Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Easton Press (1988), 510 pages
Description
The Foundation, established after the Old Empire gives way to barbarism, fights against a mutant strain called the Mule and tries to get rid of the Second Foundation after learning it will inherit a future Empire.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
For years I had this novel on my shelf, but never read it. I suppose I was put off by the fact that was a supposedly ground-breaking work of science fiction and I lack patience with most of that kind of work. But now I’m glad I read it and found out that while ground-breaking it certainly is, it
The story is told in chunks, not in detail. Only the seminal events of the 100 years or so it covers are portrayed. That’s what gave it life and momentum. If the author had tried to go into detail, it would have choked on itself within 10 pages. Instead, Asimov gives us the bare bones of the story and lets things take shape in our minds. It works.
Some observations;
The work is filled with that joyous and hopeful technical optimism that permeated the late 40s and stayed through the 50s. Where our achievements in science seemed lofty and worthwhile and would be the saving of mankind. The atomic bomb had recently been dropped and a war ended. That war produced more technological advancements than in probably any other age in history. Our optimism was unbounded and our future bright. The promise of Atomic energy was huge. The fears this power brought were pushed to one side and apparently, in Asimov’s future, they have been dealt with and conquered.
Here, atomic power separates the barbarian from the civilized. It is the means of domination and separation of powers. One of the early leaders of the planet on which the Foundation is housed couched its existence and handling in the mystique of religion. Thereby he kept it strictly controlled and mythologized. Only priests trained by the state were allowed any knowledge of atomic power and were the only ones permitted to handle it. At first this strategy worked and atomic power was not something produced by science, but by priests adept in magic. Clever.
Another thing is the complete lack of female characters in any other role except a shrewish and domineering wife. My generation is used to seeing the future concept filled with women at every level of society. Commanders. Ambassadors. Queens. Captains. The future didn’t have discrimination or bias against women. But here in Foundation, we see it still. The concept of a woman having as much aptitude for command or science as a man seems like it was foreign to Asimov. Women were for decoration and breeding and housework, not for statecraft. Somehow it made for a less than realistic future for me, with only men in control.
Another thing that struck me was the dichotomy in technology we have presented here. Atomic power is all. It is the ultimate. It not only powers starships and creates electricity, but also personal shields like body armor and mundane household items like washing machines and knives that never need sharpening. Atomic power can be wielded like a bat and applied to the personal as well as the civic. But it seems so anachronistic. As a person growing up knowing the limitations and failings of atomic power, this future seems klunky and backwards.
Not helping was the fact that despite “sub-ether” transmission, these people still relied on newspapers (a late edition in fact) for information. Asimov’s immense imagination didn’t encompass the computer or the computer network, which seems so much a part of science fiction to me. While ships and offices had televisors with which to view messages, they still had pneumatic tubes and capsules which were used to send and receive messages. These same had “sub-ether” communications, but somehow only messages delivered in person mattered. Good thing they had “hyperspace”.
Which leads me to another observation; are these the first instances of these terms? Did Asimov make them up and create their meanings? If so, he’s authored a lot of the lexicon we take for granted. I first heard “sub-ether” in the Hitchhiker’s guide. Same as Encyclopedia Galactica - both terms I thought sprung from the head of Adams not Asimov. And hyperspace is a Star Wars term to me (the Millennium Falcon just couldn’t manage the jump all the time), although it appears here in this book. There are probably others that I didn’t catch so ingrained in my consciousness as part of future speak. I’m awed by his imagination if he did invent these terms and concepts.
To me the overall theme of this book is the futility of trying to change the course of events. That humans will arrange and govern themselves in endlessly repeating patterns. A loop we cannot change or escape. So events within this loop must be dealt with and predicted. Hari Seldon does not try to change the future, but tries to lessen the impact of what he knows will occur. In many ways he uses what he knows to be inevitable to shape the work of the Foundation. He builds in these inevitabilities to work for him and his goals and not against him and his goals. The “science” of psychohistory reminds me in a way of the mathematical principle Crichton described as Chaos theory. The predictability of events in a complex system.
