Man has always wanted to know what lies in future. To quench his thirst for knowledge of the coming days, he has taken many steps. From witch doctors of ancient era to the modern astrologers – all have made their living, thriving on man’s weakest point. But how often do you come across a science fiction writer writing about predicting the future? Isaac Asimov, the grandmaster of science fiction, did exactly the unlikely thing in his book “Prelude to Foundation” (1988), the 6th book of his famous “Foundation” series.
The story is set in a utopian future - 12020 G.E. (Galactic Era). Man is no longer confined to a tiny planet called Earth. They have spread so far across the universe that they consider Earth as a myth. The galaxy is run by Emperor Klion, the last successor of Anton Dynasty. The humans seem to have it all. They have tamed the nature, manipulated it according to their will. They have covered their capital planet, Trantor, entirely with metal - are living inside in a suitable weather all year round. The streets are shiny, people are covered in lush dresses, live in luxurious apartments – but beneath all the glitters, there is a grave sign of decay. The human race is heading towards anarchy. But only the rulers are aware of the fact.
At this fateful moment, Harry Seldon, a young unknown scientist of an unimportant planet named Halicon, arrives in Trantor. He has come to attend the Math Conference, which is held every ten years. In this decaying era of science, he proposes his “Psycho-history” – Science of Prediction. He claims that hypothetically it is possible to predict future. He attracts a lot of attention, and before even realizing he finds himself in the middle of a tug of war. Soon he is seen running from Eto Demerzel, the Chief-of- staff of the empire. He befriends Chatter Humin, a mysterious fellow. Harry isn’t sure of Humin’s intentions, but he has no one else to trust. So he and Humin start running from the empire, entering deeper into the complex social structures of Trantor.
On his epic journey, he comes across with Dorse Venabili, a mysterious woman, who seems to have some special abilities. Soon Humin left Harry and Dorse, as he had some important matters to handle. Harry in his quest to materialize Psycho-history seems to be getting himself into a series of troubles. No matter where Humin puts him, something weird seems to happen, forcing Harry to run again.
Trantor is consisting of “Sectors” which are autonomous. Of course they are loyal to the emperor, but they have their own customs and rules. They are not bound to obey emperor’s every order. Harry first visited the “University Sector”. As the name suggests the whole sector is a university. But a simple journey to the outer surface goes awry, as Harry gets separated from his team, and finds himself being chased by an unknown vehicle. Soon he is rescued, but Humin suspects they are no longer safe there. So they leave the sector, and go to “Micogen” - a sector famous for its food made from fungus. Micogen is rather different as it is a closed male-dominated society, with its weirder customs. Harry soon runs into trouble by sneaking into their holy place in order to gather information. But Humin saves him somehow.
They again hit the road, and arrive in “Dahl” sector. Now Dahl is a deprived sector; most of its inhabitants are poor. As a result, crime rate is very high there. This time Harry gets in trouble with some punks in the street. Thanks to Dorse, no damage is done. But soon they encounter the Imperial Guards. They were able to flee eventually, but a wrong calculation gets them in the hands of the Mayor of the “Owi” sector. This sector is known to be anti-imperial. Harry’s mysterious and powerful friend Humin saves him at last. But to know how, one has to go through the book.
Throughout his journey Harry gets closer and closer to discover the basics of Psycho-history. By observing the complex social structures of these sectors, he begins to understand the principles of his own theory. He finds that he cannot predict the future of a single human being, but he can, to some extent, predict the future of a group of humans.
Throughout the book Asimov never took sides. He never said that faction is good and this faction is bad. He just presented them as people with different views and ambitions. Of course, something they all had in common – their thirst for power. The characters are well developed. The main protagonist, Harry, is presented in a perfect way and very believable. Dorse and Humin are a bit mysterious; but the reader will find at the end - it was necessary to keep them in that way. The Emperor is not evil; he just wants to sustain his empire. But he is largely influenced by his Chief-of-staff, Eto Demerzel. And the side characters like Sunmaster 14, two sisters of Micogen sector, the heat sinkers of Dahl, Mayor of Owi, and of course Raul - are quite developed as well.
The book is interesting to read; it just compels you to go on reading. It’s full of unpredictable twists and turns. And the greatest twist of them all; I assure you, I didn’t see that coming – neither will you. It is labeled science fiction just because the story is set on a far away future. Except that you won’t find a lot of technical details about how the spaceship works, or how that weapon can blow off someone’s head. So even people who doesn’t like sci-fi, will find it interesting. It’s more of a sociologic approach on human race in a futuristic setting. So if you are looking for a good book, or just planning to start reading sci-fi, I recommend this book to you. You won’t be disappointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment