–published 1953
–282 pages, Del Rey Books
–Hugo Award Winner for Best Series, 1965
–4.5/5 stars
It is difficult to describe the sheer joy of finally being able to read a book whose cover has fascinated me for years. It is even more significant considering that it is part of an original trilogy of books that from my childhood I have viewed as inaccessible. It has been such a pleasure to discover just how unfounded my fears were.
Before we get to Second Foundation, however, allow me to review the second book in the trilogy, Foundation and Empire:
–published 1952
–244 pages, Bantam Books
–Hugo Award Winner for Best Series, 1965
–5/5 stars
In Foundation, Isaac Asimov combined 5 seperate but related novellas, chronicalling the rise of psychohistorian Hari Seldon’s Foundation and the beginning of the collapse of the Galactic Empire. Foundation and Empire continues that tradition, albiet with only 2 longer stories. The first story, The General, begins hundreds of years after the death of Hari Seldon. In this story an ambitious general seeks to rally the remainder of the Galactic Fleet and destroy the Foundation once and for all. This story ties neatly into the events in Foundation as Asimov includes a character whose existence was briefly touched on towards the end of Foundation. In fact one of the things I have really enjoyed about these books is the way that Asimov links events that are sometimes happening 50 or 100 years after the events of the previous story. It gives the reader the unique experience of reading separate, somewhat self contained stories that have an overall narrative arc that rewards reading the entire series in order from start to finish.
The second half of Foundation and Empire is The Mule. The Mule takes place one hundred years after the events in The General. This section of the book covers two separate but intertwined plots: a band of Independent Traders plotting civil war against the Foundation and the rise of a mysterious individual, rumored to be a mutant, with the enigmatic title, The Mule. The Mule musters forces and begins to roam through the galaxy, conquering planets with little or no apparant resistance. The presence of The Mule and his actions begin to unravel the Seldon Plan and events of this half of the story increase in suspense and mystery until the very shocking conclusion.
As much as I am surprised to admit so, I liked Foundation and Empire even more than Foundation. This second volume of the trilogy increases in action, intrigue, and suspense and Asimov demonstrates just how clever a writer he is with interesting and unexpected plot twists and turns. As I did with Foundation, I tore through this one, unable to resist seeing what was going to happen next. With Foundation and Empire Isaac Asimov manages to put together a story that both acts as a second novel in a trilogy and by the same token feels like a stand alone story.
–published 1953
–282 pages, Del Rey Books
–Hugo Award Winner for Best Series, 1965
–4.5/5 stars
Second Foundation is the conclusion of the originally trilogy of books created out of shorter Novellas written by Isaac Asimov. Like its predecessory, Second Foundation contains two distinct but related story arcs, Search by the Mule, and Search by the Foundation.
Search by the Mule picks up a few years after the rather dramatic conclusion of Foundation and Empire. Not surprisingly, given the title, the events of this part of the story concern the Mule’s ongoing search for the rumored Second Foundation, the only thing standing in the way of his gaining control over the entire galaxy. This part of the story is interesting in that it is one of the few sections of the series that so closely follows events of the previous section. It makes for a very exciting read as it builds on the driving suspense of the last half of Foundation and Empire. While this story arc maintains a degree of standing on its own, it is significantly tied into all the previous events of the Foundation Trilogy and as such is a very strong tale. The Mule was a very engaging villain and it was nice to see a continuing story with him as the central focus.
The second half of the book, Search by the Foundation, takes place sixty years following the events of Search by the Mule, and introduces readers to the girl who graces the cover of Second Foundation–young Arcadia “Arkady” Darell (Although she appears a bit older on the cover than her story age of 14). I have to admit that I was interested and yet a bit skeptical of the introduction of a child, a teenager in this case, into the events of this trilogy. I need not have been concerned. Isaac Asimov demonstrated that he had the skill to ensure that doing so did not result in the kind of annoyance that his literary descendants, the writers of Star Trek, created when they introduced children into that universe.
Oddly enough, despite her cover prominence, Arkady Darell is only a very small part of this portion of the story. A small but very significant part. Search by the Foundation takes place in a time some 400 odd years after the start of Hari Seldon’s creation at a time when belief in the predictions of Seldon have caused a sort of blind faith that all will work out in the end. A handful of men of various scientific scholarship begin to discover that members in their community have had their minds tampered with, a work they suspect to be done by members of the rumored Second Foundation. Through a plot overheard by young Arkady Darell, they attempt to locate the Second Foundation with hopes of destroying it as they believe it is a threat to their continued existence.
This section of the story follows both Arkady Darell and the ‘uncle’ whose ship she stows away on as they travel to the planet that was once the base of operations for The Mule in hopes of ferreting out the location of Second Foundation. Intertwined within this tale are two other plots: one concerning the current ruler of Kalgan, the planet Arkady Darell is headed towards, and his desire to crush the Foundation to bring about the prophesied Second Empire; the second being glimpses of mysterious conversations between two members of the Second Foundation.
