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Summary: The search for man's origins; for Earth.
Review: This novel won the 1983 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year. This book is the sequel to Asimov's Second Foundation (1953), beginning about 98 years after the end of the events described in that novel. It is, in turn, followed by Foundation and Earth (1986). In this story, a renegade Councilman of the First Foundation (Golan Trevize), together with a historian, are sent out ostensibly to search for the original planet from which man comes (Earth). Actually, Trevize is in search for the Second Foundation, which most of the members of the First Foundation believed to have been destroyed. A renegade leader of the "underground" Second Foundation sets out to stop him. They both discover another controlling force in the galaxy. Personally, I disliked the "pat" ending somewhat. But, perhaps that is mere inducement to read the next book in the series.
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Summary: Awesomely magnificent. Immaculate.
Review: Two altogether likable characters, Golan Trevize, and Janov Pelorat are thrown together and commence an around the galaxy jaunt that eventually leads them to a profound revelation about the Foundation, humankind, and Life itself. A work of Godly perfection.
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Summary: Starts off promising but betrays the original trilogy.
Review: I can't possibly say enough good things about the original trilogy. I thought that those books were incredible in their scope and aims. That's why I hate this book. Asimov starts it off great and he gets you interested. But by the end he has basically taken what made you love the original three books and thrown it out the airlock. I can't say anything more about what he does because that would constitute a spoiler. But be advised: if you like the original trilogy because of its over all plot, stay away from this book! You'll wonder how Mr. Asimov could do this to his own series. It probably deserves more than one star but because of the ending I just can't give it anything else.
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Summary: Edgy Readers Too Hasty To Condemn
Review: Asimov's Foundation's Edge is often frowned upon by some readers. Basis for this disposition is fueled by claims that it "abandons the novels before it", and "the annulment of the Seldon Plan". Asimov repealed the axioms of Seldon for a reason: nothing is sacred. Although Seldon's plan was a boon to humanity and a tool for limiting the destruction of civilization, even Seldon is human, and being human, makes mistakes. The flaw in Seldon's plan is that it is not flexible and treats humans as numbers, which they are, to a certain extent, but no human can be put into a computer and duplicated by mere digits. Asimov was probably trying to show the eventual fallibility of any human device, which some readers had a hard time accepting. Before we look at Foundation's Edge as untrue to the preceding novels, we should first examine the statements of the earlier books.
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Summary: Worthy of the Foundation name
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It can stand alone as a book but it also links together with the Foundation Trilogy very well.I liked seeing that the Foundation still survived and that the Second Foundation are just as human as us with their petty differences and their selfish motives. This also makes me tend to agree to a third alternative. I can't reveal anything but I think the ending was pretty good. Some people seem to think the Seldon Plan will be destroyed but why should it? Hari Seldon only calls for the Plan to create the rise of the Second Galactic Empire. Anything that happens after that is fair play and I happen to think Seldon would want people to do things for themselves. All in all, I highly recommend this book and any other book with the name Foundation in it, especially Forward the Foundation if you haven't read it yet.
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Summary: GALAXIA?! and ROBOTS?!!?!?!?!?!
Review: Ok. This book is incredibly incredibly great. It is well written, and about 5/6 of the book is perfect! Then there are robots and galaxia. I'm sure that many of you don't agree with me, but I think Galaxia is pretty lame and not a good ending for this massively good book.
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Summary: A Worthy Continuation of the Foundation Saga!
Review: Isaac Asimov continues the Foundation Story in this 4th installment of the series, published around 30 years after the original trilogy. In Foundation's Edge, Asimov does a great job of continuing and expanding the Foundation story without missing a beat, despite the amount of time between this book and the first 3 books. The novel's style is somewhat different from the original trilogy in that it has somewhat more depth and more sophistication. This is only expected, however, considering this novel was published in the 1980s, and the original trilogy was published 50 years ago in "pulp" monthly magazine format. Foundation's Edge is also close to 500 pages, wheras the entire original trilogy, combined, wasn't much more. The book follows members of both the 1st and 2nd Foundations who believe that some force in the Galaxy, besides either of the Foundations, is at work controlling the Seldon Plan and causing it to proceed a little perfectly. But who or what is controlling it nobody knows, nor what their ultimate intentions are. Not knowing if the mysteryious third party means good or bad for the Foundations (and the Galaxy, in general), the characters must discover the truth, or else it could mean the end of both of the Foundation's as well as Hari Seldon's vision for a new empire. This was a very enjoyable book to read and flowed well from cover to cover. As with many of Asimov's novel, this sci-fi reads like a mystery in which characters are missing major pieces of the puzzle, but must seek to uncover the truth. The ending may be considered a little disapointing by some in that it basically winds up heading the galaxy in a completely different direction than the original trilogy. It's always a bit dissapointing when an author basically contradicts what readers believed from reading previous books in a series. However, all in all, I strongly recommend the entire series to be read (and in the order published, I might add!)
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Summary: Worthy of being hailed as a separate classic
Review: I agree with those that feel that Foundation's Edge is a departure from the previous series. As a totally stand-alone tale, however, it is nothing short of excellent portraying a capacity of storytelling and vision that is unequaled by today's authors. The essence of this book is the importance of history (Trevize's journey "back" to Earth) and Asimov's concern for the importance of the human soul. This work is Asimov's reminder to us all that the human soul, despite "God" and Hari Seldon's own religion should never be inderestimated.
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Summary: A Great Stand-alone Asimov Foundation Classic
Review: "Foundation's Edge" chronicles yet another stage in the development of Hari Seldon's vision;perhaps one of the most inspired chapters yet. There is, in its pages, a suggestion of a link between Asimov's Foundation Universe and the universes of his other novels.
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Summary: Asimov Returns to the Foundations in Full-Bodied Form
Review: This, the fourth novel in the "Foundation Series", is quite different in tone from the classic, preceding 3 novels which established the legend. While the original 3 books dealt with the evolution of Seldon's Plan in a more cursory, time-jumping fashion, "Foundation's Edge" focuses on one group of characters (intuitive Terminus Councilman Golan Trevize and avuncular earth-seeking historian Janorav Pelorat) in their journey throughout the galaxy, looking to draw out the Second Foundation. Some cannot make the adjustment to the more garrulous, leisurely style of this book, when contrasted to the sparse, tightly controlled plotting and prose of the original trilogy. In this way, it mirrors the differences between The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. However, Asimov still has the ability to make us imagine a future we will never see, and thrill to the chase and counter-chase between the two Foundations and a mysterious, outside force. Take the trip. Relax. Let Asimov put you on-board a gravitic starship, supposedly searching for the lost homeworld of humanity's origin, while actually hurtling towards a confrontation at "intersection point" that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
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