Description:
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before. That is, not in real life. He had seen it many times on the hyper-video, and occasionally in tremendous three-dimensional newscasts covering an Imperial Coronation or the opening of a Galactic Council. Even though he had lived all his life on the world of Synnax, which circled a star at the edges of the Blue Drift, he was not cut off from civilization, you see. At that time, no place in the Galaxy was.
There were nearly twenty-five million inhabited planets in the Galaxy then, and not one but owed allegiance to the Empire whose seat was on Trantor. It was the last half-century in which that could be said.
To Gaal, this trip was the undoubted climax of his young, scholarly life. He had been in space before so that the trip, as a voyage and nothing more, meant little to him. To be sure, he had traveled previously only as far as Synnax's only satellite in order to get the data on the mechanics of meteor driftage which he needed for his dissertation, but space-travel was all one whether one travelled half a million miles, or as many light years.
He had steeled himself just a little for the Jump through hyper-space, a phenomenon one did not experience in simple interplanetary trips. The Jump remained, and would probably remain forever, the only practical method of travelling between the stars. Travel through ordinary space could proceed at no rate more rapid than that of ordinary light (a bit of scientific knowledge that belonged among the items known since the forgotten dawn of human history), and that would have meant years of travel between even the nearest of inhabited systems. Through hyper-space, that unimaginable region that was neither space nor time, matter nor energy, something nor nothing, one could traverse the length of the Galaxy in the interval between two neighboring instants of time.
Gaal had waited for the first of those jumps with a little dread curled gently in his stomach, and it ended in nothing more than a trifling jar, a little internal kick which ceased an instant before he could be sure he had felt it. That was all.
And after that, there was only the ship, large and glistening; the cool production of 12,000 years of Imperial progress; and himself, with his doctorate in mathematics freshly obtained and an invitation from the great Hari Seldon to come to Trantor and join the vast and somewhat mysterious Seldon Project.
What Gaal was waiting for after the disappointment of the Jump was that first sight of Trantor. He haunted the View-room. The steel shutter-lids were rolled back at announced times and he was always there, watching the hard brilliance of the stars, enjoying the incredible hazy swarm of a star cluster, like a giant conglomeration of fireflies caught in mid-motion and stilled forever. At one time there was the cold, blue-white smoke of a gaseous nebula within five light years of the ship, spreading over the window like distant milk, filling the room with an icy tinge, and disappearing out of sight two hours later, after another Jump.
The first sight of Trantor's sun was that of a hard, white speck all but lost in a myriad such, and recognizable only because it was pointed out by the ship's guide. The stars were thick here near the Galactic center. But with each Jump, it shone more brightly, drowning out the rest, paling them and thinning them out.
An officer came through and said, "View-room will be closed for the remainder of the trip. Prepare for landing."
Gaal had followed after, clutching at the sleeve of the white uniform with the Spaceship-and-Sun of the Empire on it.
He said, "Would it be possible to let me stay? I would like to see Trantor."
The officer smiled and Gaal flushed a bit. It occurred to him that he spoke with a provincial accent.
The officer said, "We'll be landing on Trantor by morning."
"I mean I want to see it from Space."
"Oh. Sorry, my boy. If this were a space-yacht we might manage it. But we're spinning down, sun-side. You wouldn't want to be blinded, burnt, and radiation-scarred all at the same time, would you?"
Gaal started to walk away.
The officer called after him, "Trantor would only be a gray blur anyway, Kid. Why don't you take a space-tour once you hit Trantor. They're cheap."
Gaal looked back, "Thank you very much."
It was childish to feel disappointed, but childishness comes almost as naturally to a man as to a child, and there was a lump in Gaal's throat. He had never seen Trantor spread out in all its incredibility, as large as life, and he hadn't expected to have to wait longer.
2
The ship landed in a medley of noises. There was the far-off hiss of the atmosphere cutting and sliding past the metal of the ship. There was the steady drone of the conditioners fighting the heat of friction, and the slower rumble of the engines enforcing deceleration. There was the human sound of men and women gathering in the debarkation rooms and the grind of the hoists lifting baggage, mail, and freight to the long axis of the ship, from which they would be later moved along to the unloading platform.
