Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing premise yet ultimately disappointing
Review: As has been mentioned, Psychohistorical Crisis is a re-imagining of Asimov's Foundation series. Specifically, Kingsbury concentrates on how the science of Psychohistory could be used by the ruling elite to maintain law and order throughout the galaxy. But what happens if an opposing force was also able to use the same science to countermand the ruling parties policies?This question is the basic premise for the events that unfold throughout the book. The story takes place over a span of a few decades and details how the opposition attempts to place a mole in the ruling party to try and sabotage the current policies of government. The story jumps back and forth in time, but this isn't as distracting as it seems since each period has its own distince events unfolding throughout. The most interesting part of this story is the discussions the characters engage in concerning psychohistory, its mathemetics, and how it is used to govern trillions of people throughout the galaxy. Kingsbury has obviously put a lot of thought into what a science of psychohistory woould be and how mathematics would be used. Far from being dry reading, these discussions are actually quite though provoking. Unfortunately, the rest of the book, detailing the actions of the characters, just wasn't as interesting. The characters are generally well thought out, but I never cared too much one way or the other for any of them. And the climax, which happens right at the very end of the book, wasn't that dramatic at all. It felt like a let down after the build up. Overall, for a stimulating discussion of psychohistory and for his well done re-imaginging of the Foundation series, I give it 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Prerequisites
Review: Before you read this opus by Kingsbury, you have a mandatory reading assignment. Read Asimov's Foundation series, all of them. Follow that up by taking some college level physics, math, history and philosophy. Keep your dictionary handy. Now you are set to tackle this book.
The main bent of Crisis is an almost natural question of what happens when others outside of the Foundation start to develop their own predictive methods a la psychohistory. Since the predictive abilities of psychohistory lay in the ignorance of the masses of their predicted fate (a Westinghouse effect basically), Kingsbury asks what happens when you have multiple predicting groups working with similar tools in an attempt to be king. Or at the very least, work for their own percieved best interest.
I have very little to complain about with this book, save maybe the mathematical proofs Kingsbury has Eron run through in self discourse. The fams (see above reviews for explanation) were both intriguing and terrifying. Overall a good read for someone who has read the Foundation series several times.
Rating:
Summary: Prerequisites
Review: Before you read this opus by Kingsbury, you have a mandatory reading assignment. Read Asimov's Foundation series, all of them. Follow that up by taking some college level physics, math, history and philosophy. Keep your dictionary handy. Now you are set to tackle this book.
The main bent of Crisis is an almost natural question of what happens when others outside of the Foundation start to develop their own predictive methods a la psychohistory. Since the predictive abilities of psychohistory lay in the ignorance of the masses of their predicted fate (a Westinghouse effect basically), Kingsbury asks what happens when you have multiple predicting groups working with similar tools in an attempt to be king. Or at the very least, work for their own percieved best interest.
I have very little to complain about with this book, save maybe the mathematical proofs Kingsbury has Eron run through in self discourse. The fams (see above reviews for explanation) were both intriguing and terrifying. Overall a good read for someone who has read the Foundation series several times.
