Second Foundation

Rating:
Summary: Decent, and better writing than the previous "Foundation's"
Review: "Second Foundation" is the third book in the "Foundation Novels," and is pretty good. It is a nice conclusion to the original trilogy. One big problem, however, is the fact that the writing style is so much different than the first book. It is almost like another author wrote this book. This is not such a bad thing, except it just has a totally different feel to it from the rest of the series thus far. I like my multi-book series's to have a continuity of voice and prose that make it just seem like one big novel, broken up into little pieces.

The problem lies in the characters (or lack there of) between the books. "Foundation" had so many more characters and each of them was in the book for a very short amount of time. Then, in "Foundation and Empire," there are fewer characters, and each is in for a little more time - not much, but a little. Then in "Second Foundation," the characters are in the book for... [wait for it...] the WHOLE BOOK! It's a good book, just drasically different from the previous books in the terms of writing style. It seems that each book in the series has grown by a factor of ten as being a well written story.

Hopefully if this continues, then "Foundation's Edge" will be a blowout, except I think I recall saying that in my "Foundation and Empire" review. All in all, good book, but definately not the best.

Rating:
Summary: The End Of The Original
Review: "Second Foundation" was published in 1953, and is the last of the three novels in the original "Foundation Trilogy". As with "Foundation And Empire", it is made up of two sections which are taken from shorter fiction that was published in "Astounding Science Fiction" in the 1940s. "Second Foundation" maintains the higher level of quality that was displayed in the second novel, but there are still some signs of age.

The two sections of "Second Foundation" are:

"Search By The Mule" - The Mule notices that some of the minds under his control are being interfered with. He sends two people, one with a controlled mind, Han Pritcher, and one uncontrolled, Bail Channis to search for the Second Foundation so that he may destroy them. This was first published as the novella "Now You See It..." in the January 1948 edition of "Astounding Science Fiction".

"Search By The Foundation" - After the Mule dies the First Foundation rises again. A group of scientists search for the Second Foundation in secret. They want the First Foundation to be free from others' control. They believe the Mule may have located the Second Foundation before he gave up his search. This was first published as the novella "...And Now You Don't" in "Astounding Science Fiction" in November and December of 1949.

The trilogy has been recognized by readers and critics alike over the years. In 1952, even before the last book was published, the trilogy was rated as the 15th best book overall by the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll. It moved up to 12th on the same poll in 1956, and then to 1st in 1966. In 1975 it was ranked 6th on the Locus poll for All-Time Novels. In 1987 it was 6th on the same poll for SF Novels. In 1998 it was ranked 4th on the same poll for novels before 1990. It also received the 1966 Hugo for All-Time Series, beating out Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings", Smith's "Lensman", Heinlein's "Future History", and Burroughs' "Barsoom" series for the award.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've ever read!
Review: "Second Foundation" is definitely the best book I've ever read, Along with "Foundation & Empire". Those two books (especially "Second Foundation) are a 'must-read' for all science fiction lovers! Happy Reading!

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing exploration of the possible future
Review: After the First Foundation was taken over by the Mule, only the Second Foundation stood between order and the utter destruction the Mule would bring. This story brings that tension to a climax.

Rating:
Summary: On with the Foundation...
Review: Again, like Foundation, it is a little dry, but character development is hard in a story that spans over multiple centuries...something that is easier to manage in the Second Foundation because it is more focused on one generations struggle for their part in the evolution of the Foundation. A very solid read and classic Asimov.

Rating:
Summary: This was one of the best books ever written.
Review: Asimov wrote this book over twenty years ago, and it hasn't lost its charm. The book gives you the long awaited answers (as well as some more questions) to the mystery of the Second Foundation. He has beautifully crafted his characters so that they seem real, and you learn to love or hate them, depending on what he wanted you to do. Your feelings and suspense are controlled just the way Asimov wanted, as if the Mule himself was doing the thinking for you. Absolutely one of the best in the series, and if it was the last, it would certainly make a smashing conclusion

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Web of Intrigue to Close the Trilogy
Review: Asimov's classic original trilogy comes to a close in this ambitious finale. Here Asimov has really gone over the top with political and intellectual intrigue, which propels the two main plot elements. As with the two previous Foundation novels, there are actually two shorter stories here that take place decades apart. In this installment Hari Seldon's plan gets back on track after being disrupted by the mutant known as the Mule, with the mythical Second Foundation starting to peek out from behind the scenes. Who works for whom, who's a traitor or not, and whether or not the Second Foundation even really exists are all intricately played out by a series of intelligent and conspiratorial characters in relentlessly tangled webs of intrigue. In fact, this book has the most well-defined characters yet to appear in the Foundation series, especially the young Arcadia. The original Foundation saga is wrapped up nicely here as the original trilogy comes to a close. Of course, Asimov's creation is so expansive that there was plenty of room for more speculation and development of the story, leading to the prequels and sequels that Asimov continued to crank out for this classic series.

