Tolkien and Asimov

[drigel]

Read Asimov as a teen and again as an adult. Though I think that he is 'one of the greats,' I now see Asimov's stories, especially the Foundation series, as simplistic. Don't see Tolkien's works like that, and am not sure if it's due to the writing, content, or that one is science fiction in the future and the other is fantasy in the past. Asimov's stories always are pasteurized, and everything just seems to work out just so in the end. Does anyone know of an example of a Boromir-like character death in the Foundation series?

Good points. I suppose the Mule would = Sauron/Morgoth eh? Paseurized is a good term to use. Makes for less emotional dramatic reading I suppose (esp when comparing to current works of SF), but I just wonder if we will ever make it to that Asimov universe with all that conflict, drama and angst - that stuff usually gets in the way of progress, doesnt it?

I do like the Mandopsycho-history thing ..