Prelude to Foundation vs The ship of Ishtar: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Life on other planets, Science Fiction, Fiction

Cover of Prelude to Foundation

Prelude to Foundation Isaac Asimov · 1988 ★★★★☆ 4.2 470 pages · ≈ 8 h 42 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of The ship of Ishtar

The ship of Ishtar A. Merritt · 1924 ★★★★☆ 3.6 309 pages · ≈ 5 h 43 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate Prelude to Foundation higher: 4.2 vs 3.6 from 98961 votes.
The ship of Ishtar is the quicker read — about 5 hours vs 8 for Prelude to Foundation.
Prelude to Foundation is the easier read (Moderate), The ship of Ishtar more demanding (Challenging).

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