Rating:
Summary: The third novel in Asimov's powerful Foundation series.
Review: Being a hopeless Asimov fan I have to give all his booksa 10. In Second Foundation, we see Seldon's plan in evengreater depth. Much of the nature of the Second Foundation is revealed in the fight with the Mule and their continued influence in the development of the First Foundation. As always Asimov's indepth exploration of the nature of humanity as a whole and the power of reason has created yet another fascinating work.

Rating:
Summary: The ending of the original classic Foundation Triology
Review: By the time you get to 'Second Foundation,' the final volume in the original Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, there is no real need to keep on with the effort to persuade you to keep on reading. Instead it would be more beneficial to look at the original trilogy as a whole and consider why it stands out as one of the greatest in the realm of Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Simply compare the Foundation Trilogy with the two other, admittedly more popular, trilogies: 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Wars.' In the former it is established that the One Ring has to be destroyed and from that point on Tolkien's story is devoted to getting that accomplished and trying to return peace to Middle Earth. In the latter it becomes clear at the end of the first film (of the original trilogy) that the story will end when Luke Skywalker kills Darth Vader at the end of the third film, which means that Darth will have to defeat Luke at the end of the second. That is indeed what happens, although George Lucas did throw a big twist into the picture.

In comparison the genius of the Foundation Trilogy is that the three volumes are so different. 'Foundation' establishes the theory and practice of psychohistory, as Hari Seldon's master plan for reducing the inevitable barbarism of the time between galactic empires to a single millennium. But then 'Foundation and Empire' finds the plan disrupted by the threat of the genetic mutant the Mule, and the careful progression of the first novel is replaced by a crisis that is an unforeseen Seldon Crisis. However, with 'Second Foundation' there is a new agenda, as both the Foundation and the Mule search for the location of the titular entity. The purpose of the hidden Second Foundation is to protect the first, but the members of the original Foundation do not like the idea of its existence any more than does the Mule. Consequently, the race is on to discover the truth.

What Asimov has created is a classic example of a dialectic, more so in terms of claim, challenge, and correction rather than thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Not only does it represent the dialectic, the Foundation Trilogy embodies it as well, because that is the principle behind how the Seldon Plan works and adjusts to changes both small and large as the universe plays outs its history. It does not have the great depth and richness of Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' or the style and flair of Lucas's 'Star Wars.' But then Asimov always represented striped down narratives, where the characters would have intense discussions about scientific principles, which usually boiled down to his belief that science could solve any and all human problems.

Because the Foundation Trilogy is a landmark in the history of science fiction it now enjoys a significance that goes beyond its merit as a story. Eventually Asimov would connect this series with both his Empire and his Robot novels, but it is still important to remember the Foundation Trilogy on its own terms. Even with 'Second Foundation,' there is something intrinsically enjoyable in the way that Asimov offers plausible solution after plausible solution before revealing the solution that was true.

Rating:
Summary: The ending of the original classic Foundation Triology
Review: By the time you get to �Second Foundation,� the final volume in the original Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, there is no real need to keep on with the effort to persuade you to keep on reading. Instead it would be more beneficial to look at the original trilogy as a whole and consider why it stands out as one of the greatest in the realm of Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Simply compare the Foundation Trilogy with the two other, admittedly more popular, trilogies: �Lord of the Rings� and �Star Wars.� In the former it is established that the One Ring has to be destroyed and from that point on Tolkien�s story is devoted to getting that accomplished and trying to return peace to Middle Earth. In the latter it becomes clear at the end of the first film (of the original trilogy) that the story will end when Luke Skywalker kills Darth Vader at the end of the third film, which means that Darth will have to defeat Luke at the end of the second. That is indeed what happens, although George Lucas did throw a big twist into the picture.

In comparison the genius of the Foundation Trilogy is that the three volumes are so different. �Foundation� establishes the theory and practice of psychohistory, as Hari Seldon�s master plan for reducing the inevitable barbarism of the time between galactic empires to a single millennium. But then �Foundation and Empire� finds the plan disrupted by the threat of the genetic mutant the Mule, and the careful progression of the first novel is replaced by a crisis that is an unforeseen Seldon Crisis. However, with �Second Foundation� there is a new agenda, as both the Foundation and the Mule search for the location of the titular entity. The purpose of the hidden Second Foundation is to protect the first, but the members of the original Foundation do not like the idea of its existence any more than does the Mule. Consequently, the race is on to discover the truth.

What Asimov has created is a classic example of a dialectic, more so in terms of claim, challenge, and correction rather than thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Not only does it represent the dialectic, the Foundation Trilogy embodies it as well, because that is the principle behind how the Seldon Plan works and adjusts to changes both small and large as the universe plays outs its history. It does not have the great depth and richness of Tolkien�s �Lord of the Rings,� or the style and flair of Lucas�s �Star Wars.� But then Asimov always represented striped down narratives, where the characters would have intense discussions about scientific principles, which usually boiled down to his belief that science could solve any and all human problems.

Because the Foundation Trilogy is a landmark in the history of science fiction it now enjoys a significance that goes beyond its merit as a story. Eventually Asimov would connect this series with both his Empire and his Robot novels, but it is still important to remember the Foundation Trilogy on its own terms. Even with �Second Foundation,� there is something intrinsically enjoyable in the way that Asimov offers plausible solution after plausible solution before revealing the solution that was true.