So far the Foundation was safe. But there was a hidden Second Foundation to protect the first. The Mule has yet to find it, but he was getting clos...
read full description
reviews
Aug 20, 2008
Jamie
rated it: 
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series is often cited amongst the nerdegalian as the best sci-fi series evar. It's set, as you may guess, far into the future where a man discovers that Rome ...uh, I mean The Galactic Empire is fated to collapse and bring about 30,000 years of barbarism unless certain actions are taken to start a long chain of events, the first of which is to create a kind of galactic Wikipedia. I'm not normally a fan of hard science fiction, and reading this trilogy kind of reminds me
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Oct 25, 2007
Donovan
rated it: 
As much as I did not enjoy reading Foundation and Empire, I had a good time with Second Foundation. I’m pretty sure that this is because in Second Foundation individual actions were actually of importance. What a character did mattered; and therefore, I could care about it again. I felt conflicted because I was almost allied with the Mule in the first half of the book because at least he had some influence and I could be interested in what he was doing. In the second half, who doesn’t like a pre
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 26, 2012
Prashanth
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 01, 2012
Ricky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 20, 2011
Matt
rated it: 
Asimov Has It Off
It's been a while since I read an epic. I do it every so often. I'm fond of Pynchon, fond of Eco, would have read DeLillo but I left Underworld on the train but stubbornly I won't go out and buy another copy.
Foundation, the Asimov trilogy, is in some ways a very simple read. It's not burdened with hundreds of characters, certainly only a small band gathers at one time and play out their parts in the drama. But the drama is nothing less than the good old " More...
It's been a while since I read an epic. I do it every so often. I'm fond of Pynchon, fond of Eco, would have read DeLillo but I left Underworld on the train but stubbornly I won't go out and buy another copy.
Foundation, the Asimov trilogy, is in some ways a very simple read. It's not burdened with hundreds of characters, certainly only a small band gathers at one time and play out their parts in the drama. But the drama is nothing less than the good old " More...
Sep 29, 2011
***Dave
rated it:
Second Foundation consists of two tales -- the first the Mule's next effort to find the Second Foundation, the second the effort of a band of First Foundationers to do so.
The first tale reads the most like an old school SF novel, basically a travelogue of places and names and wondrous settings, mostly a story with little risk involved by the end. The second tale is more interesting, with a variety of characters, and some serious doubt as to who the reader should be rooting for (the Fi More...
The first tale reads the most like an old school SF novel, basically a travelogue of places and names and wondrous settings, mostly a story with little risk involved by the end. The second tale is more interesting, with a variety of characters, and some serious doubt as to who the reader should be rooting for (the Fi More...
Aug 12, 2011
Bryant
rated it: 
Asimov has a linguistic prowess that is nearly untouchable - nearly. Not any skilled writer can project a copious amount of thought and ideals behind a few well-formulated sentences. Let alone have the innate ability to fabricate conundrums for the reader to so innocently and unwittingly plunge into around every other page. I figured myself top-notch, thinking I had discovered the hidden secrets behind the book; thinking I had discovered the ultimate truth behind the words of Harry Seldin and
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Aug 03, 2011
Steven
rated it:
In this, the third (sort of) book in The Foundation story, Asimov brings together the story of the First and Second foundations, having them work with and against each other as they try to get Hari Seldon's plan back on track. It's easy to forget as you read these books, that they were written in the 1950s (or earlier). Of the three, this one's mid-century roots showed most clearly, particular through the Gidget-esque spunkiness of Arcadia Darrell. It's easy to imagine here gallivanting around t
More...
Mar 19, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Second Foundation, the concluding volume to the first Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov was originally published in 1953. Using the same format of dividing the book into two parts, the first – “Search by the Mule” – takes place shortly after Foundation and Empire as the hunt is on now for this second foundation that has eluded the Empire, the Foundation, and all the inhabitants for a very long time. This first part is told from the viewpoint of the executive council of the second foundation w
More...
Aug 04, 2009
Jake
rated it:
Chief Recommendation: Commit to reading the trilogy (includes Foundation and Foundation and Empire).
Foundation wasn't a quick read for me. Nor was this third installment, with its deep layered ideas. Also, these books are set so far in the future, and so far out in space, that they don’t offer many familiar trappings (for example, Earth). What is more, Asimov's narrative rarely hits you over the head. The high-stakes drama, the fascinating philosophy and the ethical dilemmas must be More...
Foundation wasn't a quick read for me. Nor was this third installment, with its deep layered ideas. Also, these books are set so far in the future, and so far out in space, that they don’t offer many familiar trappings (for example, Earth). What is more, Asimov's narrative rarely hits you over the head. The high-stakes drama, the fascinating philosophy and the ethical dilemmas must be More...
