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Foundation and Empire (Foundation (Publication Order) #2)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 53,075 ratings · 753 reviews

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are one of the great masterworks of science fiction. Unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women to preserve humanity’s light against an inexorable tide of darkness and violence.

Led by its founding father, the great...more

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Published June 1st 2004 by Spectra (first published 1952)

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Dec 20, 2009 blake rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-horror

Less episodic than the first (Foundation), which was a plus. But it makes all the more apparent Asimov's complete inability to create memorable or sympathetic characters. This means that each of the two halves read like over-long short stories. Part I is a suspense-thriller, solved by a ridiculous and anti-climactic deus ex machina, while Part II telegraphs its twist-ending so far in advance that the last few chapters are simply redundant.

There's no arguing the brilliance of Asimov's ideas -- o...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Elijah Kinch Spector rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The laws of history are as absolute as the laws of physics, and if probabilities of error are greater, it is only because history does not deal with as many humans as physics does atoms.
p. 96

Often, the best direction to take an episodic series built around a fantastical or science fictional idea is to use the first, or first few, installments to establish the concept and central mechanic and, after that’s done, to start fucking with it. We need a few Superman stories (although these days a vigne...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Aditya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all Asimov fans

Recommended to Aditya by: Claussius

Shelves: sci-fi

4/1/13
Alright here it is finally. I might end up complaining about a lot of things in this book, but its only because i love Asimov's books a lot and i like them to be nothing short of perfect!

Taking off from where it is left in Foundation, this book can be divided in to two parts - Before Mule and After Mule.

Before Mule - the story is about the 4th Seldon Crisis - the attack of the Empire on the Foundation and the subsequent rise of the Foundation (aka downfall of Empire) as the most dominant r...more 4/1/13
Alright here it is finally. I might end up complaining about a lot of things in this book, but its only because i love Asimov's books a lot and i like them to be nothing short of perfect!

Taking off from where it is left in Foundation, this book can be divided in to two parts - Before Mule and After Mule.

Before Mule - the story is about the 4th Seldon Crisis - the attack of the Empire on the Foundation and the subsequent rise of the Foundation (aka downfall of Empire) as the most dominant rule in the whole of galaxy. But Luck plays more part in this than a Seldon prophecy from the time-vault - infact no one even remembers the time-vault anymore. Ducem Barr is the prominent character here - suppressing his anger for the Empire and still joining hands with Bel Riose. There are not many twists and turns here and the end of the empire is brought about pretty swiftly.

After Mule - The entry of the Mule might easily be the most important event in the Foundation Trilogy. There was never a more intriguing character - infact there isn't much of a character development that Asimov attempts at. Nonetheless, the Mule is an anomaly, a deviation from the Seldon plan and only proves that not even Pyschohistory can predict random acts of nature of very low probability. Bayta and Toran accompanied by the Clown, on the quest for second foundation (at the other end of the galaxy) to defeat Mule (who has already conquered the whole of the Foundation with minimal bloodshed). The climax, as always, is a blast! If you really want to crack the secret of the Mule, re-read the blurb from the encyclopedia galactica on the Mule :)

Now, its time for rants -
(view spoiler)
I also wish the entire "before mule" episode is moved to Foundation and this one is dedicated wholly to the Mule - it's rise as well as downfall!

U may wonder how i could give 4-stars to a book without writing even one positive thing about it - that's a hard-core Asimov fan for u! Am even appalled there is no dedicated Asimov group on GR!

Keeping aside my emotions - this particular book shows how a society ( a government) can't be too good to be true and still stand the test of time. It is always believed that the rise of the Foundation and the fall of the empire will solve the galaxy's problems. But its not to be. Even Foundation can lose its focus, its direction thereby exposing a chink in its armor to the most dangerous enemy of the galaxy ever - the Mule. But that brings forth the question - is the Mule really so dangerous? I believe so, because his agenda was always total domination (as a revenge upon humanity for his unhappy childhood) and i believe anything great that comes out of revenge can never sustain itself for long!

I can write on and on - wish to talk to more Asimovian fans out there.