Isaac Asimov brilliantly weaves these plots together, taking in the whole history of events of the previous two and a half novels, and delivers a wildly satisfying conclusion that is filled with all the suspense of a good mystery novel. There are more ‘aha!’ moments in the final pages of this book than I would have ever suspected, and the very last words of the story put a huge smile on my face.
My only complaint in this book, and the reason for the ever so slight .5 mark down in the rating from the previous two books, is that on three or four occasions Asimov’s characters take time to explain various scientific theories and practices that eventhough they no doubt add something to the story, were somewhat distracting in a book that had so much emphasis on the mystery that was unfolding. Normally I would have found those moments to be interesting and educational–Asimov has a way of making science much more palatable for the common man–but having them in the climactic novel of a fantastic trilogy did not work as well for me. It is a minor quibble though as this book is a terrific read.
I can hardly express just how richly satisfying this trilogy turned out to be. I realize that Asimov went back and wrote some prequels and a few books following up years after the events of this trilogy that I will eventually read, but for now I plan to bask in the glow of a series of books that deserves all its accollades. The Foundation Series has long been on a pedestal in my mind as an inaccessible series of books. Discovering that it was nothing of the sort has been an indescribable pleasure. Isaac Asimov created a series of stories that postulates a very believable far distant future for mankind that touches on politics, religion, war, the fall of an Empire and the rise of a Foundation seen through the eyes of a varied and interesting cast of characters. By doing so Isaac Asimov engages in the art of world building in a way that is never dry or dull. The reader walks away with emotional connections to both the characters and the universe that Asimov has created.
Well done! This series as a whole certainly deserves the Tri-Moon designation 
and is one of the best trilogies I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
I am halfway through Foundation. I picked it up last night, and couldn’t put it down! I only hope my library has the remaining books in the trilogy on the shelves next time I’m there. It would be just my luck to have them checked out! 🙂
Thanks for the great reviews, I must admit, you prompted me to check Foundation out sooner rather than later. And so far I haven’t been disappointed!
I’m glad to hear it Becky. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the other two books. It just keeps getting better and better in my opinion. He wrote and published all these shorter novellas in such a close time period that it really feels like he had a good idea of what he was doing and where he was going with these three novels.
I loved these books, and if I remember right… they just keep getting better. You might want to check out the Robot books as well, as the two series merge a bit.
I am certainly interested in reading the Robot books sometime, David. I also want to read the rest of the Foundation books. For now though I need to crack into the pile of sci books and anthologies I have waiting next to my desk! 🙂
You’ve got a knack. You really make me want to read every single thing you review. In this case, that’s really saying something. In my mind, I’ve always thought of Asimov as “out of my league”. Daunting, maybe. But I think I’m now convinced that he’s not only readable, but enjoyable as well. Maybe someday…
By the way, has anyone else been having trouble getting to your site? I haven’t been able to for the past couple of days. Only could today through your link at the Sci-Fi Experience. Or are you just trying to keep me away : (
My host switched servers Debi and my understanding is that until a person’s ISP updates the data files then it keeps trying to connect at the old site. Within a few days you shouldn’t be having any problems. It is certainly nothing personal. 😉
You did point out something that Asimov does, which I find to really be the only fault I have with his writing, which is that he likes to pontificate. The last foundation book (Foundation and Earth) does this all too much, and even though it is a satisfying “end” to the Foundation saga, the monologues get tiring. It is worth it though, because it was such a good ending! It’s so rare to have a long series be that good in the end.
Looks like I’m going to be reading Foundation. When I took my Sci-Fi class in college, I always wondered why the professor didn’t teach this…maybe he just didn’t like Asimov. No, that’s not true, because we read I, Robot, which honestly, I didn’t like at all. I thought we should’ve read at least the first in this series though. I do love the cover of that book! Those legs!!
Julia: If anyone is probably a worthy pontificator, it would be Asimov. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered me and to be honest he may have done the same stuff in the first two books and I didn’t notice it, but I really noticed this time how it was tempting to want to skip past those 3 or 4 page scientific explanations to get back to the story. It was a strong story regardless.
Chris: It is a great cover. I am partial to redheads, especially in sci-fi/fantasy art and this is a great one! I think you’d enjoy this series. It is really good.
I read these books years ago (when I was in high school) and I remember liking them even then. I think I may go back and re-read them sometime. Not only have you given them such a glowing review, but I have discovered that some of the books I liked in High school are even better reads now that I am older. LOL
I’ve discovered the same thing, Astaryth. I often find myself chuckling realizing how much I missed in some books that I read when I was younger. It is a credit to those stories that I liked them back then when there was so much more I got out of them reading them as an adult.
Mission accomplished. All of the Foundation books are now checked out. 🙂 I can hardly wait to get started.
Chris, you should *definitely* add these to your tbr pile! I think you would definitely enjoy them. And Foundation comes Card-approved. 🙂
I only wish I hadn’t been so intimidated by Asimov in previous years, just think of what I’ve been missing out on!
DAMN ALL OF YOU! I’m starting tonight. I was going to read the Niven book you gave me Carl, but now…
Not to spoil his thunder, Cameron, but Jeff finished listening to Foundation today and is ordering Foundation and Empire.
