Foundation and Earth

Price: $0.99
(as of Jan 06, 2025 13:44:48 UTC – Details)

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the great masterworks of science fiction. An ingenious blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women determined to shield enlightened humanity from a ceaseless threat of darkness and ultimate annihilation.

Golan Trevize, former councilman of the First Foundation, has chosen the future, and it is Gaia. A superorganism, Gaia is a holistic planet with a common consciousness so intensely united that every dewdrop, every pebble, every being, can speak for all – and feel for all. It is a realm in which privacy is not only undesirable, it is incomprehensible. But is it the right choice for the destiny of mankind? While Trevize feels it is, that is not enough. He must know.

Trevize believes the answer lies at the site of humanity’s roots: fabled Earth…if it still exists. For no one is sure where the planet of Gaia’s first settlers is to be found in the immense wilderness of the galaxy. Nor can anyone explain why no record of Earth has been preserved, no mention of it made anywhere in Gaia’s vast world-memory. It is an enigma Trevize is determined to resolve and a quest he is determined to undertake, at any cost.

Reviewer: Jake A.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Another great book!
Review: I’ve enjoyed the Foundation saga and this is a great ending to Books 4 and 5. Ties into other Asimov books as well.

Reviewer: Sam
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: fun read
Review: Fun read, I like the direction the remainder of the series seems to be going. Overall very entertaining story with interesting twists.

Reviewer: Doug W.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Item was as described and arrived as promised.
Review: Item was as described and arrived as promised.

Reviewer: JimE
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Foundation and Earth. Thought provoking and satisfying.
Review: Science fiction literature has been part of my reading since my early teens. My earliest readings contained, by today’s standards, relatively tame sexual interludes and of course assured my continued reading. Sexuality in this example of Asimov’s writing is really quite tame, but would have kept the 14 year old me entranced. The adult me is impressed with the mature sexual attitudes taken in this story. Beyond all that Asimov provokes mature conjecture about humanity and profound philosophical conjectures about broad questions, not only of human governance, but also human interactions across different worlds and cultures. This book like many of his benefits from Dr. Asimov’s excellent education and his being present at the cutting edges of physics and science during some of its most profound advances. He refers to things like the uncertainty principle in an off hand way that does require a bit from the reader. In summary, Dr. Asimov gives us very entertaining stories interspersed with thought provoking philosophy and sophisticated scientific references. It’s a very satisfying book to read.

Reviewer: OutOfAmmo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Classic Asimov Science Fiction
Review: It’s hard for me to review an Asimov work without the overuse of superlatives. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Earth is part of the Foundation series, which are among the first science fiction books I read and I rank them all as great works of sci-fi. Asimov brings to an astounding close the saga of the First and Second Foundations, with a great twist while leaving open the door to future expansion and exploration. He paints for the reader an excellent picture of how vast the universe is and how human civilization might appear after 12,000 years of space travel and colonization. Despite the incredible reach attained by man during that time, there are still mysteries and unexplored corners of the “civilized” galaxy, let alone the myriad galaxies beyond ours. Once you start this series, you will not want to put it down until you reach the conclusion, then you will want to go out and get Asimov’s other works.

Reviewer: galcarm
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I Did Finish The Book
Review: While I very much enjoyed the first three books of the series, I was somewhat disappointed in the ending of Book 4 and drove myself to finish Book 5. What detracted most from enjoying Book 5 was the interplay between the three main characters.There was simply too much arguing between Bliss and Trevise. So much so that I often considered putting the book down. The constant back and forth between them took up chapter after chapter. Trevise’s attempt at justifying or questioning his reason(s) for having chosen Galaxia was CONSTANTLY being played with Bliss as his antagonist.I grew so tired of it that I began skimming through their tit-for-tats until the story reached points that got back to the adventure. Most of the arguments and analogies were unnecessary. As the reader, I was well aware of the tension and the reasons for the tension between the two of them from their time in Gaia and at the start of their flight. It was unnecessary to be reminded of it in nearly every chapter.Even after Trevise and Bliss decided to “be friends” – and after their escape from Solaria – we still have to deal with their arguing, with Bliss always explaining that she is Gaia; Trevise always attempting to explain free will; she arguing that Gaia’s ways are better. When Trevise kills an invasive spore Bliss has to argue about the value of the spore’s life. It’s very tiring, very agitating, and very boring. 70% into the book and I found myself saying, “Shut up!” whenever Bliss and Trevise started conversing / arguing.The interaction between Trevise and Bliss is redundant – they argue about every person, every animal, every bite of food, every reaction… One argument after another with little storyline interspersed between long, back-and-forth arguments. They are monotonous, tedious, irritating, and detract from one’s enjoyment. (So tedious that my review must be monotonous since so much of the interplay between the three main characters consists of continual questioning and arguing.)I advise readers to skim through the parts of unnecessary discussion if they find themselves getting irritated at this interaction. Instead, while skimming try to pick up facts that are important to the storyline, and move on to the actual adventure in order to get to the true story and hopefully some satisfying conclusion.The character of Pelorat also becomes irritating. He always apologies for not having full mastery of the ancient Galactic language. He always states that he might not be able to do what Trevise asks him to do. He continually questions Trevise’s decisions. When Trevise decides to confirm the lack of atmosphere on a planet, Pelorat has to question Trevise’s reasoning. Why?In Book 4 of the series it is Pelorat who would turn over every stone to find Earth. But in Book 5 he continually attempts to dissuade Trevise from continuing the quest, saying, “Surely it is useless to go on.”In Book 5 the search for Earth is Trevise’s quest. It is stated over and over that this is Trevise’s mission, that he is in charge of the ship, that he communicates with the on-board computer, that Trevise is the one who is able to draw correct conclusions and make decisions though little evidence is available. The search for Earth is Trevise’s.Pelorat agrees (many times in this book) to continue with Trevise and his mission to find Earth and yet every decision Trevise makes is questioned by Pelorat. Is this simply to give Pelorat some lines for the story, or to increase the number of pages one has to read?Again, the conversations between Pelorat and Trevise are excruciatingly long and do not add to the storyline, except sometimes to provide some “science-teaching” in the form of physics, biology, botany, astro-physics, or “planetology”. Is the point of their conversations to give the reader understanding into the various sciences? That seems to be the only reason. We do learn some of the science, however, I am attempting to read this for the purpose of enjoyment and to find out what will happen to the First and Second Foundationers and to Seldon’s Plan.Beware of Pelorat’s constant questioning and anytime Bliss and Trevise engage in one-on-one arguments (which is often).

