Janov Pelorat is a character in the
Foundation SeriesThe Foundation Series is an epic science fiction series by Isaac Asimov which covers a span of about 500 years. It consists of seven volumes that are closely linked to each other, although they can be read separately...
of books by
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov , was an American author and professor of biochemistry, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books...
. The two books in which he appears are
Foundation's EdgeFoundation's Edge is a novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. It was written thirty years after the Foundation trilogy, in 1982, due to pressure by fans on Asimov to write another, and, according to Asimov himself, the amount of the payment offered by the publisher...
and
Foundation and EarthFoundation and Earth is a Locus Award nominated science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, the fifth novel of the Foundation series and chronologically the last in the series...
.
Pelorat is a professor of ancient history who has spent his entire life on his obsession of finding
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
, the mythical planet of human origin. He has a particular interest in myths and folklore. Janov's interest in Earth began when, at age fifteen during some indisposition, he was gifted with a book of legends about the origin of humanity.
Janov Pelorat is a character in the
Foundation SeriesThe Foundation Series is an epic science fiction series by Isaac Asimov which covers a span of about 500 years. It consists of seven volumes that are closely linked to each other, although they can be read separately...
of books by
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov , was an American author and professor of biochemistry, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books...
. The two books in which he appears are
Foundation's EdgeFoundation's Edge is a novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. It was written thirty years after the Foundation trilogy, in 1982, due to pressure by fans on Asimov to write another, and, according to Asimov himself, the amount of the payment offered by the publisher...
and
Foundation and EarthFoundation and Earth is a Locus Award nominated science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, the fifth novel of the Foundation series and chronologically the last in the series...
.
Pelorat is a professor of ancient history who has spent his entire life on his obsession of finding
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
, the mythical planet of human origin. He has a particular interest in myths and folklore. Janov's interest in Earth began when, at age fifteen during some indisposition, he was gifted with a book of legends about the origin of humanity. On
TerminusTerminus is a fictional planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, home of the Foundation .-Galactography:Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star...
, Janov has collected a massive amount of data regarding the Origin Question, and is Terminus' foremost expert regarding Earth.
Janov Pelorat first appears in
Foundation's Edge. He is described as white-haired, of average height and weight, and moves without haste and speaks with deliberation. He is 52 years of age but appears considerably older.
Unusual for a historian of the futuristic society he belongs to, at the time he is first mentioned, he has never left the planet Terminus. Therefore, in addition to the resources available to him from the Terminus University Library, he makes use of interlibrary loans. Such loans can make use of "hyper-radiational signals", which are not described in the stories but appear to refer to a method of transmitting information over vast distances at speeds faster than light.
When he is first described, he is beginning his first sabbatical and hoping to travel off planet for the first time. His goal is the planet
TrantorTrantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy...
, which was capital of the First
Galactic EmpireGalactic empires are a common trope used in science fiction and science fantasy, particularly in space opera. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background, or written about the growth or decline of such an empire. The capital of a galactic empire is frequently a core world...
and the home of the Galactic Library (also known as the Library of Trantor, the Imperial Library, and the University of Trantor Library), which during the heights of the First Galactic Empire was the largest repository of reference material in the galaxy. No member of the Foundation has been to Trantor in 120 years.
In the beginning of
Foundation's Edge the Mayor of the Foundation notices Pelorat's existence for the first time and promises him that she will arrange for him to travel to Trantor. The Mayor informs him that he will travel to Trantor with the exiled councilman
Golan TrevizeGolan Trevize is a fictional character, a major figure in two books in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series: Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth...
.
Upon leaving
TerminusTerminus is a fictional planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, home of the Foundation .-Galactography:Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star...
on the small space ship
Far Star, he and
Golan TrevizeGolan Trevize is a fictional character, a major figure in two books in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series: Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth...
begin their search for Earth. With only the two of them on board, Golan Trevize informs Pelorat that, as pilot and the person in control of the ship, he has decided they will not to go to Trantor but instead to seek out Earth directly with the information they already have.
Instead of finding Earth, by way of the planet
SayshellSayshell is a planet in Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov. At the time of the novel, it was capital of the 86 worlds in the Sayshell Union. During Imperial times, it had been capital of the Sayshell Sector...
, they find Gaia, a world which has developed a group consciousness, and is rumored to have destroyed any ships that have been sent to it. While on Gaia, Janov falls in love with a member of Gaia,
Bliss- Character :Blissenobiarella, known informally as Bliss, is a character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. She is from planet Gaia, and she appears in the novels Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth....
. It is these three characters, Golan, Janov, and Bliss, with the addition of Fallom that continue the search for Earth in
Foundation and EarthFoundation and Earth is a Locus Award nominated science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, the fifth novel of the Foundation series and chronologically the last in the series...
.