Where to start with Isaac Asimov: 7 award-recognized books
Isaac Asimov is best known for Foundation and his robot stories. The original Foundation books were honored with a special Hugo for best all-time series rather than in the novel category, so they are not listed here, but the later Foundation and Robot novels are.
If you read just one: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov, because it stands alone and is his most decorated novel.
Standalones
1. The Gods Themselves
Won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards (1973) ·
A free energy source from a parallel universe comes at a terrible cost.
2. The End of Eternity
Finalist for the Hugo Award (1956) ·
An organization outside time quietly edits history, until one of its technicians falls in love.
The Robot novels
3. The Robots of Dawn
Finalist for the Hugo and Locus Awards (1984) ·
Detective Elijah Baley and his robot partner investigate the destruction of a robot.
Good to know: Follows The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun.
4. Robots and Empire
Finalist for the Locus Award (1986) ·
Two robots shape humanity’s future, linking the Robot and Foundation stories.
The later Foundation novels
5. Foundation's Edge
Won the Hugo and Locus Awards; finalist for the Nebula Award (1983) ·
Centuries into the Foundation’s plan, a councilman goes looking for the hidden Second Foundation.
Good to know: Best after the original Foundation trilogy.
6. Foundation and Earth
Finalist for the Locus Award (1987) ·
The search continues, for humanity’s lost home world.
7. Prelude to Foundation
Finalist for the Locus Award (1989) ·
A young Hari Seldon, on the run on the capital world, begins to develop psychohistory.
How we chose
Every book in this guide won or was a finalist for at least one of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus or Arthur C. Clarke awards. Each book page lists its full award history with sources. Page counts come from English print editions and vary by edition. 7 books in all.