Gaal felt the slight jar that indicated the ship no longer had an independent motion of its own. Ship's gravity had been giving way to planetary gravity for hours. Thousands of passengers had been sitting patiently in the debarkation rooms which swung easily on yielding force-fields to accommodate its orientation to the changing direction of the gravitational forces. Now they were crawling down curving ramps to the large, yawning locks.
Gaal's baggage was minor. He stood at a desk, as it was quickly and expertly taken apart and put together again. His visa was inspected and stamped. He himself paid no attention.
This was Trantor! The air seemed a little thicker here, the gravity a bit greater, than on his home planet of Synnax, but he would get used to that. He wondered if he would get used to immensity.
Debarkation Building was tremendous. The roof was almost lost in the heights. Gaal could almost imagine that clouds could form beneath its immensity. He could see no opposite wall; just men and desks and coverging floor till it faded out in haze.
The man at the desk was speaking again. He sounded annoyed. He said, "Move on, Dornick." He had to open the visa, look again, before he remembered the name.
Gaal said, "Where—where—"
The man at the desk jerked a thumb, "Taxis to the right and third left."
Gaal moved, seeing the glowing twists of air suspended high in nothingness and reading, "TAXIS TO ALL POINTS."
A figure detached itself from anonymity and stopped at the desk, as Gaal left. The man at the desk looked up and nodded briefly. The figure nodded in return and followed the young immigrant.
He was in time to hear Gaal's destination.
Gaal found himself hard against a railing.
The small sign said, "Supervisor." The man to whom the sign referred did not look up. He said, "Where to?"
Gaal wasn't sure, but even a few seconds hesitation meant men queuing in line behind him.
The Supervisor looked up, "Where to?"
Gaal's funds were low, but there was only this one night and then he would have a job. He tried to sound nonchalant: "A good hotel, please."
The Supervisor was unimpressed. "They're all good. Name one."
Gaal said, desperately, "The nearest one, please."
The Supervisor touched a button. A thin line of light formed along the floor, twisting among others which brightened and dimmed in different colors and shades. A ticket was shoved into Gaal's hands. It glowed faintly.
The Supervisor said, "One point twelve."
Gaal fumbled for the coins. He said, "Where do I go?"
"Follow the light. The ticket will keep glowing as long as you're pointed in the right direction."
Gaal looked up and began walking. There were hundreds creeping across the vast floor, following their individual trails, sifting and straining themselves through intersection points to arrive at their respective destinations.
His own trail ended. A man in glaring blue and yellow uniform, shining and new in unstainable plastotextile, reached for his two bags.
"Direct line to the Luxor," he said.
The man who followed Gaal heard that. He also heard Gaal say, "Fine," and watched him enter the blunt-nosed vehicle.
Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
This is a great series. I read it a number of years ago, got it for my hubby to read. He’s very intrigued after viewing the film series
5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than the TV series
I read this several times before I was twenty, and a couple of times since. I recently watched part of the Foundation series and thought it butchered the books. After rereading the books, I realized that the series butchered the books more egregiously than I thought, on multiple levels. If you have watched the series, read the books. I think you'll find that they relate a more logically constructed, integrated narrative than series. I think Asimov blundered by trying to extend the series later, but even those books didn't damage the brand as badly as the series.
4.0 out of 5 stars A master-class example of world-building
Asimov's "Foundation 3-Book Bundle" is a masterclass in sci-fi storytelling, weaving a galactic epic that transcends time and genre. The premise is ingenious: a dying Galactic Empire on the brink of a dark age, and a hidden Foundation tasked with preserving knowledge and guiding humanity's future. Asimov's masterful use of psychohistory, a science predicting the future based on mass emotions, adds a layer of intellectual intrigue that keeps you hooked.Beyond the grand sweep of history, the trilogy shines in its intimate character moments. The complex relationship between Hari Seldon, the Foundation's founder, and his successors is a study in leadership, ambition, and the burden of foresight. Each book throws fresh challenges at the Foundation, from political machinations to interstellar war, showcasing Asimov's brilliant world-building and captivating storytelling. This bundle is a must-read for anyone seeking a thought-provoking and thoroughly engrossing sci-fi adventure.
