Prelude to Foundation

Prelude to Foundation is a 1988 novel by American author Isaac Asimov. It serves as one of two prequels to his Foundation series, and for the first time in the series, it details the fictional life of Hari Seldon, the creator of psychohistory. The book was a nominee for the Locus Award. Its sequel is *Forward the Foundation*.

The story takes place in the year 12,020 G.E., during the unstable rule of Emperor Cleon I. It begins with Seldon presenting a paper at a mathematics convention, outlining the theoretical possibility of predicting the future through psychohistory. When the Emperor learns of this, he wants to use Seldon for political advantage. In a meeting, Seldon insists he has not yet developed psychohistory and has no clear plan to do so, but Cleon remains unconvinced that Seldon is useless to the Empire.

Seldon then meets reporter Chetter Hummin, who warns him that Cleon’s first minister, Eto Demerzel, is trying to capture him. Hummin persuades Seldon to escape and work on making psychohistory practical. Hummin takes Seldon to Streeling University, where he introduces him to history professor Dors Venabili. Seldon theorizes that developing psychohistory requires a smaller sample than the entire Empire—possibly the original human homeworld, which is now lost along with much ancient history.

After a narrow escape from Streeling, Hummin arranges for Seldon and Venabili to hide in the reclusive Mycogen sector, which claims to value ancient history. They are welcomed by leader Sunmaster Fourteen. Seldon obtains the Mycogenians’ sacred book, but finds it disappointing except for mentions of their home planet, Aurora, and references to “robots” (unknown in the Empire). When Seldon disguises himself to enter the Mycogenian temple in hopes of interviewing a rumored robot, he and Venabili are caught and face execution, but Hummin rescues them at the last moment.

The action moves to the Dahl sector, where Seldon and Venabili rent rooms from a middle-class family. There they meet a street child named Raych, whom Seldon later adopts. An old woman tells them that Aurora is not the original human world but the enemy of the true home planet, Earth—a link to Asimov’s Robot series.

Toward the end, Seldon, Venabili, and Raych are kidnapped and taken to Rashelle, the mayor of Wye, a powerful sector at Trantor’s south pole.