Rating: 
Summary: Clever reimagination of Asimov's Foundation universe
Review: Donald Kinsgsbury has hugely expanded his 1995 novella "Historical Crisis" into a long novel. I quite enjoyed "Historical Crisis", though I found it a bit melodramatic, and a bit too rapid. The novel is still a bit melodramatic (in an enjoyable fashion) and also much slower than "Historical Crisis", perhaps at times a bit too slow. The book is set from 14790 GE to 14810 GE. This is about 2700 years after the death of the "Founder" and the near simultaneous establishment of the equivalent of the "First Foundation" on a planet called Faraway. It's about 1600 years after the formal establishment of the Pax Pscholaris, the "Second Empire" under the rule of the Pscychohistorians called Pscholars. As may be clear, Kingsbury's universe is an update and rethinking of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Universe, with psi powers replaced by high tech, and with a slightly more sophisticated look at the background math. (Kingsbury, to be sure, is a pr Indeed, he is very interested in treating Psychohistory with some seriousness, and in asking how well the secret society of Pscholars can really keep psychohistory secret, and how ultimately stable their rule will be. The key extra tech is something called the "familiar", or "fam" -- sort of a PDA with extra memory and processing which links directly to the brain. You adjust to it from the age of 3, and your personal adjustment theoretically makes it impossible for anyone else to exercise control over you through it. Pretty much everybody in rich societies has one, and indeed it is all but impossible to get around Splendid Wisdom (Kingsbury's version of Asimov's Trantor) without it. The story begins with the trial of a young psychohistorian named Eron Osa. He is condemned to death, and summarily executed -- by having his fam destroyed. His body, with its near useless "wet" brain, is allowed to live. He cannot even understand his crime -- all the data about it was in his fam. Soon he is desperately trying to relearn normal living skills, as he also begins to receive strange messages. The story soon is following four points of view, 20 years in the past. We follow Eron Osa as a 12 year old boy on the planet Agander, as he yearns to become a psychohistorian. We follow Eron's tutor, Murek Kapor, who is in secret Hiranimus Scogil, the member of a secret group trying to develop psychohistory independently and to counteract the Pscholars' efforts. We follow Admiral Hahukum Konn, the second most powerful Pscholar, and an enthusiast for ancient weapons systems, as he searches for a worthy student to learn his eccentric interpretation of Psychohistory. And we follow the elderly Hyperlord Kikaju Jama, an antiques dealer who is interested in upsetting the static social order, especially after he discovers a strange device that shows the stars of the Galaxy, and that hints at a secret planet hidden by the Pscholars. We also follow a fifth thread, as events in the "present" lead toward a climax. The four threads converge after years for the action of the climax, which is exciting, even though full of math, and which reveals Kingsbury doing some interesting thinking about stability versus vigor in a society. It's really quite fun, and the world Kingsbury creates is fascinating. I quite liked Kingsbury's names: the Frightfulperson Otaria of the Calmer Sea being a particular example. The actual given names, such as Eron Osa, are nods to Asimov's rather unharmonious naming habits. The book is long, and sometimes rather slow, but on the whole it is a good read. It is considerably more interesting than the new books in the actual Foundation universe which were authorized after Asimov's death.
Rating:
Summary: A re-imagined future of the Foundation
Review: Hi, I have often browsed book reviews online but have never written one. Until now. Psychohistorical Crisis is a work of surpassing brilliance but it is not for everyone. If you're looking for a quick read, look elsewhere: Donald Kingsbury has decided to immerse you in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" universe and show you what a galaxy with 100,000 years of history might be like. Any science fiction writer can waves his hands and say "thousands of years," but Kingsbury can make you feel those years. If you're looking for epic space battles, look elsewhere: A character in Asimov's original Foundation trilogy says that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. This is a galaxy ruled by mathematicians. If you're looking for extensive character development, look elsewhere: To write this novel, Kingsbury did not merely imitate Asimov's style but absorbed it, warts and all. This homage to the Foundation universe is more true to the original than the prequels authorized by the Asimov estate or even the Asimov's own sequels. If you didn't like the Foundation trilogy, look elsewhere: This book is the true inheritor of the Foundation trilogy, though the serial numbers have been filed off. If you haven't read the Foundation trilogy, that's the place to start. Then read Pebble in the Sky. If you have read a Kingsbury book before and didn't like it, look elsewhere: Somehow, Kingsbury has written a book that is true to his own style and themes while being true to those of the original Foundation. Psychohistorical Crisis is a novel of ideas in the tradition of classic science fiction, but is itself an extremely modern book that takes an unflinching and sometimes unflattering look at the ideas implicit in the original Foundation. Each work is very much of its time. I'd love to talk about the themes of Psychohistorical Crisis, but wouldn't it be better for you to read the book for yourself? Psychohistorical Crisis is the true Second Foundation. Anyway, KenK