5.0 out of 5 stars Original and engaging
I have been working my way through the classics of the sci-fi genre. The Dune series and the Ender’s Game series are by far my favorites, and though I caught up with them only recently, they stand the test of time like few others! As a fan of good sci-fi world building and the. playing out of a societal question in that world. I would rank the Foundation series well below the other two offerings I mentioned. That said, it is well above many others in the genre. If you have seen the new TV series or are planning on watching it. This is one of those vary rare times where the movie is better than the book. But the movie is only that good because of the world building laid down by the book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
Well writtenEngaging
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for any sci fi enthusiast
The sheer breadth of vision is astounding, especially for a book written so many decades ago. This series is indeed the foundation of all space-faring sci fi that followed. As long as one accepts that there are some flaws such as relative lack of female characters, something the author obviously was aware of and tried to adjust over the trilogy, it’s a worthy read. The action takes place mainly in the form of dialogues between major characters, which makes it more of a philosophical novel than a standard sci fi action story. Getting through the third book is a bit of a slog but it does pick up so be patient. It’s well worth getting to the stunning conclusion of the trilogy. And for those who are watching the TV series, the trilogy is important to read so that the reader can understand how and why the TV show departed from the original story while maintaining some of its essential features. Galaxy, what a grand story!
5.0 out of 5 stars Too bad Apple TV didn’t follow the plot.
Asimov wrote fantastical twists and psychological interlude only to be diluted and infantilized by the Apple TV series. Long live the written word and its superiority over televised dribble.
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating plot
Asimov's foundation series is a brief, energetic, satisfying exploration of some really big ideas. Don't look for deep character development in his writing, but the action and development of the plot will keep you reading when you should be doing other things.
Simply the best
What can one say that hasn't already been said? Simply the greatest science fiction series ever written.
Good
Ok
Buen producto
Entrega y calidad de productos son buenos.
Très satisfait
Très satisfait
Buena presentación
Buena presentación
Visit the Del Rey Store
Foundation 3-Book Boxed Set: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation
AED26757
Quantity:
Order today to get by 7-14 business days
This item qualifies for free delivery
Imported From: United States
At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.
BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.
Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.
If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.
Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.
All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.
While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.
Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.
BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.
All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.
All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.
More from this brand
Similar items from “Hard Science Fiction”
Share with
Or share with link
https://www.bolo.ae/products/U0593499573
Visit the Del Rey Store
Foundation 3-Book Boxed Set: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation
AED26757
Quantity:
Order today to get by 7-14 business days
This item qualifies for free delivery
Imported From: United States
At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.
BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.
Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.
If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.
Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.
All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.
While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.
Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.
BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.
All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.
All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.
Description:
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before. That is, not in real life. He had seen it many times on the hyper-video, and occasionally in tremendous three-dimensional newscasts covering an Imperial Coronation or the opening of a Galactic Council. Even though he had lived all his life on the world of Synnax, which circled a star at the edges of the Blue Drift, he was not cut off from civilization, you see. At that time, no place in the Galaxy was.
There were nearly twenty-five million inhabited planets in the Galaxy then, and not one but owed allegiance to the Empire whose seat was on Trantor. It was the last half-century in which that could be said.
To Gaal, this trip was the undoubted climax of his young, scholarly life. He had been in space before so that the trip, as a voyage and nothing more, meant little to him. To be sure, he had traveled previously only as far as Synnax's only satellite in order to get the data on the mechanics of meteor driftage which he needed for his dissertation, but space-travel was all one whether one travelled half a million miles, or as many light years.
He had steeled himself just a little for the Jump through hyper-space, a phenomenon one did not experience in simple interplanetary trips. The Jump remained, and would probably remain forever, the only practical method of travelling between the stars. Travel through ordinary space could proceed at no rate more rapid than that of ordinary light (a bit of scientific knowledge that belonged among the items known since the forgotten dawn of human history), and that would have meant years of travel between even the nearest of inhabited systems. Through hyper-space, that unimaginable region that was neither space nor time, matter nor energy, something nor nothing, one could traverse the length of the Galaxy in the interval between two neighboring instants of time.
Gaal had waited for the first of those jumps with a little dread curled gently in his stomach, and it ended in nothing more than a trifling jar, a little internal kick which ceased an instant before he could be sure he had felt it. That was all.
And after that, there was only the ship, large and glistening; the cool production of 12,000 years of Imperial progress; and himself, with his doctorate in mathematics freshly obtained and an invitation from the great Hari Seldon to come to Trantor and join the vast and somewhat mysterious Seldon Project.
