Seconde Fondation

Foundation (Publication Order) #3

by Isaac Asimov, Pierre Billon (Traduction), Philippe Gindre (Traduction)

Conçue par le psychohistorien Hari Seldon pour restreindre l'ère de chaos résultant de la décadence de l'Empire galactique, la Fondation est désormais aux mains du Mulet, un mutant imprévisible capable de manipuler les esprits et d'imposer sa volonté à quiconque.

Avec ses pouvoirs et les immenses ressources que lui procure la Fondation, il s'est donné pour objectif d'étendre sa domination aux ultimes vestiges de l'Empire défunt. Mais déjà une nouvelle légende prend forme : il existerait une Seconde Fondation, consacrée aux sciences mentales, œuvrant de façon occulte pour garantir l'accomplissement des desseins du légendaire Hari Seldon...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera, Audiobook, Fantasy

415 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 15, 1953

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Alice]

Welcome to the "how to incorporate depth and mystery in stone cold, calculated predictability" - the Asimov way. Priceless paradox.

[Baba]

Robot/Empire/Foundation. Book #11: Chronologically the fifth book in the Foundation series, but the last published book of the original Foundation trilogy released in 1953. Another book essentially made up of novellas - the first Search by the Mule, is the a long epilogue to the last novella in the previous book as The Mule goes out all guns blazing in his quest for the Second Foundation; the second Search by Foundation, sees a galaxy where The Mule's actions appear to have doomed The Plan, thus encouraging external forces to go after Foundation; whilst in the Foundation itself, a small group of conspirators have began to see Second Foundation as a major threat!

Very 1950s grand adventure style stories overlaid with the wonderful psycho-history concept, as Asimov plays with the idea of a society that to a degree has become reliant on The Plan and lost it's mojo as a result. Also, pretty cool for a book published in the 1950s, is the that the key protagonist in the second novella, is a 14 year old girl! This, and the previous books, read much better as a trilogy, and not so well independently. Still, an interesting and at times gripping tale - 8 out of 12, Four Star read.

2021 read

[Luca Ambrosino]

English (Second Foundation) / Italiano

«The First Galactic Empire had endured for tens of thousands of years»

But now it no longer exists. The present is the Foundation, at war with an enemy with a terrible "psychic" power, i.e. the ability to influence the minds. The third chapter of the Foundation series is better than the two preceding it, with more action and suspense. It's the final showdown between the "Mule" and the Second Foundation, represented in the final battle by its "First Speaker". But above all the homeworld of the Second Foundation will now be revealed. Surprise!

Vote: 7,5

«Il Primo Impero Galattico era esistito per decine di migliaia d'anni»

Ma adesso non esiste più. Il presente è della Fondazione, in lotta contro un nemico dotato di poteri "psichici" terribili, ovvero la capacità di influenzare le menti. Il terzo capitolo del ciclo della Fondazione è meglio dei due precedenti, secondo me, più ricco in azione e suspense. Siamo alla resa dei conti tra il "Mulo" e la Seconda Fondazione, rappresentata nello scontro decisivo dal suo "Primo Oratore". Ma soprattutto ci sta per essere rivelato il pianeta madre della Seconda Fondazione. Sorpresa!

Voto: 7,5

[Sanjay]

What a great completion of the trilogy! This book, the last part of Foundation trilogy, was very captivating from the start and became even more interesting and enthralling leading to a great spellbinding climax. This trilogy has now entered to my all time favorite books. It has been a great experience reading Isaac Asimov.

[Ian]

The idea behind it's pretty good. Asimov has set up little philosopher kings to slowly shape the universe until they can accept being openly ruled by beings as superior as them, because of SCIENCE! It never actually handles the philosophical issues involved, but notes that they exist. Meanwhile, the plot is such:

Man1: Haha! I tricked you!
Man2: But I knew you were going to trick me. Instead, I tricked you!
Man1: But I knew you knew that I was going to trick you, so really *I* win!
Man2: NO! *dies*
Man3: I knew that you knew that he knew that you knew that he was going to trick you, and I set up the whole thing! So I win!
Man1: But I knew that you knew that I knew...

And so on. The hyper-crossing that occurs in this book, right in the very first chapters, is utterly ridiculous. It gets a bit better as time goes on, but by that point, the cats out of the bag and you pretty much expect it to pull a PDK and have everyone be alien robots with fake memories or something.

In short, a good book to wrap up the trilogy, but a pretty weak story on its own.

[Lyn]

Second Foundation wraps up Asimov’s brilliant early 50s classic SF series Foundation.

Twenty-nine years later (in 1982) Asimov would publish Foundation's Edge, but for most of the golden age, the Foundation trilogy would form a template (though never completely duplicated) for SF excellence.

Essentially divided into two parts – the first part a conclusion of Foundation and Empire with The Mule and then the conclusion of the Foundation story. The search for the ultra-secretive Second Foundation continues across the galaxy.

Both the first part and the second had themes of a chess match between actors with several conflicting solutions being developed and supported.

Parts of this, especially discussions about the advanced mental Second Foundation reminded me obliquely of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood's End. Not as strong as the other two, this is still a solid SF story and a good finale for a great SF trilogy.

*** 2024 reread -

I think it's important to break this series out every so often to remind ourselves of what a great foundation this was for SF.

YUK YUK!!

Corny? Not any more than mutton chop sideburns.

Just sayin'.

This time I paid more attention to Asimov's delivery and found quite the plethora of easter eggs and foreshadowing - well played, sir, well played.

