markk

Yesterday my friend surprised me by saying that he was ready to discuss Second Foundation, which I wasn't planning to read for another week. Needless to say, it became priority #1 and I powered through it in a matter of hours.

And after finishing the third book in the trilogy, I can see why it's such a widely beloved series. Asimov is describing events on an epic scale, with events playing out over centuries. What impressed me, though, was his success in developing distinct characters for each era that didn't feel like rehashes of the same archetypes he needed to play out the patterns he is describing.

It's also interesting to see how the series developed over time. As though he heard my complaint about his first book, female characters gradually emerge in prominence over the course of the series -- they still play like 1950s archetypes, but it's a start. Asimov also features more of the technology we come to expect in the future, so instead of it being an atomic-powered 1950 in outer space computers and other tech become more evident. But the series still shows its age, and I wouldn't be surprised if in another few decades you won't find new copies quite so commonplace anymore.