Other Worlds, Times, and Places: Isaac Asimov


Dr. Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920? – April 6, 1992


First Published Novel: Pebble in the Sky, published 1950.
Last Novel: Forward the Foundation 1993

Isaac Asimov is truly one of the greats in Science Fiction. With nearly 500 books and countless short stories he has influenced many of todays best writers. His best known works are the foundation and robot series, which were later tied together into a single universe.

A Fusion of Universes

Originally the Foundation, Galactic Empire, and Robot Novels were completely separate story lines. However, somewhere around 1985/1986 Dr. Asimov decided to meld them into a single coherent 'history'. The order in which these books should be read is debatable. To follow the course of events the chronological order is probably best, however some of the later published stories contain spoilers for the earlier published works. To follow the development of ideas and writing, the publication order is probably best.

The "Greater Foundation" Series (Foundation Universe Chronological Order)
1. The Complete Robot (1982) (Robot Collection)
2. The Caves of Steel (1954) (Robot Novel Series)
3. The Naked Sun (1957) (Robot Novel Series)
4. The Robots of Dawn (1983) (Robot Novel Series)
5. Robots and Empire (1985) (Robot Novel Series)
6. The Stars, Like Dust (1951) (Galactic Empire Series)
7. The Currents of Space(1952) (Galactic Empire Series)
8. Pebble in the Sky (1950) (Galactic Empire Series)
9. Prelude to Foundation (1988) (Foundation Series)
9a. Forward the Foundation (1993) (Foundation Series)
9b. Foundation's Fear (1997) by Gregory Benford. (Second Foundation Trilogy)
9c. Foundation and Chaos (1998) by Greg Bear. (Second Foundation Trilogy)
9d. Foundation's Triumph (1999) by David Brin. (Second Foundation Trilogy)
10. Foundation (1951)(Foundation Series - First Foundation Trilogy)
11. Foundation and Empire (1952) (Foundation Series - First Foundation Trilogy)
12. Second Foundation (1953)
13. Foundation's Edge (1982) (Foundation Series)
14. Foundation and Earth (1986) (Foundation Series)