Reviewer: Starfinder
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: not quite
Review: Asimov set an impossibly high bar with the original Foundation trilogy. Ten stars out of five. Incomparable. Foundation’s Edge held it’s own; worth the wait. This book, no mistaking it, is still the work of a master. But two quibbles knock off a star for this reader.First of all there are too many pages of recurring philosophical arguments on the pros and cons if individuality vs group consciousness. It’s an interesting topic, band perhaps as Asimov neared his end it deeply absorbed him. But enough is too much. The plot drags.Second this book makes no effort to be self-contained. It constantly references other books in the foundation and robot series in a way that makes you feel the lack of anything you haven’t read. When you get to the end and there’s a detailed bibliography it almost feels like this book is an advert for the other books.Still these are not deal breakers. The ongoing story of the fate of humankind in the galaxy remains fascinating. The imagination is as fertile as ever. For those hooked on the destiny of the Foundation a must read of course. For those not yet hooked, what are you waiting for? Start with the other books first though.

Reviewer: Jane Aire
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love this series.
Review: It’s a series that can be read over and over and never dull. The writing and storytelling are captivating and unlike anything else.

Reviewer: Francisco Felix
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ao final da leitura dos cinco livros canônicos de Fundação, é possível avaliar as mudanças que ocorreram no estilo de Asimov ao longo de décadas. Essa série resume, de certa forma, o autor, é como se cada personagem fosse, na realidade, uma parte dele ou uma mensagem que ele deixa. Asimov acaba escolhendo enfim uma utopia panpsiquista e vagamente socialista, mas será que ele realmente desejava algo assim para a humanidade? Ou ele achava que será um dos prováveis desenvolvimentos possíveis dos seres humanos? Além disso, o último livro da série soa incrivelmente moderno, apesar de suas idiossincrasias sociais herdadas da sociedade dos anos 50 a 80 (o último livro da série foi publicado a quase 40 anos!). Hoje, em 2023, se fala tanto sobre o “paradoxo” de Fermi, e Asimov parecia antever isso e muito daquilo que se descobriu recentemente (guardados os descontos pela absoluta falta de conhecimento sobre isso naquela época). Asimov parece ter sido um defensor, ao menos nessa sua obra, da hipótese de uma Terra rara, porém possivelmente não única. E, no final de tudo, outro início. Nada termina, realmente.

Reviewer: gregorio herrera
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Pensé que tendría otra presentación, pero afortunadamente llegó en la edición de Del Rey, para que no desentonar con mi colección. Excelente tiempo de entrega.

Reviewer: Michael E Bittle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It’s been 50 years since I first read the original trilogy, and 35 years since I first read F&E. My interest was re-triggered recently by the new TV series ‘Foundation’ on AppleTV+. I was bitterly disappointed by the morons at AppleTV+ who thought their screenwriters could produce a better story than author Isaac Asimov. Other than some names, the TV show has virtually nothing to do with the Foundation series that generations have loved. AppleTV+ should be ashamed of themselves. The real series, no longer a trilogy, is now seven books. F&E is perhaps the weakest, and certainly the lengthiest, of them all but is still an excellent read. AppleTV+ should have read the books before they did their TV series.

Reviewer: Wall-e
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Pay attention to the publisher and seller with these hardcovers. I haven’t had the chance to get my hands on these in years since these are rare prints and pretty much impossible to find in India.I was able find atleast three or four copies of Asimov’s books and every one of them was a beauty.This is chronologically the last piece of Asimov’s books.. kind of ties up all the ends and gives a closure to his original android.. R Daneel. The usual bland story telling of Asimov’s which means nothing to fans!Print is amazing.. imported copy per the inside detail and new book as promised. Packed neat and untouched. Love it.Thanks to the seller and Amazon. Recommend the seller more!

Reviewer: Mr. A. T. Lavey
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A wonderful story produced by an excellent Sci-Fi storyteller, Issac Asimov.

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