Product Description

When the First Foundation was conquered by a force Seldon had not foreseen - the overwhelming power of a single individual, a mutant called the Mule - the second Foundation was forced to reveal its existence and, infinitely worse, a portion of its power. One man understood the shifting patterns of the inhabited cosmos. This was Hari Seldon, the last great scientist of the First Empire. The mathematics of psychohistory enabled Seldon to predict the collapse of the Empire and the onset of an era of chaos and war. To restore civilization in the shortest possible time, Seldon set up two Foundations. The First was established on Terminus in the full daylight of publicity. But the Second, "at the other end of the galaxy", took shape behind a veil of total silence. Because the Second Foundation guards the laws of psychohistory, which are valid only so long as they remain secret. So far the second Foundation's location, its most closely guarded secret of all, has been kept hidden. The Mule and the remnants of the First Foundation will do anything to discover it. This is the story of the Second Foundation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7536 in Books
• Published on: 1994-03-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Isaac Asimov was the Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the founder of robot ethics, the world's most prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. The Good Doctor's fiction has been enjoyed by millions for more than half a century.

Customer Reviews

Second Fouundation: shocking revelations
Whilst it is best to read second foundation after 'foundation' and 'foundation and empire' it is not essential, as the prologue fills you in on the basics of the previous two novels.

The book goes a long way to explain the purpose of the mysterious second foundation, but the main focus is on its location, and the search for it by both the mule and the first foundation.

The first half puts order into the chaotic situation left by the events in 'foundation and empire', and follows many twists and schemes that make it entirely engrossing, without giving the slightest hint of the dramatic ending.
The second half provides the real substance of the book, a rebellion of the first foundation against the ideals of the second foundation. This leads the reader to question the entire idea of psychohistory, as the first foundation does not like to think of itself as being 'controlled' by the second, even though it knows that the interference of the second foundation will result in a bright, peaceful future for mankind.
The book is laid out with a new twist to the plot in every chapter, making it almost impossible to put down, especially towards the end.
The most interesting parts are meetings of the second foundation members, which explain the inner workings of the seldon plan, along with how the arrival of the mule affected it.
The characters are well presented, and are developed only as much as is necessary, to keep the fast pace of the novel going, but are entirely believable, and link in with the characters in the previous books.
Some people like to read the last page of a book first, doing this with second foundation, and indeed with the entire foundation series, will ruin the book utterly.

Golden age science fiction at its best
Through all the works that make up the foundation 'trilogy' Asimov maintains a tightly plotted, fast paced story.

"Second Foundation" adds to the ideas developed in "Foundation" and "Foundation and Empire", although it perhaps somewhat undermines the idea of psychohistory.

Science fiction is rarely this good. Buy it

A more than worthy inclusion to the Foundation Series
As with all of the best literary series', this is a book that anyone can pick up and enjoy, without having read any of the previous texts. While managing to maintain the same level of excitement and involvment as the rest of the saga , the book introduces a whole new set of ideas which are sure to make an impact on even the lightest of readers. In-fact, the only real criticism that I would have of the book, is that perhaps at times it tries to be just a little too clever. However, all in all, this is still a fantastic addition to Asimov's repetoire.