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The second novel in Isaac Asimovâs classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series.
Led by its founding father, the psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and utilizing science and technology, the Foundation survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Now cleverness and courage may not be enough. For the Empire – the mightiest force in the Galaxy – is even more dangerous in its death throes. Even worse, a mysterious entity called the Mule has appeared with powers beyond anything humanly conceivable. Who – or what – is the Mule? And how is humanity to defend itself against this invulnerable avatar of annihilation?
Filled with nail-biting suspense, nonstop action, and cutting-edge speculation, Foundation and Empire is the story of humanityâs perpetual struggle against the darkness that forever threatens to overwhelm the light – and of how the courage of even a determined few can make all the difference in the universe.
Customers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They praise the compelling storyline that sets the scene for later adventures. The series is described as great and impressive. Readers appreciate the thought-provoking concepts and world-building. They praise the writing style as exciting, well-written, and imaginative. Characters are well-developed and given ample time to develop.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Reviewer: Shu Cheah
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Final twist was good
Review: Great classic sci-fi. Story flows very well; fun read; ending was good; looking forward to the next book in the series.
Reviewer: Nicholas Ritter
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The ending is worth it.
Review: Long story short, I had a more difficult time getting into the characters and storyline than ‘Foundation’, but man did it pick up in the second half. It seems the book finally converged on a set of protagonists in the latter half of the book, and crescendoed to a satisfying end.Reading Isaac Asimov’s writing is like eating a lean cut of meat. Sure, I enjoy the occasional juicy, fatty steak, with its meticulously crafted settings and deep character development, but Asimov wastes no time. He’ll stop to add a bit of depth and explanation here and there, but that’s all, and the plot progresses at a blistering pace. It makes sense though. ‘Foundation’ introduced some of the most compelling concepts I have ever read, and this book follows suit. But this is why I ultimately give this book 4 rather than 5 stars. It was not its predecessor.While the book adds more detail to Hari Seldons plan for the Galaxy, it was not nearly as progressive as ‘Foundation’s’ ideas on psychohistory and cultural evolution. Nevertheless, ‘Foundation and Empire’ delivers many new elements and beautifully sets the stage for for the finale, ‘Second Foundation’.It’s amazing how a series published in the ’50s can seem so new to me. So far Asimov’s precise and deliberate writing style combined with a truly unique story has blown me away. I cannot wait to learn how Seldons plan continues in the final book. If you haven’t read ‘Foundation’, you’re missing out. If you have, I wholeheartedly encourage you to continue and power through the first half of ‘Foundation and Empire’. Then, savor the building anticipation for whomever and wherever the Second Foundation is inconspicuously spreading its dominance!
Reviewer: Ritesh Laud
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The continuation of an epic series
Review: Foundation and Empire is the second of the original Foundation trilogy written in the 1950s. The first book is Foundation and the last is Second Foundation. I enjoyed Foundation but I liked F&E quite a bit more! Foundation consists of five disconnected short stories, too short for adequate development of the settings or characters. F&E is much more focused, containing only two stories, the second of which really impressed me.A quick refresher on the background: The psychohistorian Hari Seldon was able to mathematically foresee the future of human society in the Milky Way. It wasn’t pretty. Socio-economic forces were to cause the total collapse of the Trantorian Empire and lead to 30,000 years of anarchy and barbarism before a new empire restored peace and order. However, Seldon saw an “alternate path” that could reduce the duration of the Dark Ages to a single millennium. He established two societies (called Foundations) to bring this change about.In Foundation, we learn how the fledgling First Foundation established itself after Seldon’s death and how it grew powerful. In F&E, Seldon is long dead and the First Foundation faces much more serious threats: a war with the dying but still powerful Trantorian Empire and a war with a mutant leader called The Mule who possesses incredible powers. The part about the war with the Empire is a straightforward narrative with a couple interesting twists. The second part about The Mule takes place a few decades later and is written in the style of a mystery, sort of like the first two Robot novels.Since The Mule is an individual of extraordinary power, Seldon’s psychohistorical predictions for the First Foundation are in jeopardy because they deal only with masses of people and large scale socio-economic forces. Hence the second part is a more exciting read. đ Also, until the end of the second part the Second Foundation is a mysterious society on the other side of the Galaxy about whom we know next to nothing. Although I guessed the nature of The Mule’s powers, I did not guess his identity and it was a great surprise for me when it was revealed at the end. The events of the last two chapters are stunning and really make you want to rip into the third book. Yet F&E doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and is quite satisfying in and of itself. This unique blend is a testament to Asimov’s genius as an author. Also, you’ll learn why the mutant calls himself The Mule and it’s quite enlightening!With novels written later, Asimov tied together three series into one huge one! I recommend reading the entire 14-book series in the following order: the four Robot novels, the three Empire novels, and the seven Foundation novels (the original trilogy plus two prequels and two sequels). So far I’ve yet to read the last three Foundation books (Second Foundation, Foundation’s Edge, Foundation and Earth), but so far most have been excellent and all have been well above average.
Reviewer: Pedro Pablo Downey Fernandez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ok
Reviewer: Joao
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Correu tudo na perfeição. Simples. Barato. Råpido.
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The binding and printing does justice to this classic.
Reviewer: The Fantasy Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: SPOILER FREEThe second entry to Isaac Asimovâs Foundation Trilogy had a slow start but soon picked up. I found that after the introduction of Foundation, the plot of Foundation and Empire was far more concise.I love a good puzzle, and Isaac Asimov delivers more than one. Who is the Mule and what does he want? What is the Second Foundation, where is it, and why is there one there?I wonât go into spoilers in this bit, but I will say that the answers to those questions are not only satisfying but exciting, and they had me tearing through the second half of this science fiction book. Obviously, not all questions are answered, but who doesnât like to speculate?This was a great sequel â I hope the final entry of the trilogy lives up to the promises given in this book.SPOILER SECTION BELOWâThe GeneralâDespite the attack on the Foundation from the Galactic Empire, I found this part of Foundation and Empire to be quite slow. It promises action and we are left with political manoeuvres. Not that I donât like politically driven plotlines, but thatâs not what I was promised!With the Empire calling off its attack, the members of the Foundation work to figure out what they were supposed to do. This does hint at something going wrong with Hari Seldonâs psychohistory, as he makes no mention of this event.âThe MuleâThis part was incredible and is the main reason anyone who finds the first part difficult to get though should read on.The Mule himself is an interesting villain due to the powers he seems to have, however all he seems to want is power for powerâs sake, and that sort of ruins him for me. Perhaps we will see more of him in the third entry that will explain his motivations.The ending with the reveal of the Second Foundation was so good that I couldnât stop reading. I think it was because Iâd forgotten completely about this second Foundation (from the first book), but also it might have been Hari Seldonâs plan all along.Distract the villain with the Foundation to allow the second Foundation to flourish and prepare in time for his attack. I have so many questions and thatâs what SF is all about!
Reviewer: Benjamin Kietzmann
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Like: the concept of a storyline spanning hundreds of years inspires and changes one’s perspective, while at the same time keeping the red thread throughout the whole period. A masterpiece and must read for all Star Wars, Star Trek etc. fans.
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