There was one phrase with which the leader of a planet described himself. He was the king in all things except in name. An emperor. A tyrannical leader. He styled himself the first among citizens. This reminded me of Sulla and Gaius Marius and, to some extent, Julius Caesar who all styled themselves as the First Man in Rome. The first among equals, which we know is no such thing at all. It’s the work of spin doctors.
The idea of manifest destiny is also apparent in this novel. The idea that the galaxy, even the entire universe is ours by right is stamped all over this story. The idea that the collective knowledge of the human race is worth preserving, and preserving at such by such extreme measures is interesting and arrogant. The Foundation was designed for this purpose. This is its only purpose. I’m sure that there are some things worth keeping that we have discovered or created, but all of it? Everything? Thumbtacks? Is that necessary? Fluffy toilet covers? Is that worth keeping? How about the idea of manifest destiny itself? Now it’s an idea that is very out of fashion. It’s in many ways a deplorable philosophy that crushes other species and other human’s rights in its quest for “god-ordained” domination.
Finally, nowhere in it are there other life forms. I can’t recall many novels of this type or stories of this type without non-human sentient beings. I realize that it’s a novel of a human empire, but it’s kind of telling that there is no interference from other species. In tales of the drive to populate the west and expand the US we have Indians to deal with. But in this tale, humans are untroubled by other species. Perhaps there are no other life forms because we have wiped them out.
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didn’t try my patience. This review is only for Foundation, not the others in the trilogy which are yet unread by me.The story is told in chunks, not in detail. Only the seminal events of the 100 years or so it covers are portrayed. That’s what gave it life and momentum. If the author had tried to go into detail, it would have choked on itself within 10 pages. Instead, Asimov gives us the bare bones of the story and lets things take shape in our minds. It works.
Some observations;
The work is filled with that joyous and hopeful technical optimism that permeated the late 40s and stayed through the 50s. Where our achievements in science seemed lofty and worthwhile and would be the saving of mankind. The atomic bomb had recently been dropped and a war ended. That war produced more technological advancements than in probably any other age in history. Our optimism was unbounded and our future bright. The promise of Atomic energy was huge. The fears this power brought were pushed to one side and apparently, in Asimov’s future, they have been dealt with and conquered.
Here, atomic power separates the barbarian from the civilized. It is the means of domination and separation of powers. One of the early leaders of the planet on which the Foundation is housed couched its existence and handling in the mystique of religion. Thereby he kept it strictly controlled and mythologized. Only priests trained by the state were allowed any knowledge of atomic power and were the only ones permitted to handle it. At first this strategy worked and atomic power was not something produced by science, but by priests adept in magic. Clever.
Another thing is the complete lack of female characters in any other role except a shrewish and domineering wife. My generation is used to seeing the future concept filled with women at every level of society. Commanders. Ambassadors. Queens. Captains. The future didn’t have discrimination or bias against women. But here in Foundation, we see it still. The concept of a woman having as much aptitude for command or science as a man seems like it was foreign to Asimov. Women were for decoration and breeding and housework, not for statecraft. Somehow it made for a less than realistic future for me, with only men in control.
Another thing that struck me was the dichotomy in technology we have presented here. Atomic power is all. It is the ultimate. It not only powers starships and creates electricity, but also personal shields like body armor and mundane household items like washing machines and knives that never need sharpening. Atomic power can be wielded like a bat and applied to the personal as well as the civic. But it seems so anachronistic. As a person growing up knowing the limitations and failings of atomic power, this future seems klunky and backwards.
Not helping was the fact that despite “sub-ether” transmission, these people still relied on newspapers (a late edition in fact) for information. Asimov’s immense imagination didn’t encompass the computer or the computer network, which seems so much a part of science fiction to me. While ships and offices had televisors with which to view messages, they still had pneumatic tubes and capsules which were used to send and receive messages. These same had “sub-ether” communications, but somehow only messages delivered in person mattered. Good thing they had “hyperspace”.
Which leads me to another observation; are these the first instances of these terms? Did Asimov make them up and create their meanings? If so, he’s authored a lot of the lexicon we take for granted. I first heard “sub-ether” in the Hitchhiker’s guide. Same as Encyclopedia Galactica - both terms I thought sprung from the head of Adams not Asimov. And hyperspace is a Star Wars term to me (the Millennium Falcon just couldn’t manage the jump all the time), although it appears here in this book. There are probably others that I didn’t catch so ingrained in my consciousness as part of future speak. I’m awed by his imagination if he did invent these terms and concepts.