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for Science Fiction Lovers
Review: Hi, I have often browsed book reviews online but have never written one. Until now. Psychohistorical Crisis is a work of surpassing brilliance but it is not for everyone. If you're looking for a quick read, look elsewhere: Donald Kingsbury has decided to immerse you in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" universe and show you what a galaxy with 100,000 years of history might be like. Any science fiction writer can waves his hands and say "thousands of years," but Kingsbury can make you feel those years. If you're looking for epic space battles, look elsewhere: A character in Asimov's original Foundation trilogy says that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. This is a galaxy ruled by mathematicians. If you're looking for extensive character development, look elsewhere: To write this novel, Kingsbury did not merely imitate Asimov's style but absorbed it, warts and all. This homage to the Foundation universe is more true to the original than the prequels authorized by the Asimov estate or even the Asimov's own sequels. If you didn't like the Foundation trilogy, look elsewhere: This book is the true inheritor of the Foundation trilogy, though the serial numbers have been filed off. If you haven't read the Foundation trilogy, that's the place to start. Then read Pebble in the Sky. If you have read a Kingsbury book before and didn't like it, look elsewhere: Somehow, Kingsbury has written a book that is true to his own style and themes while being true to those of the original Foundation. Psychohistorical Crisis is a novel of ideas in the tradition of classic science fiction, but is itself an extremely modern book that takes an unflinching and sometimes unflattering look at the ideas implicit in the original Foundation. Each work is very much of its time. I'd love to talk about the themes of Psychohistorical Crisis, but wouldn't it be better for you to read the book for yourself? Psychohistorical Crisis is the true Second Foundation. Anyway, KenK
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: I am a long time Asimov fan and the Foundation books were very much a favorite. I have found the recent crop of books from other authors, trying to follow the Foundation story line, to be very disappointing. The "Psychohistorical Crisis", in contrast, was an excellent addition to the Foundation universe. I read an average of a 20 books a year and I have to say I found this to be the best one of the year by far. I highly recommend it. (The only unfortunate aspect of the book is that Kingsbury only has one in the Foundation universe.)
Rating:
Summary: Far in the distant future . . .
Review: I am a long time science fiction fan and was very impressed by Psychohistorical Crisis. I believe the author creates an amazingly complex view of future civilization, very detailed with interesting characters and technical innovations. It is a mystery novel also, why was the fam of Eron Osa "executed"?, where is Zurnl? What is the relationship of Lord Hahukum to the Pscholars overall strategy for managing the Galaxy?, will the Smythosians succeed in challenging the Pscholars supremacy? Underlying the dense plot,(I'm much in disagreement with other reviewers here), is the mathematical theme, complicated at times, but logically intact and gives the whole a plausible quality, rare in science fiction. I was amused how astrology plays a role in the plot. I don't remember the Foundation trilogy well, I read it in junior high, but this work stands alone, a virtuoso effort. I plan to reread the Foundation. After reading "Crisis" I quickly got a copy of "Courtship Rite" and find it quite unique and imaginative. "Psychohistorical crisis", a great science ficition novel.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION NOVELS
Review: I loved the foundations novels, including the three post-Asimov novels. However, I found Psychohistorical Crisis extremely difficult to follow. It seems to be taking place in four different periods, whIch I found to be a gimmick and very confusing. I did not recognize anything familiar from the original or three post-Asimov novels. I really could not understand what was happening after the first chapter. For those who like novels with clarity and easily defined protagonists and antagonists combined with a linear plot, this is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Story in an Excellent Well-Thought Possible Future
Review: I was so fortunate to come across this fascinating book. Imagine that you find yourself appearing before a high court and being sentenced for some terrible crime -- except you can't remember who you are or what you did. And your brain enhancer/ memory keeper/ skills archive that's been with you since you learned to walk has been removed. What's going on? The book combines the hard science of Ben Bova with a good yarn of Orson Scott Card. Written by a mathematician, this book continues in the universe established by Asimov years ago in a thoroughly engaging possible future taking place multiple thousand years from now. If you like Asimov, you'll love this book. If you've never read Asimov or hate him, guess what? You'll still love this book. Be patient in learning this new world. There's a lot of history to master and a few names to remember, but the journey is well worth the effort. Cheers to the author!
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