3/1/13
Review coming shortly, in love with the Foundation series now!(less)

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Feb 14, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I am baffled as to why I liked this book and the previous one in the series, at least I am baffled as to how to explain it. This is about as conceptual as it gets. There is no protagonist, or maybe the protagonist is the human race, which might sound kind of original and exciting, but it really isn't. The characters themselves don't really get that much characterization, they are pawns in a game with no players and they're only "on stage" for a brief episode and then the epic sweep of time swats...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Onefinemess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Man, I am just not enjoying these as much as I hoped. Honestly, I can’t remember if I liked them the first time through or not, but I do remember that I thought (and still do) that the whole idea of psychohistory is pretty neat.

Unfortunately the execution has been un-exciting so far. Sure exciting things happen, and there was a big reveal at the end of this one AND he pulled a somewhat surprising punch and had the series seemingly switch gears midway (spoiler: the Foundation is defeated!) , whic...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Sergio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am reading the Foundation books in order of publication.

People should not expect anything more than two dimensional characters in a space opera; especially if they are reading this book after Foundation #1. The characters are only here to serve the plot, and I am fine with that.

Normally I wouldn't complain about an obvious plot twist, but this is a book with no character development and almost no action. By writing such a cerebral book, one would assume that Asimov was expecting readers to be...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Evano added it · review of another edition

This is the second book in the trilogy of the Foundation series, and yet again, Asimov strikes with a plot written in a genius way. At this moment, Asimov has tied previous events with the current ones so well. The book starts out with a general, General Riose trying to figure out if there is such an empire called the Foundation or not. He seeks the advice of dwellers outside of large cities, and traders that he can come into contact with. Along with these meetings comes his patriotism to the Em...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A trend is emerging in my reading habits: every eight or nine months, I break away from more intensive historical or biographical texts and retreat into the world of science fiction trilogies. Last year, it was The Hunger Games and the year before it was Ender's Games. This trend may reflect attempts to retreat from a stressful work environment, or it may be my effort to create more balance in reading genres. Whatever the case, I do appreciate a good sci-fi series.

Asimov, the true founder of th...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the g

...more

Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire—still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire’s glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon.

But not even Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the extraordinary creature called The Mule—a mutant intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle fleets…a power that can turn the strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.

From the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Led by its founding father, the great psycho-historian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire--still the mightiest force in the Galaxy, even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon. But not even Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the extraordinary creature called the Mule-a mutant intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle fleets. . .a power that could turn the strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.

From the Inside Flap

Although small and seemingly helpless, the Foundation had managed to survive against the greed of its neighboring warlords. But could it stand against the mighty power of the Empire, who had created a mutant man with the strength of a dozen battlefleets...?

From the Paperback edition.

(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Joseph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The original Foundation is the story of a galactic dark age; of a mighty interstellar empire crumbling from within and the attempt to stem the tide of barbarism using psycho-history, applying mathematical precision to complex social forces. Most of the conflicts involve the clashing motives of ambitious men (and yes, they're ALL men, it was the 50s after all) and the rolling tide of mass psychology. Foundation is a book that's big on ideas if short on character; it gave us The Encyclopedia Galac...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

"Foundation and Empire" continues the galactic saga begun in "Foundation". (see previous review) "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", used to be a familiar phrase. In this novel, Asimov starts out having the Empire distrust the seemingly unstoppable growth of the Foundation. Where as the Foundation is at the rim of the galaxy and the Emperor at its heart you'd think that there was room enough for both. But no, it is the growing influence, economic power, and technological advancements of the Fou...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Ariane Nazemi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 03, 2012 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As was to be expected, the plot has thickened in the second book in Asimov's Foundation series. The Foundation is very successful, but an unexpected adversary, The Mule, turns up, and threatens to overthrow the Foundation. Exciting things unfold.

As Krin pointed out in her comment on my post about Foundation, the way technology is handled in the books is interesting (or off-putting, depending on how you take it), from a retro-futuristic perspective. It's all about the "atomics" - all the cool adv...more As was to be expected, the plot has thickened in the second book in Asimov's Foundation series. The Foundation is very successful, but an unexpected adversary, The Mule, turns up, and threatens to overthrow the Foundation. Exciting things unfold.

