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Foundation

Isaac Asimov · 1951 · Novel

Explore this on the mapTrace its ancestors and descendants live in the tree.

It originated 'psychohistory,' a statistical science to predict the future of civilizations, defining a new approach to galactic empire narratives.

What it is

This novel introduces 'psychohistory,' a predictive science that can forecast the future of large populations, used to guide a galactic empire through its inevitable decline. It explores grand-scale societal engineering and future history.

↓Passed on to(11)

The Space Merchants· 1953↓ open

Asimov's grand narrative of societal decline and control within a galactic empire influenced 'The Space Merchants' by providing a template for large-scale societal critique, focusing on corporate control and consumerism as drivers of a dystopian future.

Dune· 1965↓ open

Herbert's 'Dune' is often seen as a response to and evolution of the galactic empire narrative, exploring complex societal and political forces on a grand scale, similar to Asimov's 'Foundation'.

Schismatrix· 1985↓ open

Sterling's 'Schismatrix' explores grand-scale societal evolution and ideological conflict across vast stretches of time and space, building on the future history and societal engineering concepts of 'Foundation'.

Consider Phlebas (Culture series)· 1987↓ open

Banks's Culture is a highly engineered, AI-governed society, building on the ideas of grand-scale societal planning and galactic empires from Foundation.

Banks's 'Culture' series explores the nature of vast, post-scarcity galactic civilizations and their long-term societal implications, evolving concepts of grand-scale societal engineering found in 'Foundation'.

A Fire Upon the Deep· 1992↓ open

Vinge's 'A Fire Upon the Deep' explores the dynamics of grand-scale galactic civilizations and their evolution, building on the conceptual groundwork laid by Asimov's 'Foundation'.

Babylon 5· 1993↓ open

The long-term narrative arcs, prophecies, and themes of societal decay and rebirth echo Asimov's epic.

The Three-Body Problem· 2008↓ open

Liu Cixin's 'cosmic sociology' can be seen as a philosophical response to and evolution of Asimov's 'psychohistory', attempting to predict the behavior of civilizations on a galactic scale.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant· 2015↓ open

The focus on long-term societal manipulation, economic control, and the inevitable fall and rise of power structures aligns with Asimov's themes.

A Memory Called Empire· 2019↓ open

Martine's 'A Memory Called Empire' revitalizes the galactic empire narrative, focusing on political intrigue and the dynamics of vast civilizations, a direct lineage from Asimov's 'Foundation'.

Foundation· 2021↓ open

As a direct adaptation, the 'Foundation' TV series is fundamentally influenced by Isaac Asimov's original novels, bringing its concepts of psychohistory and galactic empire to a visual medium.

Foundation (TV series)· 2021↓ open

A direct adaptation that expands upon and visually realizes the world and complex themes of Asimov's original novels.

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