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Second Foundation (Foundation Novels) by…
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Second Foundation (Foundation Novels) (original 1953; edition 1991)

by Isaac Asimov

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11,971130533 (4.01)1 / 163
Classic Literature. Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:The third novel in Isaac Asimov??s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series
THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION

The Foundation lies in ruins??destroyed by a mutant mind bent on humanity??s annihilation. But it??s rumored that there??s a Second Foundation hidden somewhere at the end of the Galaxy, established as insurance to preserve the knowledge of mankind. Now a desperate race has begun between the survivors of the First Foundation and an alien entity to find this last flicker of humanity??s shining past??and future hope. Yet the key to it all might be a fourteen-year-old girl burdened with a terrible secret. Is she the Foundation??s savior??or its deadliest enemy?
Unforgettable, thought-provoking, and riveting, Second Foundation is a stunning novel of adventure and ideas writ huge across the Galaxy??a powerful tale of humankind??s struggle to preserve the fragile light of wisdom against the
… (more)
Member:tomwynd
Title:Second Foundation (Foundation Novels)
Authors:Isaac Asimov
Info:Spectra (1991), Mass Market Paperback, 279 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

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Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1953)

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» See also 163 mentions

English (110)  French (4)  Italian (3)  Spanish (2)  Dutch (2)  Catalan (2)  Czech (1)  Swedish (1)  Hungarian (1)  Finnish (1)  Slovak (1)  All languages (128)
Showing 1-5 of 110 (next | show all)
When you have a lot of 'to reads' to choose from, the relationship to an unpicked book is interesting: for all you know certain books in your collection could be the best you're ever set to read (if the goodreads scanner and ratings used when purchasing gems from oxfam bookstores are reliable, that is), but there they sit, waiting, til the fateful powers of the universe deem it time for your decision to actually read them advance further than skimming across the blurb. The Foundation novels were of this ilk; fittingly so since predestination is one of the main theme of the series. There they sat for four years, beguiling, masterful works of fiction that lay dormant, a state incongruous with the value I now attributed to them now read. They are almighty.

I'd bought the first two installments of the trilogy in a second-hand shop in Stafford about 5 years ago, but due to my bibliophilic tendencies, I'd constantly picked other books before them from my 80-odd, fattened 'to read' section of the bookshelf. Then, after a double dose of Russian literature and 'Invisible Monsters' by Chuck Palahniuk, it seemed time to plunge into Asimov's heavily heralded works.

Psycho-history (the psychology of mathematically predicting future events of populations on a galactic scale) is the creation of Hari Seldon, a man who mathematically discovers the future decline of the galactic empire into years of barbarism and devolution. Using his psychological construct, Seldon plots the path of two Foundations at either end of the galaxy, which are to serve as insurance of a new, improved empire and limit the babaric years to a single millennium. Throughout the course of 1000 years, Seldon's plan follows its predicted path, but with the psycho-historian long dead and the probability of the plan's success somewhat delicate to the seemingly unpredicatable nature of the future, the population of a galaxy must journey through predicted and unpredicted crises to a destination many of them will not even see. A long cast of characters decorate the chessboard of the plan, wittingly and unwittingly maintaining the correct trajectory. Yet as the centuries tick by, the probablity of success invariably weakens, none more so when an unfathomable variable rears a mule-shaped head.

The scope of the trilogy is huge - not just the overarching plot but also the sub-plots involving various characters of each significant event as the plan progresses through its actualisation; they too are complex, well-written and perceptive narratives. How Asimov threaded the multitude of happenings and invention into a coherent, plausible, scientifically congruent and unpredictable story is astounding. In a way, the reader is sent on a predetermined journey in much the same way that the populations and individuals in the books are sent by Hari Seldon.