To me the overall theme of this book is the futility of trying to change the course of events. That humans will arrange and govern themselves in endlessly repeating patterns. A loop we cannot change or escape. So events within this loop must be dealt with and predicted. Hari Seldon does not try to change the future, but tries to lessen the impact of what he knows will occur. In many ways he uses what he knows to be inevitable to shape the work of the Foundation. He builds in these inevitabilities to work for him and his goals and not against him and his goals. The “science” of psychohistory reminds me in a way of the mathematical principle Crichton described as Chaos theory. The predictability of events in a complex system.
There was one phrase with which the leader of a planet described himself. He was the king in all things except in name. An emperor. A tyrannical leader. He styled himself the first among citizens. This reminded me of Sulla and Gaius Marius and, to some extent, Julius Caesar who all styled themselves as the First Man in Rome. The first among equals, which we know is no such thing at all. It’s the work of spin doctors.
The idea of manifest destiny is also apparent in this novel. The idea that the galaxy, even the entire universe is ours by right is stamped all over this story. The idea that the collective knowledge of the human race is worth preserving, and preserving at such by such extreme measures is interesting and arrogant. The Foundation was designed for this purpose. This is its only purpose. I’m sure that there are some things worth keeping that we have discovered or created, but all of it? Everything? Thumbtacks? Is that necessary? Fluffy toilet covers? Is that worth keeping? How about the idea of manifest destiny itself? Now it’s an idea that is very out of fashion. It’s in many ways a deplorable philosophy that crushes other species and other human’s rights in its quest for “god-ordained” domination.
Finally, nowhere in it are there other life forms. I can’t recall many novels of this type or stories of this type without non-human sentient beings. I realize that it’s a novel of a human empire, but it’s kind of telling that there is no interference from other species. In tales of the drive to populate the west and expand the US we have Indians to deal with. But in this tale, humans are untroubled by other species. Perhaps there are no other life forms because we have wiped them out.
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LibraryThing member hailelib
Last week, I couldn't settle to any of my current public library books for long, so I went looking in my own shelves for something that would hold my interest. The first book that I pulled off the shelf that I got more than a page into before putting it back was The Foundation Trilogy.
It had been
I did read all three straight through but they went pretty fast and kept me entertained on a day when I was a bit under the weather. It's nice that others are finding them enjoyable.
Recommended
It had been
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decades since I last opened it and I was surprised at how it held my interest. Considering that these books are about 60 years old they hold up pretty well though I did notice that the women were almost absent in Foundation. Not too surprising since the perceived audience for science fiction at that time was mainly teen-aged boys. (I was considered weird for reading such stuff since I was female.) The many references to atomic science were amusing but the social commentary could almost have been written today. Apparently hidebound bureaucracies are similar in any time and place!I did read all three straight through but they went pretty fast and kept me entertained on a day when I was a bit under the weather. It's nice that others are finding them enjoyable.
Recommended
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LibraryThing member wamser
The first effectively sets the stage, but the series bogs down as it progresses.
LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
Dear Isaac, how I miss you.
I first encountered Foundation when I tried to check Foundation and Empire out of the library, and the librarian (bless you, librarians, everywhere) asked me if I'd read the first one. When I said I had not, she walked back with me, found it, and I believe I exhausted the
Those three novels were heady stuff for a ten year old, in those long ago years. This trilogy is comprised of all three novels: Foundation; Foundation and Empire; and Second Foundation.
I wish I could give current readers the gift of reading these three works with a fresh eye, when the world was more innocent, and the future was filled with possibilities.
I first encountered Foundation when I tried to check Foundation and Empire out of the library, and the librarian (bless you, librarians, everywhere) asked me if I'd read the first one. When I said I had not, she walked back with me, found it, and I believe I exhausted the
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entire collection of science fiction in the library, that summer.Those three novels were heady stuff for a ten year old, in those long ago years. This trilogy is comprised of all three novels: Foundation; Foundation and Empire; and Second Foundation.
