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Summary: All of the Sudden--another plot twist!
Review: We are now in yet another generation, which makes it hard to follow the series without the ability to attach to the characters like you nornally can. A couple new characters get featured here that you will follow through Foundation and Earth. You are nearing the end of the story and for an ending as big as Asimov is planning he needs to start the finale process already in the second to last book!
Rating: 
Summary: Great followup
Review: Ok - if one were to follow just the books we have had a Prequel to Foundation, then the series itself, and now this Sequel. But all the while, Asimov has been expanding and introducing many externals, principally robots and their story and making it coincide with the Foundation Series. Again, Asimov has an advantage of writing 30+ years after the publication of the original stories. This has allowed further advances in technology and more time to flesh out the story. We are involved with two men - Golan Trvize, an rebel of sorts who is searching for the mysterious Second Foundation and Stor Gendeibel who is part of the Second Foundation. They are both interested in the ancient planet "Earth" and somewhere along the way they end up on Gaia, that was obviously settled long ago by humans. Sorry, but the characters in here just do not excite. They are worse that Asimov's usually lackluster rendering and I just can't keep them in mind after the story has concluded. Also, the action toward the end gets confused as if Asimov suddenly had a change of heart or (more likely) he had an idea for a future book and had to incorporate some information here to make it work. I was expecting something different, something more. Maybe next time.
Rating:
Summary: What a great followup
Review: Isaac Asimov has had a lot of time to reenergize himself into another Foundation novel and this one is one of his best. For one thing, the whopping plot hole in "Second Foundation" is addressed (e.g. I never could accept The First Foundation so easily accepting the 'fake' destruction of the Second Foundation.). In this book, Asimov from the start confronts that error!
Foundations Edge starts off, without revealing too much, introducing a young Foundationer who sets out to discover the location of the Second Foundation and along the way gets introduced to the concept of Earth where all of humanity is supposively originated from. The Second Foundation of course is hot on the trail trying to discover who or what is really going on suspecting that this Foundationer is really more than he seems. What results is a bit of a "road picture plot" , but a very suspensful one. The conclusion is a terrific confrontation between the First Foundation, the Second Foundation, and a third force unlike anything we have encountered before in these books.
Along the way Asimov has lots of time to talk science advancement, race theory and of course logically realizes that his original idea had a flaw: The First Foundation is managed by the forces of the Second Foundation, but of course who keeps track of the Second Foundation? Asimov introduces the idea of checks and balances in a very brilliant way. There are plots within plots within plots and Asimov never slows the pace down and keeps the book going. I would call it one of my all time favorite reads. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the follow up "Foundation and Earth" which could have ended the series on a much higher note. As is, I like to think it ended with this book instead!
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Summary: The older, mature Asimov's visit to his youthful creation
Review: It seems to me that so many have missed a very important point at what's happened here. Isaac Asimov created, in his youth and from his brilliance, a future universe. Then, as is so with all authors, he moved on to other projects, developing his philosophy and his story telling skills and also his sense of humor as his career continued. Of his own, he really had no idea of returning to Foundation, but of course, readers wanted and began to demand more. Finally, his publishers applied pressure, and the result was FOUNDATIONS EDGE, FOUNDATION AND EARTH, PRELUDE TO FOUNDATION, & FORWARD THE FOUNDATION. Just as the earlier "novels" were actually shorter stories strung together, FOUNDATIONS EDGE and FOUNDATION AND EARTH are two longer segments of the next step in his future history. Much has happened during the thirty years to affect the author's philosophy, and these two books which represent the necessary trip back to the beginning of it all reflect changes in thinking and of course of advances in scientific knowledge. We see what is happening from two different viewpoints, the First Foundation viewpoint and the Second Foundation viewpoint. Each has its flaws and one can see that the Second Empire will indeed be deeply flawed if either of the foundations has its way over the other. Humanity, however, is being guided by intelligence beyond that of Hari Seldon's plan, and those who have read PRELUDE TO FOUNDATION are quite aware of this. FOUNDATION'S EDGE works to lead us in the direction of the true master plan. Read this book with an open mind, and do continue the thread by reading FOUNDATION AND EARTH before coming to concussions...er, conclusions...about it.
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