this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Lemmy World Rules
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as someone who has had a really hard time getting into this series. Does it get better?
Not really. Foundation is notoriously NOT character-driven, bit of a pendant to Dune’s hero-centered narrative. I love the world of Foundation, but it really is bit of a chore to read the books.
Thankx. That's kinda what I suspected but also so many people seem to enjoy it. Sounds like it's not for me
Just to give a little bit more to the previous comment. If you go in with the right mentality, you may enjoy it more. The book isn't character driven, it is a book of ideas. You have to be invested in the "world" and be curious about how things will play out on a very large scale. If you go in looking for a hero and a villain, you won't really find one. What's there is a concept and its execution. It's a long form thought-problem, for better or worse. Personally, I love it, but if you don't, then you dont.
Thanks, this has gone a long way towards encouraging me to open a battered old copy of the Foundation Trilogy I was gifted years ago.
Yea I might be able to get into it with that in mind too. Thanks y'all
The TV series is quite different, but retains most of the core concepts. It's much more character-driven, and looks absolutely gorgeous. Highly recommended for anyone who likes sci-fi.
Foundation is basically all concept. If you do want to get into it, there's a dated but still entertaining (IMO) radio drama version the BBC did in the early 70s. You can hear it here.
@FlyingSquid @tdawg I heard the radio adaptation of the Foundation Trilogy when it first went out but don't remember being very impressed The 80 episode TV adaption that's underway sounds hard to swallow. We now have the original 3 books, two sequels, two prequels and 3 authorised books written by other authors since Asimov's death. To understand these later books you need to know at least something about Asimov's robot novels.
I personally have found them very easy to read. It doesn’t spend time on character development but it summarized the story well and moves on (jumps forward in time) before it gets boring.