johnlog/books

Asimov: Forward the Foundation

A second prequel to the Foundation trilogy, and one of Asimov's last books. The story was not the strongest, but it made me reflect on passing time and impermanence.

SPOILERS This one made me sad. It follows the events in the first prequel. Every few chapters there is a time skip of around a decade. Hari is getting progressively older and loses the ability to do things he used to: fight, come up with new, radical ideas, and eventually even to walk. He does eventually come up with working Psychohistory. A few parts of the plot again felt retconned and unnecessary, like him becoming a first minister for some time. It was written just before Asimov's death, and he claimed Hari was his alter ego. In the end, Hari dies. At the same time as he ages, the Empire slowly decays and Trantor becomes more unruly. To me, it was a story of things withering away and impermanence, the fleeting nature of life. Definitely made me reflect, even though the story in the Foundation/Robots universe was not necessarily the strongest.