As Krin pointed out in her comment on my post about Foundation, the way technology is handled in the books is interesting (or off-putting, depending on how you take it), from a retro-futuristic perspective. It's all about the "atomics" - all the cool advanced tech developed by the Foundation is atomic powered. Miniaturization is key - it's what makes the Foundation's tech way better than that of its opponents. And computers basically don't exist. It's an interesting window into a time when information was scarce, and even authors like Asimov didn't imagine a future in which technology would bring about an information-abundant world like ours is today. The plot of Foundation and Empire occurs when the Galactic Empire is in the last stages of its collapse, and people just don't know what is happening on the other side of the galaxy. I found it hard to comprehend; that people aren't able to just go and look that stuff up. A novel written today, even if it didn't allow for hyperspace communication, would have the traders (who can cross the galaxy in weeks with a series of hyperspace jumps) carrying CDs full of data about what's going on around the wider galaxy, which would then get bought and cheerfully uploaded to local planetary editions of wikipedia.

But, it was written in 1952, and Foundation is a look at the future as envisioned then. In other aspects, it still holds up, and it's interesting to see echoes of other science fiction in here - certainly, I can see some of its influence in Iain Banks - the space-opera-ness, and the wide whole-of-galaxy unfolding-history feel of the story. There are a surprising number of people and place names I recognise from the Star Wars series (plus the whole "Galactic Empire" thing (oh, and Trantor, the city-planet, basically identical to Coruscant)).(less)

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Aug 13, 2012 Perrin Pring rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I greatly enjoyed the Foundation and the Empire. It was not at all what I was expecting, as evidenced by upon bringing the book home and actually looking at it, I realized I had not actually bought first Foundation novel. Despite this unfortunate turn of events, I read the Foundation and the Empire anyway, and was glad I did.

First, I liked how Asimov gets to the point rather quickly. While no doubt my reading experience would have been bettered had I at least read the Foundation first, I never f...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Jason Logue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As predicted by Hari Seldon in The Foundation novel, the empire is slowly crumbling. The Foundation itself has developed and grown into merchants, traders and advanced physical scientists. They have an incredible hold on technology and political savvy as they exist on a small planet on the periphery of the galaxy. While staving off barbaric planets and systems, they must also content with the weakened tentacle of the Empire. While it has crumbled and is considerably antiquated in technology, the...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, political-philosophy, science-fiction, social-theory, reread

I began to reread the FOUNDATION series after reading "The Mammoth Book of Golden Age Science Fiction" (hereafter TMBGASF) edited by Isaac Asimov. The lesson of TMBGASF was to show me quite clearly that there was a lot of *really bad* sci-fi out there then (and now). Compared to most of the stories in TMBGASF, then contemporary stories by Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, and Asimov were and are much better. For all the flaws that some of these writers possess (particularly Asimov and Heinlein) it is...more I began to reread the FOUNDATION series after reading "The Mammoth Book of Golden Age Science Fiction" (hereafter TMBGASF) edited by Isaac Asimov. The lesson of TMBGASF was to show me quite clearly that there was a lot of *really bad* sci-fi out there then (and now). Compared to most of the stories in TMBGASF, then contemporary stories by Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, and Asimov were and are much better. For all the flaws that some of these writers possess (particularly Asimov and Heinlein) it is clear why these writers came to dominate the sci-fi literature.

"Foundation" (the first book), is a fun read and the stories are decently crafted. This book, "Foundation and Empire", is considerably weaker. I now know why I retained more of "Foundation" in my memory than this book. The weakness is not just in character creation (not an especial strength of Clarke either) but in the overstretched plot. The flight of the protagonists in the latter half of both stories ("The General" and "The Mule") stretch credulity and seem intended to drive the action by automatic pilot rather than being a natural extension of the protagonists own natures. In other words, the characters go where Asimov's story demand that they go because of the logic of the story, not because they would decide to go there. Of course (spoiler alert), the nature of one of the characters himself might be considered a possible reason for this lack of protagonist agency, but that seems a stretch.

As science fiction, and compared to the promise of "Foundation" itself, this book is a disappointment. It is not horrible and is a nice fun read on a plane flight, for instance. But it is not of good calibre.

However, as a work of speculative social and political philosophy, Foundation excels in raising one of the most fundamental questions that we can ask, namely: "IS SOCIAL THEORY POSSIBLE?"

Of course, this is the exactly the kind of nerdy observation that I would come up with as a Ph.D. student in sociology with a strong interest in social theory and political philosophy.

