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jade's Reviews > Foundation and Empire
Foundation and Empire (Foundation, #2)
by
foundation & empire appears to be a somewhat worthy successor of its predecessor -- at least as far as the second half of the book is concerned.
a mixed bag of a reading experience for me, but still an interesting one!
the previous book consisted of five mini-stories detailing several crises and changes to the foundation’s government and policy; foundation and empire consists only of two parts with separate plots and characters. both showcase a more formidable enemy than the foundation’s had so far, and as such they provide a much more dangerous adversary.
this also further explores the fact that even though hari sheldon’s psychohistory predicts societal trends and mass behaviors across the centuries pretty accurately, it does not account for the actions of exceptional individuals.
that brings us to the two exceptional individuals blocking the foundation’s path.
in part one, we have the still-decaying galactic empire, represented by an ambitious young general who is determined to conquer the newly-risen power that calls itself foundation. in part two there’s the mule, a mutant warlord with inexplicable powers who wants to establish a second empire seven-hundred years before hari sheldon’s predictions.
and he’ll glady annex the foundation to achieve it.
©
i’ll be honest: reading this one was a bit of a challenge.
it seems that the short stories and chapters of the first book were more in favor of asimov’s writing style than i initially thought. because if you give him over a hundred pages for a story� well, the underwritten characters start getting grating, the mysteries in the plot get slow and yawn-inducing, and slightly unsatisfying plot resolutions become more unsatisfying.
especially the first part was unbelievably boring to me. i really liked the premise -- of course a centuries-old empire would not fall instantly, and it makes sense that even after a couple of hundred years they would still be one of the stronger players in the galactic game of chess. the idea of them coming after the foundation was pretty neat.
but general bel riose was just another cardboard commander, the emperor a middling old fool, and the two others trying to stop the plot are incredibly prone to annoying monologues and farfetched ideas. also, it ends on such an anti-climactic note that it gave me even more of why-did-i-read-this-again? feeling.
the second part of the book, luckily, kind of redeemed the experience for me. (and apparently, i was not alone in this, because part two won the hugo award on its own.)
because lo and behold, it gives us two things i thought asimov was allergic to: we get a lot more descriptions of planets, civilizations, and architecture AND we have a woman as a main character! bravo!
bayta is a foundation historian who’s part of an underground resistance and believes the foundation is heading for another sheldon crisis because it’s following in the footsteps of the galactic empire. together with her husband toran, she starts seeking information on an outside threat that has risen beyond the stars: the mysterious warlord who calls himself ‘the mule�.
their quest brings them to multiple planets across the galaxy, assisted by psychologist ebling mis and the mule’s former court jester. while the mule advances, conquering planet after planet, they soon start to realize they need to find the second foundation -- hopefully they will have the means to defeat the mule.
part two brought me genuine distress as well as investment in the storyline. the mule is a mysterious but interesting villain; you keep wondering what his endgame is, as well as whether he’d actually be capable of raising a better second empire than sheldon ever predicted.
one of the more poignant scenes is this: every time a crisis approaches, a holographic video of hari sheldon appears in what the foundation has come to call the time vault. sheldon will talk briefly about the crisis he’s predicted, and vaguely allude to how the foundation should proceed now. but this time around� (view spoiler)
the big reveal at the end and the final few chapters are rather easy to see coming even if you only paid a marginal amount of attention, but i found it interesting to note here that the mule appears to be a pretty convincing blueprint for a certain type of villain. and that is rather cool, considering how long ago this was published -- and before the whole superhero comic book rush, too.
overall, it still has the same little annoyances that the first book had, though there is a definite increase in immersive descriptions. but all powerful leaders are still obsessed with having a smoke, and rigid gender roles are still firmly in place.
in my most radical of opinions: skip part one, and read part two. because that’s the cooler story even if the characters still remain somewhat flat.
read my review of the first book here.