I wish I could give current readers the gift of reading these three works with a fresh eye, when the world was more innocent, and the future was filled with possibilities.
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LibraryThing member fordj
Helps define the hard science fiction genre. Excellent read and highly recommended. A little high brow but very entertaining.
LibraryThing member kaulsu
This is one of "those" books that I wish I could read again for the first time!! I first read it in 1969 or 70. Interesting to look at the science and see what has come to pass and what seems like it never will. I'm still waiting to colonize a new system. Ah well, probably too old now!
LibraryThing member mashcan
This book and the continuing foundation series are kind of like space, history, mystery novels that will make you understand infinity and realize just how infinitesimal you are. Fun!
LibraryThing member Zohrab
One of the best sci-fi every written. About a human race on another planet that was planted there by a human race that came before them and lived on another planet.
LibraryThing member NellieMc
I hadn't read this in over 30 years, but it still holds up and is a riveting good read.
LibraryThing member JapaG
One of the true classics of Science Fiction. Here Asimov tells the story of humanity's downfall and re-rise in the form of the Foundation. Asimov is a true master writer, and even though at times the plots seemed to twist and bend a bit too much (especially in the last part, "The Second
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Foundation", I always kept on reading just to enjoy his writing. And, to be just, the story was also very ingenious, and it was fun to find out how he twined all the plot threads together... Show Less
LibraryThing member chellerystick
Although Asimov occasionally indulges in details that fifty years later sound quite dated, and has a wooden approach to characterization, the big ideas and plot twists of this trilogy gripped me to the end. If only he had had help with writing better humans--although this far into the future they
Highly recommended, though I see no reason not to look for an abridged version.
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at least have the excuse of an alien culture.Highly recommended, though I see no reason not to look for an abridged version.
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LibraryThing member ragwaine
Foundation (Too many characters, great suprises)
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Foundation and Empire (Good, I guessed it was * (wouldn't want to spoil it for you).
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Second Foundation (Just when you thought you had it all figured out! (9 if it was fantasy)
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Foundation and Empire (Good, I guessed it was * (wouldn't want to spoil it for you).
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Second Foundation (Just when you thought you had it all figured out! (9 if it was fantasy)
LibraryThing member temsmail
I have not read this book since high school lo these many years ago. Encyclopedia Galactica sounds a lot like the various "clouds" in use in cyberspace, although neither Sheldon nor Asimov could have imagined them to be so. Amazing
LibraryThing member geniemagik
I read this a while ago and I think it is time to reinvest some time in it. While i remember the creation of the first and second foundation, and the whole mule story, I forget many of the details. It is a fantastic story and very well thought out.
LibraryThing member StefanY
I can understand why Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is one of the building blocks of the genre of Science Fiction as we know it today and I can respect the quality of the material itself. This trilogy is well-written, grand in scope, and has a very interesting concept, however I found it to be very
Asimov has crafted his tale around a scientist who foresees the end the current structure of civilization and devises a plan to accelerate the growth of a new empire and drastically shorten the predicted span of time in which the universe will be thrown into a time of barbarism. In order to accomplish this, a Foundation is created on a remote and otherwise unused planet and the trilogy involves the trials and travails of this Foundation as it establishes itself as a power in the universe.
Overall, not a bad series. I enjoyed the second book (Foundation and Empire) the most out of the three. As I mentioned, the story does get a bit tedious at times and it was an effort for me to pick it up and keep going from time to time. But from a historical aspect it is very interesting to read one of the building blocks of a genre.
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dull for long periods of time and took me much longer than usual to plod through. Asimov has crafted his tale around a scientist who foresees the end the current structure of civilization and devises a plan to accelerate the growth of a new empire and drastically shorten the predicted span of time in which the universe will be thrown into a time of barbarism. In order to accomplish this, a Foundation is created on a remote and otherwise unused planet and the trilogy involves the trials and travails of this Foundation as it establishes itself as a power in the universe.
Overall, not a bad series. I enjoyed the second book (Foundation and Empire) the most out of the three. As I mentioned, the story does get a bit tedious at times and it was an effort for me to pick it up and keep going from time to time. But from a historical aspect it is very interesting to read one of the building blocks of a genre.
