Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages
English language
Published Oct. 1, 1991 by Spectra.
After the defeat of the Mule by the Second Foundation, Terminus enjoys a period of prosperity and stability which is publicly attributed to the Seldon Plan, but which some feel is the work of the Second Foundation. A search is begun to determine if the Second Foundation still exists. Meanwhile, the Second Foundation finds that there is evidence of an independent force acting against the Mule to protect the Seldon Plan. A search is launched to determine what this force is and if it is a threat. The end result is a search for Earth (Terminus being the last planet settled by the galactic empire and Earth being the metaphoric opposite of first human planet settled). A final three way confrontation results in a fateful decision and an open question.
(2 stars = it was okay)
Too much Plato-esque dialogue, as usual. Dubious plot reliance on 'the vibe'. Tiresome portrayals of women. Enjoyable inclusion of Lovelock's Gaia concept.
Reading time 4 days, 112 pages/day
The title of this book has always had multiple meanings. Originally the eponymous organization that the book is about, and also the "foundation" of the recovery of the galaxy from the dark ages. Over the years it has also become the foundation of many tropes of science fiction.
Setting that aside, it holds up as a solid set of stories that are well written (outside of characterization, which was never a strength of Asimov's). The brevity of its style makes it worth a read even with its flaws.
Those flaws include the following: Much of the science of this science fiction is not considered theoretically possible today (although much of it was when it was written, our collective understanding has grown since them). Few of the characters have any real characterization at all. There is exactly one woman character in the entire book, and she's a caricature. This last one …
The title of this book has always had multiple meanings. Originally the eponymous organization that the book is about, and also the "foundation" of the recovery of the galaxy from the dark ages. Over the years it has also become the foundation of many tropes of science fiction.
Setting that aside, it holds up as a solid set of stories that are well written (outside of characterization, which was never a strength of Asimov's). The brevity of its style makes it worth a read even with its flaws.
Those flaws include the following: Much of the science of this science fiction is not considered theoretically possible today (although much of it was when it was written, our collective understanding has grown since them). Few of the characters have any real characterization at all. There is exactly one woman character in the entire book, and she's a caricature. This last one is especially glaring in light of the recent adaptation to television that features multiple women in major roles without even changing any of the character's names!
Overall, still worth reading after all these years.
great book with amazing storytelling, and amazing philosophical ponderings, although it makes me miss the original “short stories” format that the first three books used
This started out slowly and I was convinced my rating would be lower than the previous ones in the Foundation series, but it took on a whole new twist to the series unlike the previous ones and in the end I enjoyed it very much.
This started out slowly and I was convinced my rating would be lower than the previous ones in the Foundation series, but it took on a whole new twist to the series unlike the previous ones and in the end I enjoyed it very much.
Why only three stars? I mean, I remember reading these books as a kid and being mostly confused by them, but I think they had a lot to do with shaping some of my most deeply held beliefs so part of me really wants to give it 5 stars just for the ideas explored within it. Because they are fascinating. Psychohistory? The idea that it might be possible to anticipate and plan 1000 years of human history knowing that individual concerns could derail the plan at any moment? That is such a wonderful dream. But it is a dream. One born out of period in American history when we still believed in our own exceptionalism and that we would carry democracy into the rest of the world, and yet were already catching glimpses of the dark period ahead. So my real problem with the book is it's simply far too …
Why only three stars? I mean, I remember reading these books as a kid and being mostly confused by them, but I think they had a lot to do with shaping some of my most deeply held beliefs so part of me really wants to give it 5 stars just for the ideas explored within it. Because they are fascinating. Psychohistory? The idea that it might be possible to anticipate and plan 1000 years of human history knowing that individual concerns could derail the plan at any moment? That is such a wonderful dream. But it is a dream. One born out of period in American history when we still believed in our own exceptionalism and that we would carry democracy into the rest of the world, and yet were already catching glimpses of the dark period ahead. So my real problem with the book is it's simply far too certain of itself. I live in a time of uncertainty and ambiguity, and this book only serves to remind me of the mentalities that led to our current situation. So, maybe as I continue with the series my view of the book will change, but at the moment it feels more like a relic of the past than a promise for the future.
More engaging than the classic trio, and harder to put down, but in a way unsatisfying, and sometimes transparent.
Three and a half stars.
This one was great! With all the backing of Robots, Empire and Foundation Asimov throws the galaxy into a three way standoff between the first and second foundations and some third initially unknown player.
The time line does not jump generation to generation, so all characters are explored far better than those of the foundation trilogy, and since there are a number of double agents - sometimes even unknown to themselves - characters have a lot of intreague.
Even as a standalone story outside of the time line, this book stands up to scrutiny. Everything that happens is interesting and in general is a fine penultimate volume - setting up the climax to be huge!
This is not going to be a very thorough review; rather, I just wanted to add my two cents. The main point of critcism many people seem to have towards this book is the fact that its characters are shallow and hardly ever develop. While I agree with that, I believe that that's the point; Isaac Asimov's psychohistory deals not with individuals; rather, it concerns itself with people in general and thus I think if the book focussed too much on developing individual characters it would not quite fit in with the theme.
Not a bad book but not as interesting as the rest of the foundation series.
I was expecting a bigger surprise at the end.
I adored these books when I was a kid. I happened across this one, and (with some trepidation) decided to read it again. It held up far better than Heinlein does. I found it interesting, and liked some of the characters. However, what he really seemed to want to write about economics and politics. Talk about info dumps!