Nov 23, 2011
Julio Cesar
rated it:
Casi 400 años despues de Seldon el mulo sigue en busqueda de la segunda fundacion empleando a sus esbirros Pritcher(el controlado)y Channis(el de libre albedrio que termina rebelandose como ciudadano de la sgunda fundacion),pero finalmente es confrontado por esta misma en uno de los mejores duelos del salvaje oeste donde la victoria es una pagina del mulo a la siguiente de Channis,con todas las triquiñuelas volteadoras imaginables pero finalizando en la desorientacion y neutralizacion del mulo,q
More...
Aug 27, 2009
Nicholas
rated it:
Maybe I'm just expecting more as the trilogy wraps, but it seems like it's the same old thing, same old themes. How much power does a single individual have to affect the course of humanity for good or ill? That's the question. Predestination is again explored, but there were really no new twists or insights, no shift in the status quo of the story - the Seldon Plan continues, unfailingly toward the creation of the second Galactic Empire spearheaded by the Foundation after a series of crises
More...
Jan 09, 2012
Luke
rated it:
Bliss me out, Bayta! The Second Foundation are controlling my mind! Well, they MUST be because I enjoyed this, the third of the Foundation space doddles, ONE WHOLE STAR MORE than the other two books that preceded it. Let's face it, I was certifiably paranoid BEFORE I picked up book number 3, but thanks to those cunning Second Foundationers and their ghastly galactic grip, I've gone starker raving bonkers than Ozzy Osbourne in receipt of a Final Notice gas bill. But there's a comfort in being min
More...
Jan 19, 2012
Ben
rated it:
The first story is essentially a continuation of the Mule storyline. The tale is fraught with half-truths and plot twists, which hold up quite well until the end. The finale scene of the first story's main story (not the epilogue) has the taste of a B-movie set piece: ill-conceived, poorly foreshadowed twists and turns that end at a very unsatisfying conclusion. In many ways, this feels like the inevitable conclusion of the Mule storyline: he had to be dealt with, but there were no good ways
More...
Nov 20, 2010
Michael
rated it:
As I continue to read through the Foundation series the stories and the writing tends to get better and better. Take for instance in Foundation and Empire, Asimov left us with a cliffhanger sort of ending that left for suspense and great pick up point for a story. Generally in my opinion the story telling has improved throughout the novels and the characters become more appealing to me. Even through the characters are only part of this wonderful work of science fiction. The science fiction aspec
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 11, 2009
Pterodactyl
rated it:
Asimov pulled it off! The cliffhanger at the end of "Foundation and Empire" leads to a wonderful storyline full of mystery and intriguee in "Second Foundation." The Seldon Plan, which worked like a Deus Ex Machina in "Foundation," finally faces a serious threat. Not to mention, Asimov's writing has improved by leaps and bounds in this book, and the glaring exposition necessary at the beginning is handled with much more subtlety and believability. In "Founda
More...
Apr 18, 2010
Almak
rated it:
Second Foundation is the third book in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. It picks up where Foundation and Empire left off as The Mule continues his search to find and destroy the Second Foundation.
With slight personal disappointment, the best part of the storyline climaxes halfway through the novel. Although the latter half of the book is necessary to "wrap up" loose ends it is a slight let down.
Perhaps the most disturbing point in the book is the thought of h More...
With slight personal disappointment, the best part of the storyline climaxes halfway through the novel. Although the latter half of the book is necessary to "wrap up" loose ends it is a slight let down.
Perhaps the most disturbing point in the book is the thought of h More...
Jul 15, 2011
Mimi
rated it:
Wow! The Second Foundation, with its powers of mental/emotional control, is really scary and really does shed a more maniacal light on the whole Selden plan!
I enjoyed this third book in the initial Foundation trilogy, although I found some of the technobabble about psychohistory and mathematics a bit confusing at times. The first part of the book, about the Mule, was my favorite. Once we started getting into the war with Kalgan and all the “I-know-the-location-of-the-Second-Foundati More...
I enjoyed this third book in the initial Foundation trilogy, although I found some of the technobabble about psychohistory and mathematics a bit confusing at times. The first part of the book, about the Mule, was my favorite. Once we started getting into the war with Kalgan and all the “I-know-the-location-of-the-Second-Foundati More...
Nov 08, 2009
Max
rated it:
Third in the Foundation Trilogy, but fourth chronologically counting Prelude.
Like several of the books, it contains two 'books' within it. The first deals with the continued threat of the Mule, who has conquered the First Foundation through his mutant powers of emotional mind control. The Mule continues the search for the Second Foundation, and knows that they have been tampering with the people he has Converted. The faithful Hans Pritcher (due to Conversion), who tried to murde More...
Like several of the books, it contains two 'books' within it. The first deals with the continued threat of the Mule, who has conquered the First Foundation through his mutant powers of emotional mind control. The Mule continues the search for the Second Foundation, and knows that they have been tampering with the people he has Converted. The faithful Hans Pritcher (due to Conversion), who tried to murde More...
Feb 03, 2012
Chris
rated it:
Ooh, these books just keep improving. This one deals with the treasure hunt for the clandestine Second Foundation, first by the Mule and then by the First Foundationers. It's interesting because both the people of First Foundation and of Second Foundation really have the same goal: get the Seldon plan back on track and work toward the formation of a new empire... but they cannot work together. The Seconders want to stay hidden from the Firsters while the Firsters do not trust the Seconders (even
More...
