Foundation, bricks and mortar... (Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov in general)

Member Name: one47

Product:	Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov in general
Date:	05/08/01 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping, Massive, Stunningly complete tale of an empire's death and another's birth

Disadvantages: There isn't more.

First there were a couple of short stories in a Sci-Fi magazine... Then came the Foundation Trilogy... Soon that name became inappropriate so now we have the "Foundation Saga".

The Foundation Saga is made up of six titles.

Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundations Edge
Foundation and Earth
Prelude to Foundation

The first three are standard length (250-ish page) books; Asimov saw no need to elaborate beyond that, after all he was only expanding some short stories for the fan-market that was demanding them. Once these three had sold-out, and the fans were clamouring for more, Asimov realised what he had, so the last 3 books are closer to full-blown novels in size.

Many of Asimov's tales are set in the same universe of the Galactic Empire, ruled by an Emperor from the planet "Trantor", and are set in a time after man has colonised and controlled a vast proportion of our Galaxy. A smaller number of his books chronicle man's expansion from Earth, and develop this Empire for the reader. There is a LOT of reading to cover that span.

The Foundation Saga joins this universe at the start of the end of the galactic empire...


>>> Foundation

Foundation presents us with an Empire in ruin, predicted through the use of "Psychohistory" to be on a slippery slope which will end with a thousand years of anarchy. Only a few men can see a silver lining, which will shorten the un-avoidable period of chaos, and develop a new Empire in its place.

Psychohistory is a science allowing the future of worlds and empires to be predicted, even though it cannot operate at the level of the individual.

Disguised, and kept hidden even from those men an women at the core of the new foundation, Dr Hari Seldon, creator of Psychohistory initiates a project to document all of man's knowledge in a galactic encyclopaedia. Located in the farthe
st reaches of the galaxy where the effects of the empire cannot possibly touch them, a colony slowly develops, initially innocent, they soon discover their true cause.


>>> Foundation and Empire

This part of the tale covers two aspects of the galactic struggle. First the screaming death throes of the old Empire as it tries to take the foundation with it. A classic interplay of powers, threats and counter-threats which culminate in (of course) the foundations victory.

While still basking in this glorious win, a new force arrives. "The Mule" is a mutant with mental powers of persuasion and mind-reading. This gives an otherwise slight and ineffectual man such power over people, that a small portion of the former Empire is revived in his service.

Finally, he is undone for the want of the love and trust of a woman. Not before Hari Seldon's predicted foundation for the future has been irrevocably denied...


>>> Second Foundation

One rule of Psychohistory is that it can only predict accurately if the target masses are unaware of its existence and its mathematics. Another fact is that it cannot cater for "freaks" such as the Mule.

Here we see the Foundation beginning to suspect that there may be a second foundation playing a controlling part in their lives - Hari Seldon left clues to a second foundation at "Star's End", but no solid information. The fact that Hari's predictions of the future are still holding true, even after the presence of the Mule, serves to fan the flames of suspicion.

It seems that they do indeed exist in order to keep the secret of Psychohistory safe, and to steer the foundation on the pre-determined path determined by Hari Seldon years before.

The second foundation consists entirely of "Mentalics" - Mind readers and mind controllers much like the mule, but without the same lust for power. They do hold a certain
power of their own over the first foundation though.

Their existence is not a popular discovery, and the first foundation fights back, and wins... Or do they?...


>>> Foundations Edge

The first of the larger stories, this story is used to tease the reader into asking about the possible futures that the Foundation might experience.

It raises the question of a much longer-term future, and follows one man's journey which mysteriously seems to take him where he is lead, rather than where he chooses.

Golan Trevise makes companions of an old professor, Janov Pelorat, who seeks the fabled "Earth", and his girlfriend, Bliss, who they meet on an unusual planet named "Gaia" - The planet's name suits its nature, as the planet Gaia provides a practical example of a holistic existence - everything is part of a greater whole, or of mother-earth.

Choices need to be made on a galactic scale, and only Trevise is suited to making that choice - Foundation, Second Foundation, Gaia, or something different?... Which will be the future?


>>> Foundation and Earth

Although generally believed to be the least popular segment of the saga, as it does not concentrate strongly on the foundation tale itself, I find this an enjoyable component in its own right. It continues the tale of Trevise, Pelorat and Bliss towards the re-discovery of Earth.

This book is mostly used to tie up a few loose ends from the previous one, and takes the opportunity to re-introduce the reader to components of Asimov's galaxy that have remained un-touched by the rise and fall of the empire.


>>> Prelude to Foundation

Having apparently exhausted the future of the Foundation(s), or perhaps simply wanting to fill some gaps in, Asimov back-pedalled to a time before the Foundation to fill in some background on Hari Seldon, the inventor of Psychohistory, and initiator of the Foundatio
n.

Here are revealed some of the other players working behind Hari, and the selection will probably please readers of Asimov's robot stories (nuf said?) Also we see the seeds from which Psychohistory grew, and how such an enormous feat was undertaken.

This book can be read first or last without impacting the rest of the saga. Purists like myself would always read it in the order of its writing (last)


>>> Overall

A superb saga, with good and bad points as you would expect in a saga of this size. Overall a winner, and if you really get engrosed, there is a 2nd Foundation trilogy, written by three different authors in a collaboration after Asimov's death to fill in more of the gaps.

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