Asimov was a biochemistry professor for most of his life, though he did so well with his science fiction writing that eventually he turned to writing full time.

Asimov was an extremely prolific writer, publishing hundreds of books during his lifetime. But this guy wasn't just about quantity, he was also about quality—he quickly established himself as one of the most important science fiction writers of all time.

Foundation (1951)

This is the work for which Asimov is most famous. It's the first novel in the Foundation series, and it focuses on the scientist Hari Seldon, who develops a science called "psychohistory" that can predict pretty accurately when the end of civilization will come about. Spooky.

The series then goes on to tell the stories of the various "foundations" that are established by Seldon and others to avert the end of civilization. In these novels, the heroes engage in lots of complicated scientific work. Oh, and zip across galaxies.

"The Last Question" (1956)

Asimov's short story focuses on computers called Multivacs. Humans in the future are pretty worried about the end of the world, and they hope that the Multivacs can help them answer the question of how to avert that destruction.

In this story we'll find the characteristic sci-fi emphasis on the relationship between people and technology. Back in the 1950s, when the story was first published, "The Last Question" was already suggesting how important computers would become in people's lives. And given that we're practically attached by the hip (or by the palm of our hands?) to our computers nowadays, Asimov clearly was onto the right track in this story.

Chew On This

We've mentioned that Sci-fi writers are obsessed with time. See how this theme plays out in Asimov's Foundation here.

Asimov, like his sci-fi writer buddies, was really into technology. He was already writing about computers way back in the 1950s. Check out his short story, "The Last Question," which focuses on computers, here.