Nov 13, 2011
David
rated it:
Cosmology
"Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the origin, structure, and space-time relationships of the universe or a theory or doctrine describing the natural order of the universe" - or so says Wikipedia. Nonetheless, "Second Foundation," Asimov's conclusion to his iconic defining trilogy, one ups the official definition by wrapping his newly created universe in shrouds of myth destined to survive for eons beyond his departure. While one would not cate More...
"Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the origin, structure, and space-time relationships of the universe or a theory or doctrine describing the natural order of the universe" - or so says Wikipedia. Nonetheless, "Second Foundation," Asimov's conclusion to his iconic defining trilogy, one ups the official definition by wrapping his newly created universe in shrouds of myth destined to survive for eons beyond his departure. While one would not cate More...
Apr 19, 2011
Pvw
rated it:
After being disappointed by the first 'Foundation' I decided to give the series a last chance since many people promised that this third novel had more story going for it.
Well, it does have a main character that stays present throughout the book, an smart and adventurous little girl. Next to that, there is the quest of the Mule from the previous book to find and destroy the telepatically strong Second Foundation.
All in all though, it is more of the typical Asimovian "I o More...
Well, it does have a main character that stays present throughout the book, an smart and adventurous little girl. Next to that, there is the quest of the Mule from the previous book to find and destroy the telepatically strong Second Foundation.
All in all though, it is more of the typical Asimovian "I o More...
Dec 30, 2010
Kyle
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 01, 2011
Karl
rated it:
I enjoyed this, the final book of the original foundation trilogy, much more than it's predecessor. Though still somewhat predictable, the plot moves well and is engaging. I really appreciate Asimov's subtle stylistic nuances when he writes dialogue for characters from different parts of the galaxy. Each region of the galaxy has it's own particular diction (wow, I just read that and understand how pretentious it sounds, but I stand by the point that it is pretty cool).
I'm going to More...
I'm going to More...
Mar 03, 2011
Perry
rated it:
I recently re-read Asimov's Galactic Empire and Foundation trilogies, having not read any of them since I was a teenager. They were all written in the 1950's and boy does it show! Although they're set many thousands of years in the future, characters read newspapers, smoke, and treat women like... well, like it was still the 1950's.
That said, the bigger tale, that of a crumbling empire, and the work to reduce the length of the inevitable "Dark Ages" that follow its demise, More...
That said, the bigger tale, that of a crumbling empire, and the work to reduce the length of the inevitable "Dark Ages" that follow its demise, More...
Nov 29, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
For anyone who wants to experience the sweep of science fiction from H.G. Wells to present, the first three installments of Asimov's Foundation series are essential stops along the route.
I admire the Foundation stories for being groundbreaking in their time, however I prefer more recent authors. Science fiction, like science itself, has improved by "standing on the shoulders of giants." Authors learn from those who preceded them and (ideally) create something superior.
More...
I admire the Foundation stories for being groundbreaking in their time, however I prefer more recent authors. Science fiction, like science itself, has improved by "standing on the shoulders of giants." Authors learn from those who preceded them and (ideally) create something superior.
More...
Jan 07, 2011
Paul
rated it:
The best of the Foundation series. Two very cool stories and a big mystery, which is revealed in a fairly satisfactory manner. It's too bad the Mule isn't in the book more, but nonetheless this is a very good book. Much less predetermined outcome/deus ex machina than the first half of the series.
Even though I'm not quite that old, for me this book is the end of the Foundation series. I read the 4th book (written some 40 years after the first three were done), and I found it nowhere More...
Even though I'm not quite that old, for me this book is the end of the Foundation series. I read the 4th book (written some 40 years after the first three were done), and I found it nowhere More...
Feb 09, 2009
Rob
rated it:
Another worthy installment of the Foundation series.
In this book, the Second Foundation is introduced in the context of dealing with the perturbation the Mule caused to the execution of the Seldon Plan. While the First Foundation is science and technology, the Second is psychology and emotion.
I didn't love the characters as much in this book as in the previous books. It's maybe the worst of the series so far because of that, but the depth it adds to the Foundation univer More...
In this book, the Second Foundation is introduced in the context of dealing with the perturbation the Mule caused to the execution of the Seldon Plan. While the First Foundation is science and technology, the Second is psychology and emotion.
I didn't love the characters as much in this book as in the previous books. It's maybe the worst of the series so far because of that, but the depth it adds to the Foundation univer More...
Nov 14, 2010
S
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 06, 2009
Franklin
rated it:
This is IMO, the best book of the Foundation Trilogy. The first one had some very interesting ideas, but short on story (It is just not very exciting when you already know the outcome) The second one dealt with the Mule with such amazing mutant powers that I was disappointed that Asimov felt the need to create this mutant out of 'thin air'. But it was ultimately necessary to cause enough problems so that we ultimately did not know that the outcome would be and that all the problems caused by the
More...
