Rating: Summary: Great! Review: Defnetly Asimov's best book in the "Foundation" serie
Rating: Summary: Psychological deception makes for incredible SF Review: Every one of the Foundation novels (with the exception of _Foundation_), no matter when it was written, is not about Terminus, Trantor, Kalgan, or galactic warfare involving these planets. Rather, all the books are about deception through psychology. The amazing skill Asimov displayed in these books was the ability to pull the rug out from under the reader on the very last sentence of the very last page. Be warned, all those who begin reading the Foundation novels--nothing is as it seems.The last words of this book will make you wish you could read it again for the first time
Rating: Summary: the best book in a fantastic series Review: Fast-paced, mysterious, one damn cool heroine, and ooh, that show-down with the Mule...! The only PROBLEM with this book is that you wish Asimov could have continued to write the rest of the series in this calibre, but, unfortunately, while good and well-written, the next four books just aren't the same. In his third book in the excellent Foundation series, Asimov wraps up the lose ends created in "Foundation and Empire." Too many times have I read series where the ending just never lived up to the set-up. Not so, here! Oh, a clever reader should be able to figure out how the Mule can be thwarted and where the Second Foundation is, but it is proof of Asimov's greatness that you are STILL gripped with anticipation and excitement, one the edge of your seat at all times! (And for those who were troubled by how dated the first book was, surprise! Like Bayta from "Empire", our heroine, Arkady, is a spirited, resourceful young woman, and this time there ARE women in key roles on the Second Foundation project.) Finally, by bringing the element of humanity to such prominence, Asimov transcends all genres of literature, making his Foundation entirely accessible to a reader of any genre. THIS IS WHAT SCIENCE FICTION IS ALL ABOUT!!
Rating: Summary: It's great to see the Foundations hanging by a thread!!! Review: Having read both the Robot novels and all of the Foundation series, I can truthfully say that the intesity and excitement was definitely placed heavily into this book. The active 2nd Foundation stirs up lots of mystery in this dark futuristic series. It answers and asks a lot of questions. Asimov has an impeccable choice of words and phrases that leave you begging for more. He truly is the madman and master of all science fiction. He places this genre of literature at a level unreachable by any other than perhaps Shakespeare himself. He has done to the written work what George Lucas has done to the film industry. Only Prelude and Forward are better devised writings. I look forward to seeing what the "killer bee's" do with the next trilogy!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Must read in the sequence. Review: Hello:-) If you have read original Foundation, then this is a must read. You can skip "Foundation and Empire", although it's a good idea to have read both these. This book starts with a powerful "Mule" who conquered foundation in the second book..(Foundation and Empire). The Mule has powers to mold people's minds to suit his needs, and the foundation falls to these psychic powers. However, this Mule is mysteriously "calmed" in his later years from his thirst to conquer the galaxy. You will unearth the mystery in the book, but the foundation people are not so fortunate. Even though foundation frees and again rises to old glory after mule's death, the question haunts them. How was Mule defeated? As foundation's doubts start growing, Hari Seldon's plan becomes endagered. Is there really a second foundation? And if there is, where is it? Perhaps a girl knows this secret and she must protect it and herself at all costs. How does she do it? Meanwhile the politics in the neighborhood culminates and foundation starts a war with powerful enemies. Does Seldon scheme exist anymore? Or has it already fallen, which began from the rise of the Mule? These are real questions and to know their answers, you must read the book. The last page is really shocking and we are left with nothing, but marvelling at the superb skills of Asimov. Truely fascinating. Nothing short of excitement from a suspence fiction. A must read:-)
Rating: Summary: ...story Review: i can't beleive for the reviews i read here - some guy say "i didn't like the story" and give the book 5 stars - why ? because it's asimov !.but beleive me, asimov wasn't a very bright writer. he had some cute books, and some interesting ideas (robots for instance), but was more like a juvenile SF book writer. this book is one of is last, and hance is pretty bad. this book suppose to tell you what and where was the second foundation all about(reffer to previews books in series), but of course it doesn't !. i didn't even understand what was the diffrence between the "mule" and the second foundation, since they used same technics and had similar goals. anyway, the second foundation doesn;t sound very good to me - a group of elite people, that has mental control over other people, and has the right to control history - too much risky !, sound like marks and eggels - this ideas maybee apeel to the teenagers, but loose their charm, when it comes for more muture readers.