In "Foundation" Asimov takes a very strong "structural" take on the issue of social theory. That is, the very point of Hari Seldon's whole life's work is the contention that social structure, the actions of entire societies, trumps individual action. This viewpoint is essentially that of 2nd International "scientific" Marxists and many social scientists through to the 1960's (and echoed in biological determinism of the Skinnerian school).

In "Foundation and Empire" however, Asimov throws a wrench into the hyper-structuralist works by introducing the character of the "Mule". As a mutant, and therefore as a "strong individual" and agent of change, the Mule upsets Seldon's structuralist vision by single handedly changing the course of history. The allusion to both Hitler and Napoleon is too obvious to miss, but beyond that, the Mule reveals the enduring importance of individual human agency.

Asimov, through the character of Pritcher, introduces a couple of other potentially destabilizing variables such as technological change (Seldon's model assumed that there would be no significant technological change in the post-Imperial galaxy) and other factors.

As a social scientist, I therefore read these books with great interest not because Asimov "has all the answers", but that he brings up the issue of the predictiveness of social theory in the first place. It is important to note that at the time he published these two works - the early 1950's - there was a general consensus that social science was moving precisely in the direction that "psychohistory" suggested. For Asimov to start questioning this dogma, even in so imperfect and partial a way as he does here, is fascinating to me.

I have grown tired and impatient with those who couch such questions in highly abstract and impenetrable academic language. I have come to feel that this question is so important that it is necessary to reopen it in a public forum. I am not saying that everyone should go out and immediately read Asimov's Foundation series for this reason alone. However, for those with an interest in these sorts of issues and questions, Asimov is an interesting way to proceed. (less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Mirek Kukla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The awesomeness continues. In this second book of the foundation trilogy, the 200-year-old foundation - formed to shorten the duration of civilizations' unavoidable demise - teeters on the brink of collapse. Shit starts getting a bit crazy - plot twists abound as order in the galaxy continues to unravel. The age of religion gives way to the era of the merchant, which in turn has to face the looming threat a mysterious new conqueror known only as 'the mule.'

This second book in the trilogy is a bi...more

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May 30, 2012 Erika RS rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the three books of the foundation trilogy in such quick succession that I cannot separate them in my mind. So...

This is a trilogy with grand scope. The great galactic empire is falling, and the great psychohistorian, Hari Seldon, is the only one who knows how to shorten the period of chaos that will engulf the galaxy until a second empire is established. To this end, he establishes two Foundations to serve as the seeds of the new empire. This is their story.

As with much older science fict...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Aurochz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An alright sequel, that doesn't quite live up to its predecessor. I liked the direction it took. It made sense to question both the readers and the fictional universes faith in the foundation. I just didn't like how it played out or how drastically Asimov's writing style changed from the first to the second book.

In the first one everything in regards to writing was barebones. We knew nothing about the characters beyond what was necessary and we only got one or two chapters with each one at best...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Science Fiction and Suspese Fiction fans

This book was a little difficult for me to get into, mainly because it takes place more than a hundred years after the events in the previous book of the series ("Foundation"), and so all the characters I'd gotten to know are dead. But I quickly became engrossed as I continued to read and events unfold.

Like the previous book, the passage of time weighs heavy on the story. However, this book adds juicy details such as palace intrigue, wars and rumors of war, a seemingly unstoppable arch-villain,...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Al rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone reading the Foundation series

The Mule is making trouble for the Seldon plan. For the first time in the history of the Foundation, Seldon’s appearance in the time vault is focused on another, less important, problem that the Foundation was expected to be facing.

The Mule is purported to be a mutant, something not anticipated by Harry Seldon. And he’s gobbling up planets and empires like candy.

The story is told from several viewpoints, so it hops around a bit, but isn’t hard to follow.

This is my second reading of the book. I...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Prashanth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Continuing the foundation series is this book that deals with two stories intertwined with each other. Originally published in 1952, Asimov masterfully creates a future-history - telling the story of the past that is a future for the present! I do not find any alignment with this book - technically and philosopically (or more so in principle).

