The Foundation Trilogy

Asimov's epic space opera chronicles the fall and rise of galactic civilization through the science of psychohistory—mathematics applied to human behavior on a massive scale.

Hari Seldon, a mathematician in the dying days of the Galactic Empire, develops psychohistory—a revolutionary science that can predict the behavior of large populations. His calculations reveal that the Empire will soon collapse, plunging the galaxy into thirty thousand years of barbarism. But Seldon has a plan: establish two Foundations at opposite ends of the galaxy to preserve human knowledge and reduce the coming dark age to a mere thousand years.

The brilliance of the Foundation series lies in its scope and ambition. Asimov traces the rise and fall of civilizations across centuries, showing how scientific knowledge, political maneuvering, and individual brilliance can shape the course of history. Each section of the trilogy presents a different crisis that threatens the Foundation's mission, requiring its leaders to find innovative solutions using science, psychology, and occasionally, inspired bluffing.

The series explores profound questions about historical inevitability and free will. Can the future be predicted and controlled through mathematical analysis, or do individual actions ultimately determine the course of events? As the trilogy progresses, Asimov introduces complications to Seldon's plan, including the mysterious Second Foundation and the emergence of individuals whose very existence threatens psychohistory's predictions.

The Foundation trilogy essentially created the template for epic science fiction, influencing countless writers and establishing many of the genre's key themes. Winner of a special Hugo Award as the greatest science fiction series of all time, the Foundation trilogy remains essential reading for anyone interested in how science fiction can address the largest questions about human civilization and its future.