Rating: 
Summary: After 100 pages , I had to put it down. Sorry!
Review: I've never read Gregory Benford's books. I expected this book to be written in the style that Asimov would have written it. Asimov's writing style is what appealed to me I guess and I hoped to just have it continue.
Rating:
Summary: A BIG Disappointment
Review: What is needed in the Foundation Universe is not a rehash of old history but an extension of the Foundation story itself. What I wanted and did not get with this novel was the continuing adventures of Golan Trevize and his search for a real solution to Mankind's survival, rather than the stop-gap one he chose in Galaxia. "Foundation's Edge" and "Foundation and Earth" were excellent departure points for a continuation of the history of the Interregnum between the First and Second Galactic Empires. Asimov himself couldn't think of a continuation so he decided to retreat all the way back to the days of a young Hari Seldon in "Prelude to Foundation" and "Forward the Foundation". I thought that was a big mistake, but I respected his decision. I had hoped that his "successors" would not stir dead ashes, but that hope has been dashed with this novel.I did not like the cyber-characters that were introduced in this book. On the other hand, I did appreciate Benford's ability to give life to Hari Seldon, his family, his life and work on Trantor, and Trantorian society itself. Those were all very well crystallized. I also very much appreciated Benford's idea to give some detail to the mathematics of psychohistory. As a mathematician myself, I found that concept intriguing. My suggestion for future works in this series: Quit looking to the past as the dying Galactic Empire did and take a cue from Hari Seldon and the Second Foundation and envision the future. Fans of the Foundation series deserve that much.
Rating:
Summary: Not Asimov.
Review: This is a really nice book. But it's not Asimov! Benford's writing is nice, and some idea's are revolutionary (like the reason why humans are the only intelligent race in the galaxy). But on the other hand, there are some ideas that just don't fit for Asimov's universe (like wormholes). True, even Asimov had some contradictions, like said in Benford's Afterward. But they still fit. In conclution, This book is nice and you should read it, and even only to understand "F&Chaos", which should be great. But you mustn't think of it as an Asimov story. Read it, but beware.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not a Foundation book by far
Review: Halfway through Foundation's Fear, I got the sinking feeling that I had read this book before. Characters, dialogue, even the setting was ringing my deja vu alarm. Finally, I realized: the entire middle section of the book (about Ipan, for those who read it already) was also published as a short story which made it into 1997's _The Year's Best Science Fiction_. Even though the book was good, most if it gave the same impression: it felt like a collection of Benford short stories bound up and renamed "Foundation." How else can one explain wormholes, Voltaire, tiktoks, and a dozen other elements that never should have been in a Foundation universe? For relief, read _Foundation and Chaos_ by Greg Bear, which tosses out Benford's deviations in the first few pages and gets back to the story we were hoping to read.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting novel, but superfluous
Review: The plot is interesting and it gives some insight to the early life of Hari Seldon, but it is unneeded. The chapters alternate between Panucopia and the Sims in the Trantorian Mesh. Half of this book involves the adventures of two "sims", which are artificial intelligences, in the Trantorian Mesh. Another part involves the study of Pans (chimpanzees) through immersion technology. The rest is assassination attempts. The foundation series could do without this, yet I still enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing - skip to the 2nd book of the trilogy.
Review: Foundation's Fear is very disappointing. Gregory Benford takes it upon himself to change the physics of Asimov's universe. The book would have been much better if the middle 300 pages had been left out. On a happier note, Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear is much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time or money.
Review: This was the most boring of all the Foundation's books. The Book began to get good only after reading the first 100 pages and became very boring again. I have read all of the other Foundation book written by the master himself (IA). I wish the arthur did not write the book. This was the a major disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: Good, but we need to see the full trilogy
Review: I enjoyed this book. I thought it added some to the story and filled out Asimov's universe a bit. I, for one, did not expect it to be written in Asimov's style. I do believe it was true to Asimov's concepts though. I encourage people to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: Benford's ideas are interesting. Unfortunately, his prose is grating, his characters are poorly developed, and his plots are laughable. This book has little to do with Asimov's universe, and cannot stand on its own merits. I see no reason for anyone to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult
Review: When reading any of the original Foundation books, my greatest dissapointmet always was that I couldn't put the book down. I would finish a book in a matter of a few days. Sadly, I cannot say the same here. I have been reading this book for seven months, and do not feel compelled to even complete reading it. I have read five other books in the meantime. However, having spent good money, and knowing it is part of a trilogy, for some strange reason I feel compelled to complete before continuing. The character Hari was faced with a very difficult challenge; I too, have accepted this challenge, though there may be no historical impact of significance when I complete it.
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