Rating: Summary: Masterful end to the original trilogy Review: I enjoyed Foundation, and Foundation and Empire even more, but Second Foundation is truly the pinnacle of the series, and a masterpiece. Very tightly and interestingly written, it begins with the story of the Mule's search for the second Foundation. This is an extremely interesting portion of the story, and makes for a great, fascinating read. It picks up on the semi-cliffhanger ending of Foundation and Empire, and wraps up that part of the story in worthy style. The second (and lengthier) part of the book deals with first Foundation's search for the said second Foundation. This is truly interesting as well, and the plot goes through so many twists and turns that your head will be reeling by the end! You really have to give it up for Asimov, as he truly wrote it masterfully, tying up nearly every single loosed end in the series, and creating a reel of suspense and intrigue that should be commended on any level. I guarantee you, the last couple of chapters will have you frantically flicking back to earlier ones to look over tiny little points that you may have missed. A truly compelling read. A masterpiece. Read it.
Rating: Summary: Last in the trilogy Review: I enjoyed the Foundation series very much, and I would recomend it to anyone. If you have read the first two then there is no reason to not read the Second Foundation, I just found it anti-climatic. I generally enjoy more of a firm ending, and I know that Asimov goes on to write more in the series, but I wanted an end with more of an explination about Seldon and his work.
Rating: Summary: Very nice book! Review: I liked it very very much. I couldn't put it down. I stayed up a whole night reading it!!
Rating: Summary: Worth the ride Review: If you've read Foundation and Foundation and Empire, I see no reason why you wouldn't want to read this last installment. Foundation and Empire ended on the most amazing twist ever put to paper. A review would be pointless. Besides, most reviews are a sharing of opinions between people who have read the books, rather than providing insight for those that haven't. If you haven't read them, please do, and do so like the first Foundation, blindly and with no knowledge of the secrets that are to come. By now you know who the Mule is, his powers, and his purpose. Asimov so far only hinted at the Second Foundation, and why it must be kept secret. To defeat the Mule, they had to reveal themselves. That makes up the first half of the book. What would happen when a group of psychologists with superior mental powers face a mutant with equal or greater powers? There is no actual "battle," and this might be disappointing. The anticlimax builds to a quick defeat for the Mule, but I think it was the only way Asimov could have handled it. Asimov wanted to end the series there, but his editor at the time, John W. Campbell, would have none of it. Good thing, too, because it gets more exciting. Now that the first Foundation is aware of the Second, their actions are now random, based on their belief that the Second Foundation will help them through any crisis, and therefore unpredictable. The Second Foundation must now come up with a plan of their own to convince the first that they no longer exist. No small feat. The first Foundation let themselves be guided for so long, that they no longer think or act for themselves, despite their military and economic might. Hmm, maybe we could learn something from this. The Foundation is not yet ready for a ruling class of psychologists, and would resent their authority. Is the Second Foundation therefore their enemy? You might ask yourself this. This last part of the book centers on Arcadia Darell, the granddaughter of Bayta Darell, whom you know from F&E. Her romantic and adventerous spirit leads her to stowaway on board a ship with her "uncle" to search the Mule's records, and find out more about the Second Foundation. Asimov is not only one of the best science fiction writers, he is also an excellent mystery writer, and "SF" reads like a great thriller. But don't skip to the end, which is just as amazing as Foundation and Empire. When you think you know everything, guess again. Each of the books stands on its own as a classic of science fiction, but I prefer to take these books as a whole. The other books in the series are okay, but redundant. All the excitement is concentrated into these three books.
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