[dbspin]

Having read all of Azimov - but only the Dark Forrest trilogy by Liu Cixin, I actually think they're more comparable than you suggest. Both are hard science fiction 'ideas men'. Fairly uncomfortable with deep characterisation or 'literary' writing. Capturing vast scopes of time and space in space operas that are somehow more charming and interesting than their broad scope and concept heavy setups have any right to be. Azimov is more of a well rounded intellectual - the man literally wrote hundreds of general knowledge and popular science books. And it shows in his depth of reference and context. Cixin seems more rooted (inevitably) in authoritarianism and historicism. These critiques are obviously subjective. I've greatly enjoyed the work of both, but Cixin has a long long way to go before he can demonstrate the longevity let alone influence of an Azimov. They do share one other thing in common though - the adaptations of their work have been enormously disappointing, arguably entirely missing the point of the original series.

Re: A hero's journey, hard disagree. There are numerous heroes in the original foundation series, and the later books have one very well drawn one - Golan Trevize, in addition to a host of memorable characters.