Foundation and Empire (Book Two of The Foundation Series)
£2.73
Foundation Series second helping - The second in Asimov s `Foundation Series differs slightly to the first book in the fact that it is only split into two sections, with complete narratives and continuous sets of characters. However, this does not alter the pace of the storytelling and allows the reader to form longer-lasting relationships with the characters, especially in the second section. There are also the characteristic plot twists which we have gotten used to with Asimov s writing.The second section entitled `The Mule follows a newlywed couple, one a native of a planet called Haven from the Independent Trading states and the other a citizen of the Foundation. They go in search of a mysterious figure called the Mule who is intent on conquering the Foundation and uniting the Galaxy under his leadership. The fact that he is a mutant somehow allows him to manipulate events in his favour with the possible consequence of bringing the `Seldon Plan to it s knees, and therefore the future of the Foundation and humanity.
Its the original Empire strikes Back - If you consider Star Wars as George Lucas s answer to Asmiov s Foundation then this is very much in the mode of Episode V. Asimov spent the first book building up his psychohistory paradigm just to knock it down in Foundation and Empire. A much darker and more intense book, downbeat in mood, and leading to the inevitable conclusion in Second Foundation.
An absolute classic from a classic of a series - Asimov is probably the best science fiction writer to date, and the foundation series is in my opinion his finest series of books. Any science fiction fan in my opinion will love the entire foundation series including this book.
Subtle Story Development Can Lull You into Stalled Thinking - Ultimately, the hardest decision about the Foundation books is to decide the order in which to read them. Maybe I m being ridiculous, but I think you will enjoy them more if you read them in the order they were written. If so, this is the second book. If you have not yet read Foundation, then you need to go back and do so before tackling this one.Your other choice is to read the prequels first, then go onto Foundation. In that case, this is the fourth book you should read.Whichever choice you make, don t read this book first.On the surface, Foundation and Empire will seem like an uninspired playing out of Hari Seldon s vision for the future. Ah! But there s much more happening, so pay attention. When you get to the end of the book, you may find you have missed the mainstream and will have to go back. Don t worry, almost everyone has that reaction.Asimov is a brilliant conceptual writer, but not someone who slaved over every word (in fact, he was famous for writing most of his many books in only 1 or 2 drafts, with little editing after that). This book begins to develop the full Foundation concept in all of its stunning beauty.In many ways, you will be reading this book from the eyes of the first Foundation. But that s the unimportant one. The real action is with the second Foundation. Be sure to keep that in mind.When you meet the Mule, don t think of him as an aberration but rather as an extension of today s potential. That will make the book more interesting for you.Many people find this book to be the least interesting one of the Foundation series. Let me warn you that reading this one will greatly increase your pleasure in the following books beginning with the Second Foundation (which is your next pleasant reading assignment).Enjoy this irresistible series!
Hari Seldon s plan receives a kick from the Mule - I totally liked the pattern that Isaac Asimov established in Foundation, the first volume in what we know refer to as the original Foundation trilogy. Hari Seldon created the revolutionary science of psychohistory and mapped out a future for humanity that would allow thirty thousand years of barbarism between the existing galactic empire and the future one to be reduced to only one thousand years. Through the effort of the psychohistorians the Foundation was established with its encyclopedists. Then we saw the rise of the Mayors, the Traders, and the Merchant Princes, each representing a step on the path laid out with mathematical precision by Hari Seldon over the first two centuries of the millennium he plotted out.I was looking forward to a continuing series of Seldon Crises as the Foundation played out the rise of human civilization, thinking that what we had hear with what Arnold Toynbee had done with his study of ancient civilizations extended into a future that covered an entire galaxy. But Asimov was setting us up for something unexpected in Foundation and Empire, the idea was that at this stage the Foundation would be threatened by the final power play of the dying Empire. But the universe is apparently tired of Hari Seldon playing with his mathematically loaded dice and has thrown the entire plan into doubt by creating a mutant, nicknamed The Mule. Now the Foundation, the Seldon Plan and the entire galaxy is facing a new and powerful threat. When I first read Foundation and Empire I was rather dismayed at the big change in direction. But, of course, Asimov knew what he was doing. He had already proven the validity of psychohistory, at least within the context of his futuristic novel, and there really is no reason to put out another four books (at two hundred years apiece) to complete the plan. Historians might find this interesting, but Science Fiction fans were going to want more than that from Asimov. Indeed, the Mule proves to be, both in terms of the story and the trilogy, the link between the Foundation and the Second Foundation. The Foundation trilogy is classic science fiction from the genre s self-proclaimed Golden Age, and even if the writing style seems dated or quaint, it remains a seminal series.