As well as the fantastically rich narrative, the nature of his books (and more so of 'psycho-history') evokes and indulges the reader in huge questions about life in our own galaxy. Is psycho-history actually possible? May we predict what will happen to our world as it ages? Are we free in our decisions about our lives? Are we handicapped by our lack of understanding of ourselves and the way we communicate?

This is an amazing series, one that has sat waiting on my bookshelf for four years, unbeknownst to me that it was to be one of the 'great'reads of my lifetime. Perhaps I was always meant to read these books now, write this review so that you could read it. Do our individual actions contribute to a bigger plan? Are we free? I repeat, it is almighty. ( )
  Dzaowan | Feb 15, 2024 |
While everything seems lost for the Foundation after Mule gains the upper hand the mysterious Second Foundation reaches out and finally delivers the Foundation (first one). But now aware that they are not the one and only Seldon's legacy, fear and conspiracy slowly creeps up and Second Foundation starts to be treated as a true threat that tries to subdue the technocratic First Foundation.

I find myself cheering for the technocratic society of the Foundation and presence of almost-invincible and mentally supreme 2nd Foundation acting from the shadows is truly disturbing news. Are they benevolent guides or just puppeteers remains to be seen - qui custodiet ipsos custodes (those Latin guys truly came across almost every type of political issue eh :))?

All in all excellent novel in the series. Highly recommended to all fans of SF and thrillers. ( )
  Zare | Jan 23, 2024 |
Well this final chapter in the original trilogy is a profound. As a whole, the 675 page trilogy works, earning its place in Top 5 Scifi lists, but individually they do not. Additionally, Asimov builds up each book until a big, dramatic ending, which is not very compelling. ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
A bit of poetry from the usually prosaic author---"As the rate of magnification slowed, the stars slipped off the four ends of the screen in a regretful leave-taking. At the rims of the glowing nebula, the brilliant universe of stars shone abruptly in token for that light which was merely hidden behind the swirling"---is concluded with "unradiating atom fragments of sodium and calcium that filled cubic parsecs of space." [p. 28] ("Unradiating" seems to be a new word that hasn't made it into common usage.)
Women, who do not feature prominently in the trilogy, become more significant here. (It turns out that the series continues both backwards and forwards; I haven't read the rest of it.)
  raizel | Dec 1, 2023 |
El que mas me incomodo de la trilogia, el solo pensar que en un futuro es posible el control de esa manera es perturbador ( )
  Presagios | Nov 27, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 110 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (22 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Asimov, Isaacprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bergner, Wulf H.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Billon, Pierresecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brick, ScottNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Foss, ChrisCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fruttero, CarloForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Giralt, PilarTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lucentini, FrancoForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Scaglia, CesareTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, Darrell K.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thole, KarelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Whelan, MichaelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Youll, StephenCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To Marcia, John, and Stan
To the memory of John W. Campbell, Jr.
(1910-1971)
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The First Galactic Empire had endured for tens of thousands of years.
Prologue
THE MULE It was after the fall of the First Foundation that the constructive aspects of the Mule's regime took shape.
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There is much more that the Encyclopedia has to say on the subject of the Mule and his Empire but almost all of it is not germane to the issue at immediate hand, and most of it is considerably too dry for our purposes in any case.
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Classic Literature. Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:The third novel in Isaac Asimov??s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series
THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION

The Foundation lies in ruins??destroyed by a mutant mind bent on humanity??s annihilation. But it??s rumored that there??s a Second Foundation hidden somewhere at the end of the Galaxy, established as insurance to preserve the knowledge of mankind. Now a desperate race has begun between the survivors of the First Foundation and an alien entity to find this last flicker of humanity??s shining past??and future hope. Yet the key to it all might be a fourteen-year-old girl burdened with a terrible secret. Is she the Foundation??s savior??or its deadliest enemy?
Unforgettable, thought-provoking, and riveting, Second Foundation is a stunning novel of adventure and ideas writ huge across the Galaxy??a powerful tale of humankind??s struggle to preserve the fragile light of wisdom against the

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