Book review Isaac Asimov Prelude to Foundation
If you have ever chased down a book at the library for months, you are definitely on the same page with me. The initial reason for reading a sci-fi Prelude to Foundation, written by Isaac Asimov, was its screen adaptation, with which had failed to impress me — I stopped watching it in the middle of the first episode. Another reason was my strong preference to be a director of the movie in my mind when I organize the casting and approve the actors to perform on my inner stage.
Can’t say that Asimov was a wordsmith, but then again, how many writers are? Square dialogs, meandering narration at times, the protagonist’s numerous eureka moments with minimum guiding the reader can be annoying, agreed. However, I must pay tributes to Asimov’s skills in reconciling two different worlds—humans and robots. Not only did he reconcile them, but he also connected them emotionally, suggesting that all of us, even robots, might be able to evolve. At this point somebody can roll their eyes, but I strongly believe, that life can create another form of life so that even metal beings can come alive. Another set of tributes I would like to pay is to Asimov’s language. Some sentences wink their way like gold coins across a pile of a coal. For example:
Seldon and Hummin were playing their game of attack and defense — Seldon trying hard to force a new reality, Hummin making no move to accept that new reality.
She sat there beaten, defeated, and seemed to have aged twenty years.
I’m too involved with my work to get a broken heart.
It sounds like a recipe for chaos.
Air travel, however common it might be on the Outworlds, was a luxury on Tranton.
How unlike you, Dors…
Each time I came across those gold coins, I felt inspired to dash to my desk and relentlessly polish my writing skills. If nothing else, this fact should motivate you to curl up in your favorite nook and dive into the world of sci-fi with Asimov together. If you are not a big fan of this genre or writing stories, Asimov may surprise you with his spirit of investigation he constantly calls upon over the course of the narration. Anyway, I strongly believe that you will find something interesting to yourself in it.