� 3.0 stars.
by
“society is much more easily soothed than one’s own consciousness.�
foundation & empire appears to be a somewhat worthy successor of its predecessor -- at least as far as the second half of the book is concerned.
a mixed bag of a reading experience for me, but still an interesting one!
the previous book consisted of five mini-stories detailing several crises and changes to the foundation’s government and policy; foundation and empire consists only of two parts with separate plots and characters. both showcase a more formidable enemy than the foundation’s had so far, and as such they provide a much more dangerous adversary.
this also further explores the fact that even though hari sheldon’s psychohistory predicts societal trends and mass behaviors across the centuries pretty accurately, it does not account for the actions of exceptional individuals.
that brings us to the two exceptional individuals blocking the foundation’s path.
in part one, we have the still-decaying galactic empire, represented by an ambitious young general who is determined to conquer the newly-risen power that calls itself foundation. in part two there’s the mule, a mutant warlord with inexplicable powers who wants to establish a second empire seven-hundred years before hari sheldon’s predictions.
and he’ll glady annex the foundation to achieve it.
©
i’ll be honest: reading this one was a bit of a challenge.
it seems that the short stories and chapters of the first book were more in favor of asimov’s writing style than i initially thought. because if you give him over a hundred pages for a story� well, the underwritten characters start getting grating, the mysteries in the plot get slow and yawn-inducing, and slightly unsatisfying plot resolutions become more unsatisfying.
especially the first part was unbelievably boring to me. i really liked the premise -- of course a centuries-old empire would not fall instantly, and it makes sense that even after a couple of hundred years they would still be one of the stronger players in the galactic game of chess. the idea of them coming after the foundation was pretty neat.
but general bel riose was just another cardboard commander, the emperor a middling old fool, and the two others trying to stop the plot are incredibly prone to annoying monologues and farfetched ideas. also, it ends on such an anti-climactic note that it gave me even more of why-did-i-read-this-again? feeling.
the second part of the book, luckily, kind of redeemed the experience for me. (and apparently, i was not alone in this, because part two won the hugo award on its own.)
because lo and behold, it gives us two things i thought asimov was allergic to: we get a lot more descriptions of planets, civilizations, and architecture AND we have a woman as a main character! bravo!
bayta is a foundation historian who’s part of an underground resistance and believes the foundation is heading for another sheldon crisis because it’s following in the footsteps of the galactic empire. together with her husband toran, she starts seeking information on an outside threat that has risen beyond the stars: the mysterious warlord who calls himself ‘the mule�.
their quest brings them to multiple planets across the galaxy, assisted by psychologist ebling mis and the mule’s former court jester. while the mule advances, conquering planet after planet, they soon start to realize they need to find the second foundation -- hopefully they will have the means to defeat the mule.
part two brought me genuine distress as well as investment in the storyline. the mule is a mysterious but interesting villain; you keep wondering what his endgame is, as well as whether he’d actually be capable of raising a better second empire than sheldon ever predicted.
one of the more poignant scenes is this: every time a crisis approaches, a holographic video of hari sheldon appears in what the foundation has come to call the time vault. sheldon will talk briefly about the crisis he’s predicted, and vaguely allude to how the foundation should proceed now. but this time around� (view spoiler)
the big reveal at the end and the final few chapters are rather easy to see coming even if you only paid a marginal amount of attention, but i found it interesting to note here that the mule appears to be a pretty convincing blueprint for a certain type of villain. and that is rather cool, considering how long ago this was published -- and before the whole superhero comic book rush, too.
overall, it still has the same little annoyances that the first book had, though there is a definite increase in immersive descriptions. but all powerful leaders are still obsessed with having a smoke, and rigid gender roles are still firmly in place.
in my most radical of opinions: skip part one, and read part two. because that’s the cooler story even if the characters still remain somewhat flat.
read my review of the first book here.
� 3.0 stars.
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Reading Progress
January 21, 2021
–
Started Reading
January 21, 2021
– Shelved
January 21, 2021
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
January 21, 2021
– Shelved as:
space-opera
January 21, 2021
–
4.91%
""you'd better have more tea. i'm going to make a bit of a speech."
foresight appreciated. maybe i should start doing this as well."
page
14
foresight appreciated. maybe i should start doing this as well."
