The year is 12,020 G.E. and Emperor Cleon I sits on the imperial throne of a vast galactic empire spanning over 25 million worlds spread all over the galaxy. A young Hari Seldon has come to Trantor, the great muli-domed capital of the Empire, to deliver a seemingly innocuous paper on his fledling theory of psychohistory. Little does he know that his revelation will set of a chain of events that will eventually change the course of galactic history.

Seldon's theory attracts the attention of Cleon I as well as his First Minister, Eto Demerzel. Seldon becomes caught in a struggle between various parties who wish to exploit his theory to serve their own political ends. With help from a friendly journalist, Seldon flees his pursuers and embarks upon a great adventure through Trantor. The novel vividly describes Seldon's travels through the great capital, as he attempts to evade his captors and work out the details of his grand theory in hopes of ultimately saving the empire.

The novel really shines through Asimov's description of the eclectic environment of Trantor. It is a world inhabited by over 40 billion people and contained within a network of dome structures, which shields its occupants from the planet's environment. Each region of Trantor has its own distinct customs and social demographics, offering a truly intriguing backdrop for this splendid story. It is also interesting to note that the story is set so far into the future that the existence of a planet Earth where all humanity once lived is considered to be just a crazy legend. That should give you an idea of how far removed Asimov's universe is from our present day.

My perceptions of this novel probably differ from many readers, considering that this was the first Foundation novel that I had read. The original Foundation trilogy was published in the early 50's, while this particular novel came rather late in Asimov's career. So, most readers probably would have read the original trilogy, before having read the prequel.

I found the novel to be fascinating and a great introduction to the Foundation universe. The story moved along very quickly and really keeps you reading to see what happens next. The plot twist at the end with Eto Demerzel was also a nice touch.

This book was well received by fans of the original Foundation series as well as the science-fiction community in general and it is easy to see why. If you have read the original series, you will absolutely love this book and if you are new to the whole series like myself, do yourself a favor and start with this one. You won't regret it!