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LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts
I am in the middle of Foundation and Empire and I must say, this old trilogy holds up much better than I thought it would.
I recall Asimov recounting how, as an adult, he went back and re-read Doc Smith's Galactic Patrol and that the sense of loss when he compared it to his childhood experience of
Oh, it's dated in places ("in the future everything will be NUCLEAR," and women still seem to be mostly for decoration), but the chief idea is a really really good one, and Asimov makes it utterly engaging. Some of the scenes have been stuck in my memory for decades. And I find that, much as Asimov comes under criticism for not having been a very good writer, the writing is surprisingly good most of the time.
If the trilogy has a major fault, I would say that that fault is talkiness. Asimov's big climactic scenes tend, by and large, to be conversations. You won't find an awful lot of narrated action. This can make for a static, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere.
Still, when he describes his characters stepping outside and seeing the "misty lens" of the Milky Way stretching over them, one really does get the sense of being in a galaxy, and one where momentous things are happening.
Oh, and in the future? Everyone really likes cigars. ;^)
I recall Asimov recounting how, as an adult, he went back and re-read Doc Smith's Galactic Patrol and that the sense of loss when he compared it to his childhood experience of
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the book was ... palpable. I expected much the same thing to happen to me here ... but it hasn't.Oh, it's dated in places ("in the future everything will be NUCLEAR," and women still seem to be mostly for decoration), but the chief idea is a really really good one, and Asimov makes it utterly engaging. Some of the scenes have been stuck in my memory for decades. And I find that, much as Asimov comes under criticism for not having been a very good writer, the writing is surprisingly good most of the time.
If the trilogy has a major fault, I would say that that fault is talkiness. Asimov's big climactic scenes tend, by and large, to be conversations. You won't find an awful lot of narrated action. This can make for a static, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere.
Still, when he describes his characters stepping outside and seeing the "misty lens" of the Milky Way stretching over them, one really does get the sense of being in a galaxy, and one where momentous things are happening.
Oh, and in the future? Everyone really likes cigars. ;^)
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LibraryThing member CurrerBell
I remember reading the trilogy decades ago, probably in the mid-60s, and remember the plot pretty well. I got hold of the new Everyman edition because I like Everyman bindings and I intended to do a reread in preparation for a reread of Asimov's own sequels like Foundation's Edge, none of which I
The basic trilogy definitely holds up well over the years, and my one criticism is of the Introduction, which has some inaccuracies (or at least I think they're inaccuracies, such as the assertion that the trilogy may be slightly dated because "computers don't appear to exist" when in fact there are at least some references to them in the trilogy). More seriously, though, I have a problem with Dirda's note to the Introduction, which indicates that it does not contain any SPOILERS. Personally, I'd suggest that a reader new to the trilogy NOT read the Introduction until after reading the trilogy itself, because the Introduction includes a reference to a character who first appears in the second book (Foundation and Empire), and this reference may not be a horrendous SPOILER but it's still enough of a SPOILER that I wish Dirda hadn't brought it up.
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remember at all well.The basic trilogy definitely holds up well over the years, and my one criticism is of the Introduction, which has some inaccuracies (or at least I think they're inaccuracies, such as the assertion that the trilogy may be slightly dated because "computers don't appear to exist" when in fact there are at least some references to them in the trilogy). More seriously, though, I have a problem with Dirda's note to the Introduction, which indicates that it does not contain any SPOILERS. Personally, I'd suggest that a reader new to the trilogy NOT read the Introduction until after reading the trilogy itself, because the Introduction includes a reference to a character who first appears in the second book (Foundation and Empire), and this reference may not be a horrendous SPOILER but it's still enough of a SPOILER that I wish Dirda hadn't brought it up.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
The trilogy of books Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation are among the best Asimov ever wrote among his science-fiction novels and among his most influential. I've read it was based on Gibbon's Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Only this empire spans the galaxy. Hari Seldon
The fascination is seeing how all that plays out, especially in the first book. Foundation and Empire is less episodic than the first and features one of Asimov's most complex and compelling characters, "the Mule," as well as a strong female character, Bayta, and a clever twist. Second Foundation also features a strong female character--Arkady Darell.