What Gaal was waiting for after the disappointment of the Jump was that first sight of Trantor. He haunted the View-room. The steel shutter-lids were rolled back at announced times and he was always there, watching the hard brilliance of the stars, enjoying the incredible hazy swarm of a star cluster, like a giant conglomeration of fireflies caught in mid-motion and stilled forever. At one time there was the cold, blue-white smoke of a gaseous nebula within five light years of the ship, spreading over the window like distant milk, filling the room with an icy tinge, and disappearing out of sight two hours later, after another Jump.
The first sight of Trantor's sun was that of a hard, white speck all but lost in a myriad such, and recognizable only because it was pointed out by the ship's guide. The stars were thick here near the Galactic center. But with each Jump, it shone more brightly, drowning out the rest, paling them and thinning them out.
An officer came through and said, "View-room will be closed for the remainder of the trip. Prepare for landing."
Gaal had followed after, clutching at the sleeve of the white uniform with the Spaceship-and-Sun of the Empire on it.
He said, "Would it be possible to let me stay? I would like to see Trantor."
The officer smiled and Gaal flushed a bit. It occurred to him that he spoke with a provincial accent.
The officer said, "We'll be landing on Trantor by morning."
"I mean I want to see it from Space."
"Oh. Sorry, my boy. If this were a space-yacht we might manage it. But we're spinning down, sun-side. You wouldn't want to be blinded, burnt, and radiation-scarred all at the same time, would you?"
Gaal started to walk away.
The officer called after him, "Trantor would only be a gray blur anyway, Kid. Why don't you take a space-tour once you hit Trantor. They're cheap."
Gaal looked back, "Thank you very much."
It was childish to feel disappointed, but childishness comes almost as naturally to a man as to a child, and there was a lump in Gaal's throat. He had never seen Trantor spread out in all its incredibility, as large as life, and he hadn't expected to have to wait longer.
2
The ship landed in a medley of noises. There was the far-off hiss of the atmosphere cutting and sliding past the metal of the ship. There was the steady drone of the conditioners fighting the heat of friction, and the slower rumble of the engines enforcing deceleration. There was the human sound of men and women gathering in the debarkation rooms and the grind of the hoists lifting baggage, mail, and freight to the long axis of the ship, from which they would be later moved along to the unloading platform.
Gaal felt the slight jar that indicated the ship no longer had an independent motion of its own. Ship's gravity had been giving way to planetary gravity for hours. Thousands of passengers had been sitting patiently in the debarkation rooms which swung easily on yielding force-fields to accommodate its orientation to the changing direction of the gravitational forces. Now they were crawling down curving ramps to the large, yawning locks.
Gaal's baggage was minor. He stood at a desk, as it was quickly and expertly taken apart and put together again. His visa was inspected and stamped. He himself paid no attention.
This was Trantor! The air seemed a little thicker here, the gravity a bit greater, than on his home planet of Synnax, but he would get used to that. He wondered if he would get used to immensity.
Debarkation Building was tremendous. The roof was almost lost in the heights. Gaal could almost imagine that clouds could form beneath its immensity. He could see no opposite wall; just men and desks and coverging floor till it faded out in haze.
The man at the desk was speaking again. He sounded annoyed. He said, "Move on, Dornick." He had to open the visa, look again, before he remembered the name.
Gaal said, "Where—where—"
The man at the desk jerked a thumb, "Taxis to the right and third left."
Gaal moved, seeing the glowing twists of air suspended high in nothingness and reading, "TAXIS TO ALL POINTS."
A figure detached itself from anonymity and stopped at the desk, as Gaal left. The man at the desk looked up and nodded briefly. The figure nodded in return and followed the young immigrant.
He was in time to hear Gaal's destination.
Gaal found himself hard against a railing.
The small sign said, "Supervisor." The man to whom the sign referred did not look up. He said, "Where to?"
Gaal wasn't sure, but even a few seconds hesitation meant men queuing in line behind him.
The Supervisor looked up, "Where to?"
Gaal's funds were low, but there was only this one night and then he would have a job. He tried to sound nonchalant: "A good hotel, please."
The Supervisor was unimpressed. "They're all good. Name one."
Gaal said, desperately, "The nearest one, please."
