Greater Foundation Universe

The Robots & Foundation Universe have quite a complicated reading order, this is the last recorded order from Asimov himself.

This is Asimov’s suggested chronological reading order for all books in the Foundation Universe AKA the 14-15-16 order due to the ability to read 14, 15, or 16 books (The Stars Like Dust, The Currents of Space, and The Pebble in the Sky are the optional books). Also note: The End of Eternity was retroactively tied into the Foundation universe establishing the catalyst for the Robot & Foundation Universe to begin. This title can be read at the end.)

Please note: For first time reading it is highly recommended to read Prelude to Foundation & Forward the Foundation as the last two books, in publication order.

Asimov originally suggested reading the books in publication in order. However, in the 1980s he clarified the order. Please find the quote below:

“\[...\] the situation has become sufficiently complicated for me to feel that the readers might welcome a kind of guide to the series, since they were not written in the order in which (perhaps) they should be read.

The fourteen books \[...\] offer a kind of history of the future, which is, perhaps, not completely consistent, since I did not plan consistency to begin with. The chronological order of the books in terms of future history (and not of publication date) is as follows:

I, Robot \[ROBOTS\]

The Caves of Steel \[ROBOTS\]

The Naked Sun \[ROBOTS\]

The Robots of Dawn \[ROBOTS\]

Robots and Empire \[ROBOTS\]

The Currents of Space \[EMPIRE\]

The Stars, Like Dust-- \[EMPIRE\]

Pebble in the Sky \[EMPIRE\]

Prelude to Foundation \[FOUNDATION\]

\ Forward the Foundation \[FOUNDATION*\]

Foundation \[FOUNDATION\]

Foundation and Empire \[FOUNDATION\]

Second Foundation \[FOUNDATION\]

Foundation's Edge \[FOUNDATION\]

Foundation and Earth \[FOUNDATION\]

”