The first three books in the series were written in the early 1950s, and at times it shows. Asimov considered himself a feminist and created strong female characters (especially Susan Calvin in his Robot stories) but even so there are blindspots and occasional gender fail, because class? This was the fifties! The trilogy is dated in other ways--technological and social advances Asimov didn't foresee, but for all that I think this is still a fantastic read rich in ideas.
Asimov returned to the Foundation Series in the 80s with Foundation's Edge and other sequels and prequels, merging aspects of the Robot series with it. But though I find those stories entertaining, I don't find them quite as thought-provoking as the first three Foundation novels. However, I do think Asimov's most amazing works can be found in his short stories, not his novels. I'd particularly recommend the anthology Room is Earth Enough if you can find it. His "The Ugly Little Boy" and ""The Dead Past" are in my opinion two of the best science fiction shorts out there.
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predicts through "psychohistory" the empire will fall within 300 years and establishes a foundation to manipulate history to shorten the dark ages that will follow. The fascination is seeing how all that plays out, especially in the first book. Foundation and Empire is less episodic than the first and features one of Asimov's most complex and compelling characters, "the Mule," as well as a strong female character, Bayta, and a clever twist. Second Foundation also features a strong female character--Arkady Darell.
The first three books in the series were written in the early 1950s, and at times it shows. Asimov considered himself a feminist and created strong female characters (especially Susan Calvin in his Robot stories) but even so there are blindspots and occasional gender fail, because class? This was the fifties! The trilogy is dated in other ways--technological and social advances Asimov didn't foresee, but for all that I think this is still a fantastic read rich in ideas.
Asimov returned to the Foundation Series in the 80s with Foundation's Edge and other sequels and prequels, merging aspects of the Robot series with it. But though I find those stories entertaining, I don't find them quite as thought-provoking as the first three Foundation novels. However, I do think Asimov's most amazing works can be found in his short stories, not his novels. I'd particularly recommend the anthology Room is Earth Enough if you can find it. His "The Ugly Little Boy" and ""The Dead Past" are in my opinion two of the best science fiction shorts out there.
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LibraryThing member jwhenderson
I was disappointed with this trilogy of novels having just reread this Science Fiction classic after more than forty years. The three novels demonstrate exceptional plotting but little else to warrant praise. Asimov has a galaxy populated with humans and it is a grayish world dominated by a fading
The key concept is psychohistory and Hari Selden's projections based on mathematical formulas suggest with high probability the potential for minimizing a coming 'dark age' for humanity. Most of the novel hinges on a few leaders brandishing political power rather than light sabers. The suggestion of determinism diminished the possibility of suspense for this reader. The resulting loss of interest in the story, with repetitious descriptions of the overriding Selden plan made the final novel a bit of a slog in spite of an interstellar war. Planets were destroyed with the loss of hundreds of millions of lives but that did not seem to matter. Asimov was a prolific author, but in this case his attempt to expand several stories into a series of novels was flawed.
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empire. Set at least 13,000 years in the future, after humanity has colonized space so thoroughly that most people have forgotten about the Earth itself. Foundation opens as the Galactic Empire is in its final years, having reigned over the galaxy for over ten millennia. One man on the capital planet of Trantor dares to stand up and tell the moribund Empire that its decline and fall is inevitable. Hari Seldon has developed the science of psychohistory, which aims to predict the behavior of large populations over vast periods of time. Seldon has predicted not only the fall of the Empire, but the fact that a whopping 30,000 years of barbarism will follow, unless his organization, the Encyclopedia Foundation, is able to finish its immense task of cataloging and preserving millennia of accumulated human knowledge and history. Then, perhaps, the 30,000 years can be shaved to a mere millennium.The key concept is psychohistory and Hari Selden's projections based on mathematical formulas suggest with high probability the potential for minimizing a coming 'dark age' for humanity. Most of the novel hinges on a few leaders brandishing political power rather than light sabers. The suggestion of determinism diminished the possibility of suspense for this reader. The resulting loss of interest in the story, with repetitious descriptions of the overriding Selden plan made the final novel a bit of a slog in spite of an interstellar war. Planets were destroyed with the loss of hundreds of millions of lives but that did not seem to matter. Asimov was a prolific author, but in this case his attempt to expand several stories into a series of novels was flawed.
