Foundation
Foundation by Isaac Asimovby Isaac Asimov
Shares rank 63 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as an early classic that anticipated current AI and forecasting debates, with psychohistory at its core. Critics say it feels dated and the later sequels muddy the original.
Recommended as an early classic that anticipated current AI and forecasting debates, with psychohistory at its core. Critics say it feels dated and the later sequels muddy the original.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 64%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still very good today
“foundation series is still very good (probably because it's not really character-focused)”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin” “A must read for anyone who hasn’t read it.”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025” “I loved the Foundation series”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Feels stuffy and dated
“doesn't stop them feeling stuffy and dated now”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “they just didn’t hold up as well as I hoped”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Sequels and prequels muddle original
“Asimov pulled a Lucas and cluttered it with sequels and prequels that muddled it with connections to his robot novels”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “retcon the most interesting concepts of the original book as ruses, conspiracies, and lies”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Foundationby Isaac AsimovThis page | 7 | 4 | 64% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's amazing how much of the current macro discussion around AI capabilities is covered in the Foundation series”
“doesn't stop them feeling stuffy and dated now”
“Asimov pulled a Lucas and cluttered it with sequels and prequels that muddled it with connections to his robot novels”
“foundation series is still very good (probably because it's not really character-focused)”
“retcon the most interesting concepts of the original book as ruses, conspiracies, and lies”
“I loved the Foundation series”
“Isaac Asimov’s foundation series with what the “psychologists” aka Psychohistorians do”
“they just didn’t hold up as well as I hoped”
“I'm not sure the Foundation series holds up very well since chaos theory become established”
“A must read for anyone who hasn’t read it.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.