Rating: Summary: A quite disquieting open ending... Review: Will humanity pull through? This is the question at the end of Foundation and Earth. A novel that is definitely not Asimov's best.A recyclyng of his favourite ideas,and a preposterous ending,very little like Robots of Dawn,Foundation's Edge and The Naked Sun.Still a wonderful read,but too long,a lukewarm Asimov.I think that when Trevize says that he would retire and forget the Foundations,he is externating Asimov's tiredness on the series.Maybe Peter F.Hamilton's Edenists would make a good compromise ? (read the novel to know what I mean)
Rating: Summary: Should of stopped after the first three Review: The first three books held my interest the whole way through. Intelligent writing and an exciting story. Foundations Edge was okay. Foundation and Earth, however, was preposterous. I'm afraid to say a LONG, boring story with a rediculous ending. He didn't really want to write these two books and it shows.
Rating: Summary: A disappointment Review: Nowhere near the intrigue and plot of the original Foundation Trilogy. Foundation & Earth was an irritating series of hypothetical debates that amounted (usually) to nothing, and a series of trite, rather meaningless visits to far off planets. The ending (I won't spoil it) was hard to believe, to put it mildly. I give Asimov credit for some of the greatest sci-fi around, but he should have retired from the game after the 1950's.
Rating: Summary: Masterful --- a history lesson about the future Review: I am a foundation purist that only really regards 5 books as integral to the message that I believe Asimov was leaving for the earth. The original trilogy, Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth.Is the individual or the whole more valuable. The planet of extreme individuals, one of whom travels off with the adventurers in search of earth is certainly there to question the wisdom of Galaxia and indeed whether or not Galaxia can succeed. Galaxia or individuals, which will win?
Rating: Summary: Satisfying But Lacking Review: I enjoyed this story well enough but it is substantially different that other novels of the series. It's plot is like a spiral of connect the plannets through memory lane. Much too linear. It lacks the intrigue of the previous novels with the exception of the law few chapters. It was that intrigue which made the other novels work for me. The start of the story didn't seem to flow from from where the previous novel left off. The character development is most depressing. The repetitious nature of arguments between the main characters was annoying. It was tollerable at first but bickering grew very tiresome. One possitive thing about this novel is that I think the quality of the writting is better and the language more fluid, much on the par of the fouth book of the series if not a little better. It felt real. I just wish the character development was of equal quality. It's a must read if you've read the others of the series but lacking in and of itself. This novel ties up the alot of loose ends. Enough so that I find it a satisfying closure for the series while still leaving the imagination open to the future.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing? Review: The final episode in the Foundation saga in terms of internal sequence. Councilor Golan Trevise and his companions finally trace the myth of Earth to a physical planet. To his horror, Earth was a radio-active desert seeming to have no bearing on galactic affairs. Then their attention is focused on the unique satellite orbiting the burnt out hulk. There a mystery spanning millenia is revealed and a (very) old friend of Asimov's readers makes his return. Despite this, there is a definate sense that Dr A was revisiting old stomping grounds with the intention of closing off as many loopholes with as little effort as possible :-(
Rating: Summary: Astoundingly deep in its entirety. Review: Continuing the story of Golan Trevize, after the Decision made in Foundation's Edge, he and Janov Pelorat along with Gaia go around the Galaxy in search of long lost Earth. You really get the feeling of immense age, of such profound history, the closer they come to their goal, which is amazing in itself, but along with that feeling is extreme hope that derives from the future that Gaia offers the Galaxy. You won't realize just how deep this book is until at least days after you've finished it. Purely marvelous.
Rating: Summary: A good conclusion to the Foundation series. Review: First off I must say that I am a BIG Asimov fan. I have read (and own) all the Robot, Empire and Foundation novels, as well as The End of Eternity, Nemesis, The Positronic Man, and The Gods Themselves, and most of the short robot stories. I have found all of them interesting at the very least. Please note that I read Foundation and Earth BEFORE Forward the Foundation was written, so my opinion may be slightly different than those who read it after. Foundation and Earth was the last book of the Foundation Series, but did more than finish that line. It tied up many loose ends from the Robot and Empire series as well, and unified these three into a single (if somewhat loosely knit) timeline. Some parts were slow moving, like the main plot, while others were not even really understood until the last few chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I suspect I would have done so even more if I had read Forward the Foundation first. Depending on how you interpret the ending, it is either finite of open to change, something I like. I recommend this book to any fans of the Foundation, Robot, or (to a lesser degree) Empire series. One small suggestion, I recommend reading the series in the order of the future timeline, not by the dates which the books were written. All in all I feel this book is a good conclusion to the series.
Rating: Summary: The coda! Review: This is the sequel to "Foundation's Edge" (1982), immediately following the action in that novel. The main character, Golan Trevize, who had decided the course of the future of the galaxy, is compelled to discover why he chose as he did. He comes to the conclusion that he can find the answers if he can only locate Earth, the forgotten planet of man's origin. He quickly discovers that all references to Earth have been removed and he doesn't know why. Although not the final book published in the series, "Foundation and Earth" is the last volume in the internal sequence of events in the series (as of right now). All of the other books in the series are still in print; so, it is rather hard to understand why "Foundation and Earth," the last book in the saga, is not in print. Clearly this is the publisher's fault!
Rating: Summary: And God created the foundation series..... Review: This must be one of the most imaginary and brilliant books ever written. Not only exciting to read, but also an excellent plot, especially for all the fans of the complete works of Asimov.
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