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Asimovs Foundation Series

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  • 05-01-2011 4:41pm
    #1
    Mark Hamill
    Registered Users Posts: 7,771 ✭✭✭


    Just a quick question about the reading order of Isaac Asimovs Foundation series: am I better going by the publication order, or the chronological order?
    I am up to "The Robots of Dawn" accoring to that wiki list and am just wondering whats the best way to approach the main foundation series.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,405 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    I read in publication order originally but have re-read in chrono since and I'd definitely recommend read in chronological order if you're new to it.

    (I loved it at the time I read it first in the 80s & 90s but some of the Asimov stuff is starting to feel a bit dated now, and I hate the fact that I think that!)

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #3
    InvisibleBadger
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭InvisibleBadger


    On a similar..ish note. I have read the original trilogy, and am wary of reading the rest because of the other author involved. Are they worth reading? Or will they ruin the whole series for me?


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    #4
    HivemindXX
    Registered Users Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭HivemindXX


    Foundation.
    Foundation and Empire.
    Second Foundation.

    There are no other sequels. Just like there is only one Matrix film.
    http://xkcd.com/566/

    If there were any other books you'd be far better off reading them in publication order. Any subsequent books would have been written from the point of view that the reader would have already read the previously published novels. If there was any other books. Which there isn't.


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    #5
    Black Sheep
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,041 Mod ✭✭✭✭Black Sheep


    I would always tend towards published order versus chronological order.


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    #6
    dots03
    Registered Users Posts: 86 ✭✭dots03


    To be honest I don't really think it matters...my reading order was that I read the original Foundation book first, then got wind of the preludes (Prelude and Forward) so read those, then jumped back to Foundation and Empire followed by Second Foundation, Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth

    I have not read any of the Second Foundation trilogy books by Benford etc. but so can not comment on those, but my preference would have been to read the Asimov ones first before moving on to those (and I will get around to it one day)

    I did find the contrast in writing style + story line between the original 3 foundation books (written in the 50s) and the preludes a little weird at first (the preludes are focused purely on Hari Seldon) but this did not really detract from the fact that this is an immense series well worth reading, whatever the order.


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