The Supervisor touched a button. A thin line of light formed along the floor, twisting among others which brightened and dimmed in different colors and shades. A ticket was shoved into Gaal's hands. It glowed faintly.
The Supervisor said, "One point twelve."
Gaal fumbled for the coins. He said, "Where do I go?"
"Follow the light. The ticket will keep glowing as long as you're pointed in the right direction."
Gaal looked up and began walking. There were hundreds creeping across the vast floor, following their individual trails, sifting and straining themselves through intersection points to arrive at their respective destinations.
His own trail ended. A man in glaring blue and yellow uniform, shining and new in unstainable plastotextile, reached for his two bags.
"Direct line to the Luxor," he said.
The man who followed Gaal heard that. He also heard Gaal say, "Fine," and watched him enter the blunt-nosed vehicle.
Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
This is a great series. I read it a number of years ago, got it for my hubby to read. He’s very intrigued after viewing the film series
5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than the TV series
I read this several times before I was twenty, and a couple of times since. I recently watched part of the Foundation series and thought it butchered the books. After rereading the books, I realized that the series butchered the books more egregiously than I thought, on multiple levels. If you have watched the series, read the books. I think you'll find that they relate a more logically constructed, integrated narrative than series. I think Asimov blundered by trying to extend the series later, but even those books didn't damage the brand as badly as the series.
4.0 out of 5 stars A master-class example of world-building
Asimov's "Foundation 3-Book Bundle" is a masterclass in sci-fi storytelling, weaving a galactic epic that transcends time and genre. The premise is ingenious: a dying Galactic Empire on the brink of a dark age, and a hidden Foundation tasked with preserving knowledge and guiding humanity's future. Asimov's masterful use of psychohistory, a science predicting the future based on mass emotions, adds a layer of intellectual intrigue that keeps you hooked.Beyond the grand sweep of history, the trilogy shines in its intimate character moments. The complex relationship between Hari Seldon, the Foundation's founder, and his successors is a study in leadership, ambition, and the burden of foresight. Each book throws fresh challenges at the Foundation, from political machinations to interstellar war, showcasing Asimov's brilliant world-building and captivating storytelling. This bundle is a must-read for anyone seeking a thought-provoking and thoroughly engrossing sci-fi adventure.
5.0 out of 5 stars Original and engaging
I have been working my way through the classics of the sci-fi genre. The Dune series and the Ender’s Game series are by far my favorites, and though I caught up with them only recently, they stand the test of time like few others! As a fan of good sci-fi world building and the. playing out of a societal question in that world. I would rank the Foundation series well below the other two offerings I mentioned. That said, it is well above many others in the genre. If you have seen the new TV series or are planning on watching it. This is one of those vary rare times where the movie is better than the book. But the movie is only that good because of the world building laid down by the book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
Well writtenEngaging
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for any sci fi enthusiast
The sheer breadth of vision is astounding, especially for a book written so many decades ago. This series is indeed the foundation of all space-faring sci fi that followed. As long as one accepts that there are some flaws such as relative lack of female characters, something the author obviously was aware of and tried to adjust over the trilogy, it’s a worthy read. The action takes place mainly in the form of dialogues between major characters, which makes it more of a philosophical novel than a standard sci fi action story. Getting through the third book is a bit of a slog but it does pick up so be patient. It’s well worth getting to the stunning conclusion of the trilogy. And for those who are watching the TV series, the trilogy is important to read so that the reader can understand how and why the TV show departed from the original story while maintaining some of its essential features. Galaxy, what a grand story!
5.0 out of 5 stars Too bad Apple TV didn’t follow the plot.
Asimov wrote fantastical twists and psychological interlude only to be diluted and infantilized by the Apple TV series. Long live the written word and its superiority over televised dribble.
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating plot
Asimov's foundation series is a brief, energetic, satisfying exploration of some really big ideas. Don't look for deep character development in his writing, but the action and development of the plot will keep you reading when you should be doing other things.
Simply the best
What can one say that hasn't already been said? Simply the greatest science fiction series ever written.
Good
Ok
Buen producto
Entrega y calidad de productos son buenos.
Très satisfait
Très satisfait
Buena presentación
Buena presentación
More from this brand
Similar items from “Hard Science Fiction”
Share with
Or share with link
https://www.bolo.ae/products/U0593499573