Science fiction is risky, what seemed to be impossible and magical 50 years back is taken for granted today. You have to give it to Mr.Asimov, who brillian...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Ricky Ganci rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 03, 2011 Greg rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

It's been a long time since I actually finished a book I hated through and through as much as I hated F&E, but I was determined that if I was going to give this a bad review I had to go ahead and read the entire thing to justify the rating in the face of those who feel one has to read an entire novel to have a valid opinion of its quality. Normally when I know after ten pages that I'm going to genuinely dislike a book I don't read much further.

I was hoping this would be better than Foundatio...more It's been a long time since I actually finished a book I hated through and through as much as I hated F&E, but I was determined that if I was going to give this a bad review I had to go ahead and read the entire thing to justify the rating in the face of those who feel one has to read an entire novel to have a valid opinion of its quality. Normally when I know after ten pages that I'm going to genuinely dislike a book I don't read much further.

I was hoping this would be better than Foundation. I read other reviews of that novel with die-hard fans defending it tooth-and-nail to those with even a mild dislike, and figured I should give the series another book's worth of time to gain some steam, since it seems what makes this series a classic award-winning science fiction masterpiece is the scope of its ideas. I am guessing that in 1952 the landscape of science fiction was pretty barren if this is the kind of book that really caught fire and propelled the genre onward and helped give Asimov a name and fan base, because it is quite literally painful, so so painful to read. If this was truly a groundbreaking series, then fine, I can understand its popularity for the time and its historical significance. What I don't get is how readers of today (who are over the age of 14) can take it in any way seriously.

I am a bit puzzled, however, by some of the negative reviews given to this book, because almost no one mentions how awful the actual writing is, and seem to be more distressed either that it's "too talky" or "not enough action" (come on people, read your dust-jackets, this thing has "non-stop action" and "nail-biting suspense"!). I think we actually may be irritated by the same things, but as I read and tried to formulate an opinion to nail down the issues under the surface of the laughable word choices (and name choices--wow, I don't think I've ever encountered dumber names for characters in a book), it was difficult to do, which was even more irritating. There are tons of things going on, and even though it might not be physically action-packed in the department of actual description of wars and battles, there is plenty to keep your mind busy. Asimov doesn't help, however, with his lack of skill in juggling these ideas and presenting them to the reader in a way that is engaging, instead of in a way that makes the reader continually back track and re-read because of "what the hell is going on here?"

There is indeed lots of "talky" going on in F&E. I can deal with dialogue-only books, no sweat. I think I may have narrowed down some of what gave me the willies reading this, and that is the style of Talky going on, plus the style of describing events, in which Asimov succeeds in making action occur in almost entirely meaningless, boring ways. It became a bit of high comedy for me to actually read the book in my head and play out the character actions as Asimov describes them. A classic example: 'With cold-eyed calm, Toran drove a protesting vessel from the vicinity of one star to that of another.' And possibly my favorite bit of dialogue descriptor: '"But nothing impends. Nothing hangs over us." Indbur almost wrung his hands for anxiety. With a sudden spasmodic recrudescence of ferocity, he screamed, "Will you get off my desk and let me put it in order?"' I had my own gleeful giggle over that sentence upon first encounter. Every page is jam-packed with material like that, and it doesn't take long for it to get in the way of the already hard-to-swallow ideas of Seldon's psychohistory and the progress of the ga-LAX-y of millions of planets. I feel so sorry for whoever had to perform the audio-book version of this, but I'm curious to listen to it to see how they handle instructions like "Toran cried in near-agony" and "Mis said, in a hoarse whisper" and "The thick voice was lost in a bubbling whisper" and "with an affectation of confidence" and "said the commissioner emphatically" on and on, etc.

Ah well, I wrote a lot for a book that I thought was terrible, and I'm not going to change anyone's mind amongst the fans. I needed to get this out of my system since I forced myself to read the entire thing and perhaps will help dissuade others from making the same error. Read one of Asimov's other 405 books. I read Prelude to Foundation many years ago and I don't remember it being that difficult, but then I had much more time to myself and had a lot of great books yet to read (heck I even choked down Atlas Shrugged not too long after that--couldn't do that today).(less)

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Jun 17, 2011 Pamela rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-futures, boring, disappointing, overrated, pointless, royal-snoozefest, sci-fi

I didn't like the first novel in this series, Foundation, at all. It was fragmentary at best, mind-numbingly boring at worst. I am surprised that people say that these are the novels that turned them on to science fiction--if it were me, I would have run screaming in directly the opposite direction.