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LibraryThing member dougcornelius
A phenomenal sci-fi trilogy that wraps layers upon layers on the evolution of human civilization strewn across the galaxy.
LibraryThing member bacillicide
T his is my first foray into Isaac Asimov and it's been a successful one, this trilogy has made a fan out of me! I love Asimov's writing--his characters are fleshed out and brilliant despite their frequent disappearance over a matter of chapters, sometimes pages, as time passes by fast, the
I really enjoyed Arkady's story, in The Second Foundation. A young teenager, threatened by the idea of an elusive and mysterious "Second Foundation" that can control minds. A position understandable despite my own knowledge (and preference) for the Second Foundation, given the same situation, I would be fairly threatened to believe that my own actions weren't actually my own and being controlled by a force that existed yet I could not find.
Highly recommended to anyone into science fiction, or someone looking for a great epic spanning hundreds of years.
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character cast always changing as well as the environment around them.I really enjoyed Arkady's story, in The Second Foundation. A young teenager, threatened by the idea of an elusive and mysterious "Second Foundation" that can control minds. A position understandable despite my own knowledge (and preference) for the Second Foundation, given the same situation, I would be fairly threatened to believe that my own actions weren't actually my own and being controlled by a force that existed yet I could not find.
Highly recommended to anyone into science fiction, or someone looking for a great epic spanning hundreds of years.
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LibraryThing member kcshankd
Perhaps reading this series first as an adult colors my view, but I came away less than impressed. The collected chapters working through the work seemed more disjointed than coherent. I had trouble keeping up with the overall story, and by the end was ready for it to be over.
LibraryThing member Nazgullie
I have written the reviews for the other two books as updates under this book. This one is for Second Foundation. I enjoyed it as much as Foundation and Empire, although I do think that Foundation and Empire was a little better when it came to pacing. I don't know if it's because I jumped headfirst
However, it's hard to find anything bad to say about this, since the ending really did have me yelling at my bedroom walls like a lunatic. I really wish that Asimov would have written more female characters into his stories, because he writes them really well. Callia, Arkady, and Momma were like a cool drink of water as I moved through the story.
When I started the first book, Foundation; I was convinced that Asimov was a sexist who couldn't imagine women in positions of power, since nowhere in the story were there women of any real consequence. He created a galaxy with complex governments and technologies but there were no women. This was very telling for me, and as such, it remains my least favorite book of the three. I don't usually feel that books get better with their sequels, but Asimov's Foundation series, does improve with each book. I know there are more than these three, and I'm looking forward to reading them, but where it pertains to these three; the stories get better as they go.
Another thing that I want to address, is Asimov's writing tone. Despite there being a great deal of science in his stories, and details about math and patterns, he writes beautifully. There are some lines in his stories which feel almost poetic, they're so heartfelt. I don't recall this being present in the first book. Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation are also my favorites because there is a grown in Asimov as writer that allows him to show more vulnerability in his work, making it more alive, warm. His sense of humor also comes through in those two books, and that was a joy for me to discover. I wanted to see him as a human being through his work. Not an arrogant but very intelligent math, and science geek. I wanted some heart and soul, and he delivered that in Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.
I would highly recommend this to others. So if you haven't read it, do so.
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and read the trilogy all at once, but I found that Second Foundation really lagged in certain parts. The surprise twists started getting tiresome after the third "I Know where the Second Foundation is!", which I feel dulled my excitement about finally finding out where the Second Foundation was. My guess was Terminus, I was wrong. However, it's hard to find anything bad to say about this, since the ending really did have me yelling at my bedroom walls like a lunatic. I really wish that Asimov would have written more female characters into his stories, because he writes them really well. Callia, Arkady, and Momma were like a cool drink of water as I moved through the story.
When I started the first book, Foundation; I was convinced that Asimov was a sexist who couldn't imagine women in positions of power, since nowhere in the story were there women of any real consequence. He created a galaxy with complex governments and technologies but there were no women. This was very telling for me, and as such, it remains my least favorite book of the three. I don't usually feel that books get better with their sequels, but Asimov's Foundation series, does improve with each book. I know there are more than these three, and I'm looking forward to reading them, but where it pertains to these three; the stories get better as they go.
