Prelude to Foundation is a great look at Hari Seldon, the Founder of the Foundation. If you didn't particularly enjoy the Foundation series, you may as well stop reading now. I doubt you'll care for this book. But if you loved the Foundation series, it's probably on the must-read list. At least be familiar with some of Asimov's other work before reading this novel. You may or may not want to have read the Foundation series first, but this one also makes reference to parts of the Robots and Empire series, so a little background is helpful.

Prelude to Foundation covers the early days of Seldon's development of psychohistory. He isn't even sure, for much of the book, that it will be practical to develop.

However, Emperor Cleon I has heard of psychohistory, as have some of his enemies, and Seldon goes into hiding rather than be forced to develop psychohistory to their specifications. He travels through a variety of societies existing on Trantor.

Some of the problems being faced by the various societies are not so different from today. There's intolerance, both by outsiders and of outsiders. There's crime.

Seldon at this point in his life is rather naive. Brilliant in his area, but he really doesn't understand the rest of the world... err, universe, well enough to keep out of trouble.

If you enjoy Asimov, this is a book you will enjoy reading and rereading. It will also drag you into rereading any of the Foundation or Robots and Empire books you haven't read in a while, just to refresh your memory.