Please don't take this to mean that I don't like and admire Asimov--I do! I really enjoyed the collection of stories in I, Robot (and yes, okay, I loved the movie too, and a lot of that had to do wit...more I didn't like the first novel in this series, Foundation, at all. It was fragmentary at best, mind-numbingly boring at worst. I am surprised that people say that these are the novels that turned them on to science fiction--if it were me, I would have run screaming in directly the opposite direction.

Please don't take this to mean that I don't like and admire Asimov--I do! I really enjoyed the collection of stories in I, Robot (and yes, okay, I loved the movie too, and a lot of that had to do with the wickedly cool car), and the premise of the Foundation stories is an interesting one. However, the idea of putting short stories together, jumping about wildly in time, and expecting it to be a cohesive whole just didn't work out for me.

At least in Foundation and Empire we're dealing with only two main story arcs, covered in two separate stories, but they feel like they don't really belong together. I'm sure down the line it will all look cohesive, but an author can only ask so much of his or her readers. "Hang on--it seems totally disjointed now, but twenty books down the line you'll see my wisdom!" Not really. The first story, dealing with a general who's an idealistic patriot, military genius, and totally deluded, had the potential to be interesting but ended very abruptly. Then, randomly picking up about a hundred years later (I think?!??! I was so confused as to the time periods being discussed--it could have been twenty years later. I don't know), we are introduced to a newly-married couple thrust by the groom's dad into interplanetary sneak work. They, and the Foundation, are facing an enemy called The Mule (hee haw!) who has risen from seemingly nowhere and who has gained an insane amount of power in a ridiculously short period of time.

Evidently, enough stuff happened to propel the book to its (frustratingly cliffhanger-y) ending, but I honestly couldn't tell you what happened, or why I should care about the characters acting this out. It's so flat that I cannot find words to describe it.

Another weakness, which isn't really Asimov's fault, I suppose, is that this super-advanced-in-time version of humans look, talk, dress, and act pretty much exactly the same as humans of Asimov's time. On the GALACTIC CAPITOL world of the freaking GALACTIC EMPIRE, they are printing newspapers. Yup, with paper and ink. If you were the super-imaginative genius Asimov was (or was supposed to be), wouldn't you have figured that in thousands of years, we would have moved past the newspaper? We can travel through hyperspace--but we still read newspapers?

I suppose that, in order to say that I've read it, and in order to continue my past record of book-related masochism, I'll have to read the third book. If it's even marginally better than the first two I may weep with joy.(less)

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Mar 19, 2011 Alex Telander rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

The second of the first Foundation trilogy, Foundation and Empire was originally published in 1952. Originally published as two novellas in Astounding Science Fiction, “The General” and “The Mule” cover the next two periods when the Foundation receives its first full-force attacks.

In “The General,” the Galactic Empire is well on its way to its inevitable end, but under the command of General Bel Riose, an attack is planned against the Foundation. Bel Riose has gone mad with power and will stop a...more The second of the first Foundation trilogy, Foundation and Empire was originally published in 1952. Originally published as two novellas in Astounding Science Fiction, “The General” and “The Mule” cover the next two periods when the Foundation receives its first full-force attacks.

In “The General,” the Galactic Empire is well on its way to its inevitable end, but under the command of General Bel Riose, an attack is planned against the Foundation. Bel Riose has gone mad with power and will stop at nothing to obliterate the Foundation, somehow believing they are behind the fall of the empire. He amounts huge forces if armored gunships with plans wipe the Foundation from the galaxy. But one man from the Foundation knows about this, and he also knows knowledge is power, and since the Foundation is soon as that which has all the knowledge, he knows Bel Riose can be stopped, so long as he gets to the Emperor before the general attacks.

In “The Mule,” the Galactic Empire has fallen into a selection of barbaric kingdoms, while the Foundation has become strong and powerful, but also full of corruption, composed of approximately thirty outer planets. But there is corruption within the ranks and things are stirring within the Foundation’s empire. Meanwhile there is a new leader who has rise, an enigmatic mutant known as “The Mule,” who has only known scorn and suffering and is a hardened creature who respects no one, but he also has the ability to read and control people’s emotions. It is up to two Foundation citizens, Toran and Bayta Darell, along with the Foundation’s only psychologist, Ebling Mis, and a strange, refugee clown “Magnifico Giganticus,” to search for the Second Foundation, set up by Hari Seldon originally when the Foundation was created, and stop this “Mule.”

Originally written on February 5, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.

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Feb 18, 2011 Benjamin Newland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads

Dear Kenny,

After I wrote you about Foundation, and mentioned the pre-destination aspect that was troubling me, you said to keep reading, that the author would deal with it in due course. I’m beginning to see how that happens, and I think I like it.

In Asimov’s story, where the future has been mapped by a genius who is now dead and who has erased his future-predicting discipline from the world (as far as we know, but are there hints…?), are all people subject to a rigid determinism where they live...more

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Dec 18, 2009 Annie McCall rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction

I am liking the Foundation series overall so far, but I have trouble keeping up with all of the names. I have to get used to a saga spanning centuries. The second book you can't read without the first, whereas in the 'Dirk Struan' James Clavell novels, you can read in any order and each can be its own self-contained story, only enriched by its preceding and its following books.

When a story spans centuries, such as this one, there must be a central theory or thread that ties them all together [o...more

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Jun 20, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Foundation and Empire," the second in a trilogy of classic science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov, is a must read for historians of science fiction. For those who like science fiction itself, this volume is also valuable. Asimov can madden, especially in his early novels, but his imagination is wonderful. His strength is conceptualizing systems (whether empires or cultures) and he often plays with big ideas.

I first read the trilogy while in college, and was fascinated. This triggered a long-la...more "Foundation and Empire," the second in a trilogy of classic science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov, is a must read for historians of science fiction. For those who like science fiction itself, this volume is also valuable. Asimov can madden, especially in his early novels, but his imagination is wonderful. His strength is conceptualizing systems (whether empires or cultures) and he often plays with big ideas.

I first read the trilogy while in college, and was fascinated. This triggered a long-lasting interest in the fiction of Isaac Asimov (and some of his non-fiction works, as well). Those familiar with this trilogy know that the key character is psychohistorian Hari Seldon, who believes that one can predict the behavior of large masses of people via mathematical equations and, thus, predict how events will develop in the future.

This book is a bridge between the novel "Foundation" and the third in the series, "Second Foundation." And, of course, later in his career, Asimov returned to the Foundation well--with more interesting and literary results.

This novel focuses on two instances--one, the rise of a youthful and talented military leader who goes after the Foundation. And, just as Hari Seldon's mathematical equations predicted, he failed. The logic for this is classic Asimov, and represents why he was so entertaining to read, even though his characters have little life in these works and even though his writing style is, at best, functional in these works (he improved with time).

Then, there is the case of the Mule, where Seldon's equations failed in prediction. And that itself is fascinating, as explained in this novel. Thus, the comparison of the correct prediction and the failed prediction add some real heft to Asimov's tale of the rise of the Foundation as the Empire slowly descends to its end.

For those who have never read Asimov, the Foundation trilogy is a good place to get a sense of his talents, of seeing big pictures. His writing style is not great, but the images of this future that he developed are compelling. I still enjoy going back to the Foundation series, the Robot series, and their fusion as Asimov's vision evolved.
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Dec 20, 2011 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While it doesn't have the brevity of the first book or the unique feel to it. Foundation And Empire brings the second set of stories in the Foundation series into a single book. It feels a bit longer while not necessarily being so, this is probably due to the fact it is two stories, instead of four. It is a reasonably quick read however.

The first story is not the best in my opinion. While it has one of the best characters, the character in the story is outside of the main Foundation story, and...more

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About Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered the most prolific writer of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine of the te...more Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered the most prolific writer of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (lacking only an entry in the 100s category of Philosophy).

Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He penned numerous short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time, a title many still honor. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as a great amount of nonfiction. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.

Most of Asimov's popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, and Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs" He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, NY elementary school, and two different Isaac Asimov Awards are named in his honor.

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“Society is much more easily soothed than one's own conscience.” — 13 people liked it

“The human mind works at low efficiency. Twenty percent is the figure usually given. When, momentarily, there is a flash of greater power, it is termed a hunch, or insight, or intuition.” — 13 people liked it

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