Prelude to Foundation

Set in the year 12,020 G.E., "Prelude to Foundation" plunges readers into the sprawling, technologically advanced, yet politically volatile capital of the Galactic Empire, Trantor. Emperor Cleon I reigns uneasily, sensing the Empire's slow decay but powerless to stop it. Into this complex world arrives Hari Seldon, a brilliant young mathematician from the Outer Worlds, summoned to present his groundbreaking paper on psychohistory—a theoretical means of predicting the future on a galactic scale. His revolutionary concept, initially dismissed, soon captures the attention of both the Emperor and powerful, clandestine forces who see in it a tool for their own agendas, or a threat to be neutralized. Hunted and harried across Trantor's diverse sectors, Seldon is forced to refine his nascent theory, encountering a myriad of cultures and philosophies that shape his understanding of humanity and the very nature of his work. This novel chronicles his perilous journey from a naive academic to the visionary who will eventually lay the groundwork for the Foundation, a last hope for civilization amidst the coming collapse.