Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying continuation of FOUNDATION'S EDGE"'s threads
Review: As I mentioned in my FOUNDATION'S EDGE review, these two are best enjoyed read as if one book. The search for Earth continues without missing a beat and leads to a return to two planets familiar to those familiar with the Robot novels, Aurora and Solaria. The mystery of the missing Solarians is solved. Also, a major thread from PRELUDE TO FOUNDATION is continued here. There's much less conflict between factions here, but the spacefarers do need to remain alert to possible treachery during their travels. A new character appears, one which obviously Asimov had plans for in future novels. There's a lot more philosophy in the later novels and much dialogue among the various characters as they voice their perception of events. Asimov remains the consummate story teller and while he came back to this series with a perspective and a perception he lacked in earlier novels, we have not so much a new direction as a logical development as we learn more of the over all nature of Isaac Asimov's galazy.
Rating:
Summary: Gives a reasonably good end to the series
Review: I have to start by saying, read Asimov's "End of Eternity". It is by far his best SF work and may be the best SF novel I've ever read. I think a lot of the reviews have been unduly harsh on Foundation and Earth. I thought this book was engaging and had a pretty good end that has me excited to go read the robot and empire novels. Also, while the book really gave an end to the series in a meaningful way, it did leave open a possible future story that the Asimov estate could allow someone to write.
Rating:
Summary: Gives a reasonably good end to the series
Review: I have to start by saying, read Asimov's "End of Eternity". It is by far his best SF work and may be the best SF novel I've ever read. I think a lot of the reviews have been unduly harsh on Foundation and Earth. I thought this book was engaging and had a pretty good end that has me excited to go read the robot and empire novels. Also, while the book really gave an end to the series in a meaningful way, it did leave open a possible future story that the Asimov estate could allow someone to write.
Rating: 
Summary: Going downhill
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series and many novels in the accompanying Robot saga. But the sequels to the series do not - or cannot - measure up to the original. Maybe the story has been done and it is increasingly difficult to introduce new material. For the Series itself, the Mule and the location of the Second Foundation were welcome diversions. Then there is the entire drama of the robots and their universe. But at some point you have to say, "enough is enough". The same boring characters that were in the previous work are back and boring as ever. I can put up with the lack of character development if there is a simultaneous introduction of new ideas but that is not the case here. Their journeys are boring, their findings are boring, the writing is boring. I started skipping pages to find something "interesting". At times the writing is almost like that done by machines - as if word after word were mechanically produced on a "need to be" basis. Wish I could say something more positive but I can't.
Rating:
Summary: It's Not Real
Review: I thought Foundation's Edge was vaguely depressing. This is worse. Increasingly there are levels of psychic control, and like the Aes Sedai of the never-ending Wheel of Time, those that think they are all-powerful find another above them with more power. But Asimov does all he can to exclude the possibility of a supernatural power that is above it all. Everything is always deeply materialistically and scientifically explainable. All events, whether by Gaians or 2nd Foundationers or robots- originally stem from something that humanity has created, or which has evolved through natural selection within humanity. Nothing is numinous, and beyond the thoughts and understanding of humanity. And ultimately, this creates a very depressing outlook of the world. Real life is more interesting. Real life is more exciting.
It's annoying too, when the twist at the end of the previous novel, Foundation's Edge, turns out to be only in the protagonist's perception, and not actually reality. I feel cheated, and tricked. And then, when other mysteries are added on, I find finally that not all the mysteries are answered, and now never will be- indeed, major questions remain at the end of this book. This is a major mistake within the genre- creating castles that lack foundation.
I remember now why I don't like Asimov. He shows us a place without hope. I don't like to be depressed after reading a book. I simply have to remember that Asimov's thoughts are divorced from reality.
Rating:
Summary: Worst of the Series
Review: If you enjoyed the ending of Foundation's Edge then you will probably like this book. You will find more analogies comparing Gaia to things in the isolate world, and Bliss squaring off with Trevize about stuff you really don't care about. Asimov does, however, succeed in making you feel the fustration that the characters feel when they don't discover ANYTHING about Earth for the first 450 pages. The most annoying character is Fallom. I found myself wanting Trevize to kill Fallom as he suggests he will do several times in the book. The "twist" revealed in the last sentence is all but a surprise as Trevize foreshadows it several times in the book. I just read a review that this was more part of the Robot series than the Foundation series. I had only read the first four Foundation novels so perhaps that is why I didn't care for the portion of the book where they meander through space accomplishing nothing.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to standards
Review: If you're an Asimov junkie like me, you'll buy and read this book no matter what anybody says. But if you were thrilled with the first three books in the series, ecstatic over the addition of Prelude to Foundation, and slightly less than pleased with Foundation's Edge, then you'll be disappointed with this one.
I felt Isaac was preaching at me in some sort of new age galactic godspeak rather than entertaining me with a good story. Maybe that's the danger of writing so many good adventure books: eventually you want to advertise your beliefs. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that this book was a terrible letdown for me in an otherwise brilliant series.
The ending didn't gather together the threads of the story, but only seemed to serve as a steppingstone for books that were never to be written. The Foundation Series is a grand adventure, standing up for the most part over forty years after some of the volumes were written. Well, five out of six of them do, at least.
Rating:
Summary: The End?...say not so...
Review: It is hard to believe, but the Asimov story, which he was writing and expanding for his entire life, a story that spanned mulitple series of books, multiple decades in real time, and multiple millenia in the story's time, is now over. The best part about it is that he actually gave his life's work a decent ending, which is probably why he didn't touch it for his last remaining years as he made books to fill in gaps in other places instead of continuing the story forward. I counldn't have asked for a better way to end it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: Oh Gods this book is amazing. The last one (Foundation's Edge), was pretty good, but this one is just amazing! The characters, the visual descriptions, the plot was just fantastic! Besides Foundation's Edge, the rest of the series was just horrid. I read the rest of them AFTER reading this book and there is no comparison. An excellent way to end a hellish series. Didn't like what happened to Earth though. But then again, almost everyone outside of StarTrek has a negative view about Earth's future.
Rating:
Summary: The Master of Science-Fiction High Tech!
Review: Only Isaac Asimov could've comprehensively created a futuristic set of books dealing with humanity thousands of years from where we currently stand. These books are among the greatest books in science-fiction, along with other such books by both Old Masters and Cyberpunk Authors: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "Starship Troopers", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Childhood's End", "Snow Crash", "Cryptonomicon", "Cyber Hunter" and so forth.
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