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Cover of Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Prelude to Foundation: Audiobook

Book 6 of the Foundation series · see all 7 in reading order

The Prelude to Foundation audiobook runs an estimated 13 hours (about 8.7 hours at 1.5× playback speed).

13est. listening hrs
3.8★13 ratings
Science Fictiongenre
Free for new listeners

The instrumentWhen will you finish it?

Based on 13 hours of listening (estimated).

Days to finish Prelude to Foundation at common listening paces
Your paceYou'll finish in
30 min / day26 days
1 hour / day13 days
2 hours / day7 days
1 hour / day at 1.5×9 days

What our data says

  • At 13 hours (estimated), it runs longer than 76% of the science fiction audiobooks we measured.
  • That's 24% longer than the average science fiction audiobook (10.5 hrs across 820 titles in our dataset).

Computed from science fiction audiobooks in The Books Insider dataset (build ); listening time estimated from page count. Methodology.

Who is this for?

Best for science fiction listeners who want a historical setting: a solid week of commutes at 13 hours (estimated).

About the book

The first of two prequel novels in Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION It is the year 12,020 G.E. and Emperor Cleon I sits uneasily on the Imperial throne of Trantor. Here in the great multidomed capital of the Galactic Empire, forty billion people have created a civilization of unimaginable technological and cultural complexity. Yet Cleon knows there are those who would see him fall—those whom he would destroy if only he could read the future. Hari Seldon has come to Trantor to deliver his paper on psychohistory, his remarkable theory of prediction. Little does the young Outworld mathematician know that he has already sealed his fate and the fate of humanity. For Hari possesses the prophetic power that makes him the most wanted man in the Empire . . .

How to listen to Prelude to Foundation free

New members at audiobooks.com get three free audiobooks with the trial.

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Questions listeners ask

How long is the Prelude to Foundation audiobook?

Prelude to Foundation runs about 13 hours, our estimate from its 440 pages at a typical narration pace. At 1.5× speed that drops to roughly 8.7 hours.

Is the Prelude to Foundation audiobook free?

Yes, for new listeners: the trial starts you with three free audiobooks.

Is Prelude to Foundation worth listening to at 1.5× speed?

At 1.5× you'd finish in about 8.7 hours, saving 4.3 hours. Most listeners adjust to 1.25–1.5× within a chapter or two.

When was Prelude to Foundation first published?

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov was first published in 1988.