Second Foundation (Foundation Novels) |
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| Title: | Second Foundation (Foundation Novels) |
| Author: | Isaac Asimov |
| Publisher: | Spectra |
| Type: | Book / Mass Market Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 01 October, 1991 |
| ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0553293362 / 9780553293364 |
| List Price: | $7.99 |
| Amazon Price: | $7.99 |
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels are one of the great masterworks of science fiction. As unsurpassed blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women dedicated to preserving humanity's light in a galaxy plunged into a nightmare of ignorance and violence thirty thousand years long.
After years of struggle, the Foundation lies in ruins—destroyed by the mutant mind power of the Mule. But it is rumored that there is a Second Foundation hidden somewhere at the end of the Galaxy, established to preserve the knowledge of mankind through the long centuries of barbarism. The Mule failed to find it the first time—but now he is certain he knows where it lies.
The fate of the Foundation rests on young Arcadia Darell, only fourteen years old and burdened with a terrible secret. As its scientists gird for a final showdown with the Mule, the survivors of the First Foundation begin their desperate search. They too want the Second Foundation destroyed…before it destroys them.
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Customer Reviews:
• Great Book. Even Better Series
04 May, 2009
This is a great book. I'm not a hardcore book reader and just a casual science fiction fan. I read leisurely and I found this book both entertaining, clever and well thought out. Its also easy to understand as well.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Brilliant Cap To A Fantastic Trilogy
11 March, 2009
The third book is, for my money, the best of the trilogy. If not, it definitely competes with the original for supremacy. That being said, once must note that there is only merely the hint of superiority between novels of the series - each book is engaging and interesting in its own right. But this is where it all comes together folks. Sure, part one feels a little anti-climactic, but part two is wrenching and touches lightly on some philosophical issues, much as the first book dealt with religion and economics. Ideas about destiny and control are explored, and not in a scholastic or bombastic way, but rather, integrate into the plot seamlessly. We finally get our hands on the Second Foundation in this one, and their purpose it not at all what you'd expect, their location, not at all where you might have guessed. Is it all just a little, very slightly, minimally dystopian? Well, yes and no; for people are controlled, but in Asimov's world, not by the technology, or the state, but by intelligence itself.
The only Gripe I have with Asimov is his somewhat-sometimes archaic use of language. Why use a word like Valise when something like luggage or suitcase would suffice? Perhaps certain words were in vogue when he wrote his books, or perhaps he was just trying to instill a certain "timeless" quality? At any rate, only a minor quibble.
The whole series is excellent and should be read by anyone who seeks entertainment and that certain "wow" factor synonymous with good fiction - science or otherwise.
- Amazon Customer Review
• The Ultimate Future History
27 February, 2010
(This is about the entire trilogy)
This is one of the masterpieces of science fiction, and for unexpected reasons.
The premise: what if knowledge got so advanced that a scientist, Seldon, could discover how history works? And then realizes how HE can work history, and does. The irony is that (ignoring the first chapter, which was actually written at the end) the most powerful character is dead throughout the entire story.
Seldon's theory is based on the notion that individuals don't matter, and Asimov is realistic enough to stick to that throughout the story. Throughout, we see the characters that seem interesting -- shrewd Hardin, swashbuckling Marlowe (I kept visualizing the young William Shatner), rebellious Mule, adventurous Arkady -- then the point of view pulls back and you realize that their quirks really didn't matter in the long run. It's especially effective in the last section (SPOILERS!) Arkady tries to outwit the Second Foundation, and it's like Harry Potter fighting Voldamort -- then you find out at the very end that her supposed best friend was manipulating her like a puppet to put Seldon's agenda back on track. Heroism counts for nothing.
The most irritating flaw, and it's especially obvious at the beginning: it's amazing how little you SEE about the First Foundation. Not a single street scene. No mention of art until the "Visi-Sonar" pops up halfway through the trilogy. How do they dress? What do their buildings look like? What is Terminus's geography like? What do the stars look like at the edge of the Galaxy? The FIRST FOUNDATION's tecnocratic, minimalist culture is important, but you rarely get a feel for it except when the story requires something to be described. Flesh that out, and Asimov could have had a greater masterpiece.
- Amazon Customer Review
• A Masterpiece Of Compelling, Highly Intelligent, Hard Sci-fi
07 July, 2009
Asimov's breath-taking third installment of the Foundation saga is the best of the original trilogy, and that's far from a small claim.
Driven by various searches for the mysterious, fabled Second Foundation, this book invokes a fascinating cast of scientists, dictators, even future novelists all grappling with the predicted fate of the galaxy and it's obscure relationship to the enigmatic Second Foundation. The book is at once poetic and logical, and fiercely both. Asimov's passion for and ideas about his foundation concept are limitless and absorbing throughout - the twists and turns of the plot are mesmerizing - the lurking, shifting commentary on good and evil is fascinating.
A sequence involving The Mule in psychic combat with a rarely seen member of the Second Foundation is one of the most spellbinding chapters of popular fiction I've ever read.
The series on the whole is superb. The first, Foundation, is a wonderful bright, imaginative sequence which is, by turns, stirring, insightful and awesome for it's detailed world building.
The second book in the trilogy, Foundation and Empire slips ever so slightly for me in it's over-complex plotting (I'd still give it four stars), but sits well as a prelude to the events of this third installment. Somehow, in 'Second Foundation' the complexity flows effortlessly with the action and breakneck pace of the writing. The trilogy is resolved brilliantly, unpredictably and manages to fulfill readers, whilst alluding that there could potentially be so much more to enjoy in the Foundation concept.
Asimov's great achievement is that his scientific basis is so strong, one virtually achieves the pleasure of reading fiction and non-fiction simultaneously. He has the plotting mind of a detective novelist, opening small surprises for the reader gradually throughout the plot. The continuity of the novel's universe is immaculate and logical, a pleasure to read as one might admire the engine of a beautifully built machine. Yet at the same time, the characters are involving, though, by the nature of an epic text, they must be drawn quickly and vividly; by the terms of Asimov's genre, they are also a complete success.
It will be interesting to see if the Foundation books stand up to film adaptation, as has been canvassed recently in Hollywood rumor. Some of the concepts are so clever, they go far beyond the mere visual. I fear, that movies based on these novels will be so dumb ed down as to lose the quality which makes them unique.
Either way, in novel form, they are that rare perfect specimen of their genre - emotive and scientific, clever and utterly compelling; 'Second Foundation' is the jewel that completes a spellbinding achievement of epic science fiction writing. No futuristic fiction has yet topped it.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Amazing!
09 June, 2009
This is the 3rd foundation novel I've read on my road to reading the whole series. Honestly these just keep getting better and better as they go. This story in particular has so much more intenisty then the last. I absolutely loved it. Definitely goign to pick up the next as soon as I can. :)
- Amazon Customer Review
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