Isaac Asimov
Creating the Foundation universe and the Three Laws of Robotics, shaping all of modern science fiction.
Biography
Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born American author and biochemistry professor who became one of the most prolific writers in history. Born in Petrovichi, Russia in 1920, he immigrated to the United States as a child. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books spanning nearly every category of the Dewey Decimal System. He is best known for his science fiction, particularly the Foundation series and his robot stories, which established the famous Three Laws of Robotics. His ability to explain complex scientific concepts to general audiences made him equally important as a science communicator and fiction writer.
Best Starting Book
Foundation
The novel that invented space opera as we know it β grand in scope but told through elegant, interconnected short stories.
Reading Order
Foundation
The start of his greatest series β psychohistory, the fall of empire, and the most influential sci-fi saga ever.
Foundation and Empire
Continues the saga with the unforgettable Mule β a figure no prediction could account for.
Second Foundation
Completes the original trilogy with a mind-bending twist about the hidden second Foundation.
I, Robot
Nine stories that defined how we think about artificial intelligence and robot ethics.
The Caves of Steel
A murder mystery on a future Earth β blends detective fiction with science fiction brilliantly.