I can finish off this review in 5 words ....
THE BIBLE OF SCIENCE FICTION
But unfortunately, neither MS will allow me anything less than 100 words nor do I stop at this magnificent job of Issac Asimov
A few facts first, the main one being that the 3 books under the Triology
Foundation
Foundation & Empire
Second Foundation
Also, these are not NOVELS by themselves and they are anything but a collection of short stories (The Mule lasts for 50, 000 words ..!!!) and there will be a gap in the timeline of the novels, but they will be well explained. Thought this clarifiation was neccessary.
On to the story, my interpretation of the prologue .... Hari Seldon is a pschyohistorian who predicts the fall of the Empire (The empire spans the entire galaxy) and tries to crash the ensuing rot of 30, 000 years into a span of 1, 000 years. The catch here is that, the people who shall fight his cause will have to endure all the crises that shall befall in the 30, 000 in the 1, 000 years of their fight to survival. And for this he establishes 2 ’’Foundations’’ at the ’’Star Ends’’.
Is Hari Seldon correct in predicting the outcome?
Is the Empire doomed to failure?
Will the foundation, a collection of unarmed scientists overcome their war hungry neighbours?
Has Hari Seldon taken into account all the variables? Can a single individual alter the plans?
Can Mutants destroy Seldons Plans?
What is the ’’Star’s End’’? The identity of the 1st foundation is known but why is there so less infrmation on 2nd foundation? where is it?
Will the foundations succeed?Or will one of them carnivalize the other? Or will they both fail because of the mis trust between them?
A few precautions on the novel.... this is not defenitely your ideal sunday afternoon leisure book. The whole plan of Hari Seldon will keep bouncing back even after the novel is over. This novel gives a lot of food for thought.
One great feature of the novel is that the idea is water tight but the story is not. Hence what has happenned is that the flow of the novel can be interpreted by even we can add a couple of paragraphs without altering the theme.
But I donot profess that this novel is not without its flaws. I thought the flow & the story line of the first 2 novels were immaculate and free flowing. In a bid to twist the story of the 3rd, a lot of technicalities have crept into the third novel. Many a pages have been lapped to cover the pschyoanalysis of the mind and that adds complexities to the story in terms of difficulty of concentration
BUT DONT MISS THIS NOVEL FOR ANYTHING .... and the climax is the best that I have read ever .... the book hits you when you complete the last page .....
Enjoy Asimov ...........