I think it was because I’d forgotten completely about this second Foundation ( from the first book), but also it might have been Hari Seldon’s plan all along.ĭistract the villain with the Foundation to allow the second Foundation to flourish and prepare in time for his attack. Thus, the Foundation hurtles into conflict with the decadent, decrepit First Empire. The ending with the reveal of the Second Foundation was so good that I couldn’t stop reading. Foundation and Empire Isaac Asimov 4.22 191,928 ratings4,670 reviews Foundation and Empire tells the incredible story of a new breed of man who create a new force for galactic government. Perhaps we will see more of him in the third entry that will explain his motivations. The Mule himself is an interesting villain due to the powers he seems to have, however all he seems to want is power for power’s sake, and that sort of ruins him for me. This part was incredible and is the main reason anyone who finds the first part difficult to get though should read on. This does hint at something going wrong with Hari Seldon’s psychohistory, as he makes no mention of this event. With the Empire calling off its attack, the members of the Foundation work to figure out what they were supposed to do. Not that I don’t like politically driven plotlines, but that’s not what I was promised! It promises action and we are left with political manoeuvres.

But not even Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the extraordinary creature called The Mule, a mutant intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle fleets, a power that can turn the strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.This was a great sequel – I hope the final entry of the trilogy lives up to the promises given in this book.ĭespite the attack on the Foundation from the Galactic Empire, I found this part of Foundation and Empire to be quite slow. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon. Yet now it must face the Empire, still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women to preserve humanity's light against an inexorable tide of darkness and violence. The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are one of the great masterworks of science fiction.

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov