The plot should be familiar to most science fiction fans by now. The story is set some 30,000 years in the future where mankind has colonized the galaxy and created a great Empire. However, after many millenia, the empire has grown too massive and is collapsing under it's own weight. One man forsees the collapse and the empire's eventual decay into a state of anarchy and barbarianism that will ravage the galaxy for 30,000 years. This man is Hari Seldon, the creator of psychohistory, which will be mankind's salvation and the guiding force to a new and stronger second Empire. Psychohistory is described as a mathematical theory which allows for statistical predictions of human behavior on the galactic scale.

To accomplish this, Seldon sets up two 'Foundations' at opposite ends of the galaxy to serve as the pillars of the eventual second Empire that will arise from the ashes of the first after a mere 1000 years, instead of the 30,000 that it would take without them.

Foundation opens during the final years of Seldon's life, where he finds himself on trial for treason by the Imperial government on Trantor. Seldon ultimately escapes conviction and uses the trial to force the relocation of the Foundation's scientists to Terminus, where they will establish the 'First Foundation'. Ironically, after this point, Seldon only appears holographically to the 'First Foundationers' at critical times in there history.

The rest of the novel deals with the first two centuries of the Foundation's existence. They find themselves on a fringe world with the barest of natural resources, completely cut off from the empire and at the prey of their immediate neigbhors who seek their superior technology. Through the insight of several key political figures, the Foundation is able to take control of the region through economic and political maneuvering.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the book when I first read it, but after having read through the rest of the series, I would have to say that it served its purpose in setting up the events for the later Foundation novels. This books is clearly the weakest of the series, but is essential in providing the background information necessary to appreciate the Foundation's future accomplishments.

There's nothing terribly exciting about the story. Asimov's Foundation universe is completely dominated by humans, lacking any interesting alien species. There is very little interesting technology to boot. The book is ultimately a political thriller set in a futuristic setting, which makes sense considering that Asimov intended it to be a pardigm for the fall of the Roman empire.

It isn't quite fair to judge this book on its own as it is part of a series that is tied together by a common theme. I can't imagine anyone just reading this book without reading the others. The rest of the series more then makes up for this initial offering.

Also, it may help if you read the prequels first, as they give you more background of Seldon's early years and his creation of psychohistory. It does detract some from the mystique that surround's Seldon in the rest of the series, but the additional information you gain from them offsets this. Despite my lukewarm feelings towards this book, I definitely consider it along with the rest of the series to be a 'must-read' for any true science fiction fan.