoff series called “Greater Foundation”.

The “Greater Foundation” novels mention Asimov’s “Robot” series and his “Empire” series, making all three series set in the same world. There is even mention to Asimov’s first published novel, called “Pebble in the Sky”, although “Foundation” is set about ten thousand years later.

It won a one-time Hugo Award for “Best Series of All-Time” in the year 1966. At the time, Asimov believed this award had been created to honor Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but was honored that his series had won. In the year 1996, “The Mule” (which is the major part of “Foundation and Empire”) won a retrospective Hugo for Best Novel of 1946. In the year 2018, “Foundation” (the first story Asimov wrote and the first novel’s second chapter) was awarded Best Short Story for 1943.

An eight part radio adaptation of the original trilogy, and was one of the first BBC radio drama serials to be produced in stereo. It was adapted by Patrick Tull (who did the first four installments) and Mike Stott (who did the last four), and it was directed by David Cain.

“Foundation” is the first novel in the “Foundation” series and was released in the year 1951. The Galactic Empire has ruled for twelve thousand years. It is now dying. Only Hari Seldon, who is the creator of a revolutionary science of psychohistory, is able to see into the future. He sees a dark age of barbarism, ignorance, and warfare that is going to last thirty thousand years. To save mankind and to preserve knowledge, Seldon puts together all the great minds of the Empire, scholars and scientists alike, and takes them to a bleak planet at the Galaxy’s edge in order to serve as the beacon of hope for the generations of the future. Seldon calls this sanctuary he built Foundation.

Quickly, the fledgling Foundation finds that it is at the mercy of some corrupt warlords that rise in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind’s final and best hope gets confronted with a rather agonizing decision. Submit to the barbarians and get overrun, or just fight them and get destroyed.

This novel is wide-sweeping, ambitious, and horrifying. Asimov does a great job of phrasing complex things in an unassuming and simple way that transports you tens of thousands of years into the future. His ideas quickly become normal in just a matter of a few lines, no matter how foreign they might be to the reader.

“Foundation and Empire” is the second novel in the “Foundation” series and was released in the year 1952. This is the incredible tale of a new breed of man that created a new force for the galactic government. Thus, the Foundation is thrown into a conflict with the decrepit and decadent First Empire.

In this battle for power amid all the chaos of the stars, there is a man that stands at the threshold of an enlightened and new life that could easily be set aside for the old forces of barbarism.

“Second Foundation” is the third novel in the “Foundation” series and was released in the year 1953. The Foundation was safe, so far, anyway. There was a hidden Second Foundation to keep the first one safe. The Mule still has not found it, but gets closer all the time. All of the men of the Foundation seek to find it, as well, in order to escape from the mind control of the Mule. Just Arkady, a fourteen year old girl appears to have the answer. Or did she?

Fans found this novel properly concluded the trilogy, as it is captivating from start to finish, as it moves to its spellbinding climax. These books and stories combine into an elegant and intricate design that stick with readers long after they have finished reading.

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