Another thing that I want to address, is Asimov's writing tone. Despite there being a great deal of science in his stories, and details about math and patterns, he writes beautifully. There are some lines in his stories which feel almost poetic, they're so heartfelt. I don't recall this being present in the first book. Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation are also my favorites because there is a grown in Asimov as writer that allows him to show more vulnerability in his work, making it more alive, warm. His sense of humor also comes through in those two books, and that was a joy for me to discover. I wanted to see him as a human being through his work. Not an arrogant but very intelligent math, and science geek. I wanted some heart and soul, and he delivered that in Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.
I would highly recommend this to others. So if you haven't read it, do so.
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LibraryThing member Jamski
First, I think it should be noted that this review is for a QUARTET of books: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, and Foundation's Edge. I just couldn't bear writing four separate reviews, so please, forgive me for this all-too-brief synopsis of a truly epic experience.
Now, I
I'll leave Asimov's own intros to explain the genesis of the novels (it's fascinating and makes great reading all by itself!) but suffice to say, this is not Star Wars or Star Trek. It's not space opera. It's very talky, a lot of dialog between a lot of characters who seem to appear out of nowhere and disappear without warning, especially in the first book. Take Hari Seldon, probably THE central character...he's mentioned throughout the series... and he's actually only alive for the first thirty or forty pages of the first book!
Weirdly, it all works if you stick with it. It's fascinating, and you can't keep from pushing on and on to see what's going to happen next. That's the mark of a truly great story, and when it lasts well into the thousands of pages...hey, few could've pulled this off but the great Asimov. There's a reason it has long been noted as the "Best Science Fiction Series of All Time". If you haven't read it, and you're a sci-fi devotee, you're depriving yourself of a treat. And if you have read the first trilogy but not the later additions to the series, I bet you'll enjoy at least the fourth book, which is a very worthy successor. I am now in the process of hunting down the "prequels", which I hope to read before I finally get the last book of Asimov's own Foundation books.
And then there's the additional books written by other luminaries that expand the series...but, that's another story, for another day...
Now, I
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first read the Foundation series when I was 12 or 13, and while I didn't "get" the gist of the book, I still found it hugely entertaining, enough so that I plowed through all three of them and when I happened upon a boxed set at a local used book store at a reasonable price, I had to have them, and they had to go to the top of my reading list. Of course now it's 40 years later and Isaac is long since passed on to the next plane of existence, but before he left, he wrote four additional books to go along with the original three. I'll leave Asimov's own intros to explain the genesis of the novels (it's fascinating and makes great reading all by itself!) but suffice to say, this is not Star Wars or Star Trek. It's not space opera. It's very talky, a lot of dialog between a lot of characters who seem to appear out of nowhere and disappear without warning, especially in the first book. Take Hari Seldon, probably THE central character...he's mentioned throughout the series... and he's actually only alive for the first thirty or forty pages of the first book!
Weirdly, it all works if you stick with it. It's fascinating, and you can't keep from pushing on and on to see what's going to happen next. That's the mark of a truly great story, and when it lasts well into the thousands of pages...hey, few could've pulled this off but the great Asimov. There's a reason it has long been noted as the "Best Science Fiction Series of All Time". If you haven't read it, and you're a sci-fi devotee, you're depriving yourself of a treat. And if you have read the first trilogy but not the later additions to the series, I bet you'll enjoy at least the fourth book, which is a very worthy successor. I am now in the process of hunting down the "prequels", which I hope to read before I finally get the last book of Asimov's own Foundation books.
And then there's the additional books written by other luminaries that expand the series...but, that's another story, for another day...
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LibraryThing member drewandlori
"Foundation" is basically Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in space. The dialogue is stiff and lifeless, even for Asimov, but the premise is good enough that it remains an interesting read in spite of that.
Subjects
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — 1966)
Locus All-Time Best (Science Fiction Novel — 6 — 1987)
Language
Original publication date
1951 (Fundación)
1952 (Fundación e Imperio)
1953 (Segunda Fundación)
Local notes
Signed