January 21, 2021
–
18.95%
""i am a soldier, not a cleft-chinned, barrel-chested hero of a subetheric trimensional thriller."
first of all: yo, can i get a trimensional thriller?
secondly: you could've fooled me, son.
how is asimov making fun of tropey thriller heroes when his own characters are just as awkwardly cardboard? the confidence is unparalleled."
page
54
first of all: yo, can i get a trimensional thriller?
secondly: you could've fooled me, son.
how is asimov making fun of tropey thriller heroes when his own characters are just as awkwardly cardboard? the confidence is unparalleled."
January 22, 2021
–
35.79%
""... and if history speaks truly, it was falling apart of the triple disease of inertia, despotism, and maldistribution of the goods of the universe."
ah, there we are."
page
102
ah, there we are."
January 23, 2021
–
44.91%
"magnifico giganticus, once bobo, opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "how great is the foundation before which even the cruel servants of the mule tremble."
how can you even write this with a straight face. HOW. i howled in laughter the first time i attempted to read this out loud alskdjflaskdjf"
page
128
how can you even write this with a straight face. HOW. i howled in laughter the first time i attempted to read this out loud alskdjflaskdjf"
January 23, 2021
–
Finished Reading
February 24, 2021
– Shelved as:
quest-for-classiques
Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)
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by
Phil
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rated it 3 stars
Jan 23, 2021 10:08AM
Nice review! I found the Foundation trilogy a bit of a slog as well, although I read it at least 20 years ago or so. Yeah, it is a classic, or as you put it in the last review, old shit people think is important, so as a fan of science fiction, i read it. Hopefully your next classic comes off better!
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Phil wrote: "Nice review! I found the Foundation trilogy a bit of a slog as well, although I read it at least 20 years ago or so. Yeah, it is a classic, or as you put it in the last review, old shit people thin..."ha, glad some could appreciate my old shit joke ;)
i'm still happy i'm reading it, though -- it's interesting to see how sci-fi was at the time, and a lot of the concepts are genuinely cool. i'm always a sucker for seeing how literature and genres evolve.
and if you have any tips re: the classics, they're always welcome. i still wanna try and tackle some philip k. dick in the future.
I need to tackle some pkd as well-- never read him :-( I did like e.e. doc smith's Triplanetary series (Lensman series); i think it came out in the late 40s, but was serialized in the 30s. H.G. Wells has some classic good stuff as well. I have read a fair amount of the 'golden era' stuff-- 50s and 60s but cannot think of any real standout 'must reads'.
ohhhh, it's been ages since i read h.g. wells. that'd definitely be a good one to revisit. e.d. doc smith is new to me, so thanks for that!i'll just chalk pkd up as the one for the golden era stuff ;)
It feels like I've read this particular book a century ago, so I can't really comment... save for the fact that I kept picturing the Mule as ... well a donkey. :P I do, however recall, that I rather liked the episodic feel of the first book, with Seldon periodically appearing to predict a crisis."because if you give him over a hundred pages for a story� well, the underwritten characters start getting grating, the mysteries in the plot get slow and yawn-inducing, and slightly unsatisfying plot resolutions become more unsatisfying."
While I'm generally fine with Asimov's world building, I have to agree with you on the rest. With the exception of R. Daneel Olivaw (from the Robot series) I positively hate the character development in them. At one point I suspected that he got inspired by some melodramatic soap opera.
Ms. Smartarse wrote: "It feels like I've read this particular book a century ago, so I can't really comment... save for the fact that I kept picturing the Mule as ... well a donkey. :P I do, however recall, that I rathe..."i mean, "the mule" isn't really a super inspiring name for someone who's supposed to be a cool villain. so i don't blame you one bit :D
and yeah, agreed with you on also enjoying the episodic feel of the first book the most. i'm already a bit into the third one -- which is only two separate 'stories' -- and it has the same sort of problems i ran into with book two.
that's actually great to hear re: the robot series, by the way! i was still planning to read that one, so it's kind of a relief to know that not EVERY single character is either cardboard or, like you so eloquently put it, inspired by a melodramatic soap opera :')