Enjoy Becky!!! You’re not alone. I think there is a ton of sci fi that I’ve missed out on over the years because of my fears and preconceived ideas. Oh well, there is still time!!!
OK. You sold me. I have to read some Asimov. I was planning on it anyway. But your great reviews have made me move them up the list!!
This one sounds great too. There’s nothing like finding a new series to love!
how weird, you just left a comment on my blog at the same time that i was reading yours!
i am TOTALLY with you on that cover. it is truly gorgeous. its wonderfully enigmatic (and very subtly so).
asimov is my mom’s absolutey favourite, and, as she’s the one that got me into science fiction its quite odd that i’ve never read him before. in a way i felt like i had to pay my dues before i read him, and then, once i had paid my dues, as things happen, lots and lots of other books kept coming between me and him…!
if i remember correctly foundation is her favourite – i think her favourite of all books. it may not be, but getting these things out of my mom is hard, she’s only learning to talk as she gets older – it all used to be bottled up. but foundation was one of the few books she’d mention and mention regularly. whenever she used to talk about it her eyes always used to glaze over with this mixture of a wonder and that feeling you get when you climb into a nice hot bath.
i really have to get around to him – and i think i will, ’cause, as you are (and as you saw on my blog) i’m very much into my retro stuff at the moment and he’s one of the retro grandaddies!
This entire trilogy is a pretty quick read, JP. At less than 250 pages (at least in the hardbacks) they are quite easy to get through and you certainly cannot read just one and get the whole jist of the thing. I would highly encourage you to read these as I really think you would enjoy them. I plan to read some of the other Foundation novels, and yet if I never did the culmination of these three books makes for a very interesting self-contained story. Hopefully you can get your mom to talk about them more in the future.
Wow you reminded me of all sorts of details I had forgotten in this book. I need to reread these books.
Thanks for the great review. I aspire to write reviews as well as you do!
Thanks Kim. I just blather on, so if you can do that then you can write reviews like mine. 🙂
You know – you are so right that if anyone had a right to pontificate it was Asimov. *sigh* I do miss him! He really was such a brilliant person. I wouldn’t love and read about science (I love books on physics, space and biology) if it wasn’t for him. You’ve made me re-appreciate what it is he is saying during those monologues – perhaps it’s because I have read them so many times I no longer have the patience for them and just want the action. Sometimes you do just have to stop and smell the prose! (arrghgh I did NOT just say that!)
BTW – you may want to try Simmons’ Hyperion books – they are less hard science but get into some pretty meaty stuff and keep you hanging on the edge.
Oh it’s so good to share SciFi reading! If I hear about another variation on Pride and Prejudice I am going to spew!!!
Glad to have you aboard, Julia. Of course this begs the question about why you are not blogging as well!
I honestly think I wouldn’t have even noticed those ‘lessons’ in Second Foundation had I not been in a place where I was really tired but still wanted to get through the book and didn’t want to put it down. It made me less tolerant of those moments.
I certainly wouldn’t mind reading some of Asimov’s nonfiction. I’ve heard good things.
And no, I cannot believe that bad pun. Ugh! You’d fit right in with the foursome at the comic shop on Wednesdays, where the puns fly liberally.
I for one love Jane Austen’s works, but they stand alone so strongly that I too dislike all the ‘sequels’ and spin-offs, etc. They seem quite unnecessary. There are so many great classics out there, we don’t need rehashes.
Chris – I’m with you on I, Robot. I just thought it was ok but I really enjoyed Foundation and I think you will as well. By the way I’m about a quarter of the way through Speaker of the Dead and I’m LOVING it even more so than Ender’s Game. Great book. I can see why your such a huge OSC fan.
Cameron – I hope your enjoying Foundation!
JP – That’s so cool that your Mom reads science fiction. My mom only read magazines and my dad just read politcal stuff. I envy the chance your chance to talk about reading with one of your parents. Very cool.
CARL:
i’m glad they’re not too long, ’cause it can be quite intimidating if they’re these massive tomes! and its also good to know that one doesn’t have to get into it all for the long haul, that one can read a self-contained arc.
yeah, i definitely think uncle asimov will have to be one of my retro reads this year…! if nothing else it’ll be cool to be able to talk to her about them…! although – she forgets, so i’ll have to see if she has copies of them so she can reread them.
JEFF:
you’re right, it is very cool. like i said, she doesn’t talk much and is only lately starting to share whats on her mind, but its so cool to talk to her about it, even if its only a bit. and even if she doesn’t say much, the little that she does say is often meaninful. or sometimes she says a lot by her facial expressions, a wry smile or a laugh or an interested look.
we also love watching science fiction tv shows and films together – thats where it all started. and she’s really open-minded – she even watches anime! so thats a lot of fun as well.
Glad to hear it JP, I’ll certainly be interested in your assessment of the stories after you read them. How cool that your mom watches anime!
JP – Very cool. I can’t believe that she watchs anime. That’s so neat. I hope your able to read Foundation this year and share that experience with her, maybe she’ll reread again when you read it.