This was also, I think, an elevation of his young literary powers. Perhaps emboldened by his earlier successes, he stretched his writing skills and on this second read I noticed the quality of Asimov's prose had improved and there are sections that are exceptional.

[Henry Avila]

All good things come to an end and the fabulous Foundation trilogy alas concludes but don't fret readers, there are two sequels and two prequels more. The main subject of novel is finding the legendary Second Foundation which gives the 3rd book its name. The uncovering of a whole planet would seem an easy assignment not so with 25 millions inhabited worlds in the luminous, massive spiral, a swirling gigantic Milky Way Galaxy...a river of 400 billion stars, a disk of brilliant objects hidden by dust and gases of hydrogen and helium. The Mule the First Citizen makes an appearance from the previous book nevertheless after four hundred distant years since Hari Seldon's plan was revealed to establish a new Galactic Empire, resurrect civilization from the chaotic, barbaric darkness, give the universe light again and halt the constant upheavals. The most interesting character here is the rambunctious 14 year -old -girl, the scientist Dr. Darell's precocious daughter Arcadia , an adult in a child's body who refused to be a kid. She will drive the elongated narrative as a stowaway in a spaceship searching for the before said item, in belligerent Kalgan, planet ruled by ruthless dictator Lord Stettin . A cruel man thirsting for conquest and doesn't care how many are killed, a glorious victory is the aim nothing else are minor inconveniences. Homir Munn a spy sent to Kagan to discover if Lord Stettin is organization for war against the First Foundation, he is stunned when Arcadia jump out of her hidden spot on the starship. An amusing scene that will cause readers to chuckle and a light touch in an otherwise serious story. Mr. Munn becomes Uncle Homir to explain her presence but soon she turns back into a juvenile again. The interaction between her, Munn, Lord Stettin, and in particular Lady Calla the mistress of the ruler is entertaining. Clues found , people pontificates among the officials on Terminus where the First Foundation is located, where the Second is, you would think the two Foundations both established by Hari Seldon would be friends however trust is not reciprocal. The scientists on Terminus and the unknown mental giants on the other believe they alone could make the new Galactic Empire materialize. But the real winners are us the believers in great science-fiction stories.

[Bradley]

Re-Read 11/13/21:

Great mystery, lots of cat and mouse, and subterfuge.

And, of course, there is the grand attempt to put the proto-empire back together after the Mule (Humpty-Dumpty) had shattered it. The Foundation is cocky. So sure of itself. And yet… the math must rule.

So classic.


Original Review:

I'm still amazed at how well this and the other two books in the trilogy holds up. It's easy to let little things go like all the focus on Atomic Reactors when they've still got FTL. We could replace one technology with another and still have the same core story shine.

And it really shines.

Yes, SF has had tons of telepathic SOBs, but I still count the Mule as one of the most savvy and intelligent dictators to ever topple a galactic empire. The first half of this book deals entirely with him and his long quest to hunt down the Second Foundation. It is an obsession with him.

And all the while? Yeah, the Second Foundation remains elusive and scarily effective, eventually trapping and defeating the Mule with wit and brilliant conversations and logical traps that are brilliant. I can't recommend this series more. The core stories are still as sharp as ever, even if we as readers are jaded by 60 years of authors riding on Asimov's coattails. :)

The second portion of this novel was slightly more special to me, oddly enough, and no matter how much I loved the Mule, I really enjoyed the First Foundation hunting for the Second Foundation even more. The characters involved in it were wonderful.

The First Foundation always seems to get things wrong, but this the same as usual. :) Still, the surprise at the end stayed with me after 30 years between readings and still made me smile after my second reading, so that *is* a very good sign, is it not? :)

Yes, this trilogy still remains in my top 10 list of (single books or trilogies) out of all the books I've ever read. :) Great stuff.

[J.L. Sutton]

“Galaxy! When can a man know he is not a puppet? How can a man know he is not a puppet?”



Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation centers around the search for Hari Seldon's elusive Second Foundation, both by the Mule as well as (many years later) those from the First Foundation. Questions about the Second Foundation and why it existed or whether it still exists swirl around as the search continues. This just felt like good story telling. Wonderful conclusion to a thought-provoking series! 4.5 stars

“It was a sign of decaying culture, of course, that dams had been built against the further development of ideas.”

[mark monday]

And so you take comfort in what once used to chafe and to frustrate: the man is smarter than you. Hari Seldon. At first you fought against his implacable logic, his elegant design mapping out the entire existence of your race, the human kind. But eventually you relaxed and embraced it: you and yours, your dreams, the human race... your goals and your future would be protected, protected by the plan. The Seldon Plan - and Foundation. And when Foundation and the Plan both suffered at the hands of the mutant The Mule, Seldon's secret guardians - Second Foundation - came to save the day. The Plan on one hand, that secret society of psychic saviors on the other, Foundation and Second Foundation, Mother and an absent but still watchful Father... all fears left you. You became comfortable. You became complacent!

And so there rose the frustrated few who still chafed at that soft control - at that absent Father with his invisible fingers, making a puppet of you and yours, "protecting" you. You are mommy's little darlings, hating your distant dad. You will control your own destiny, future be damned!

And so you acted against Second Foundation, you plotted and schemed and made intricate designs, you found those secretive psychic saviors, you executed each and every one of them. Or did you? Fortunately for you - oh, and for the future of all your kind, the human race - your goals and your frustrations are excruciatingly finite. Your own small-mindedness will protect you, your childlike inability to see the bigger picture. Poor baby; Second Foundation will save you and yours despite yourself. Just sit back and stop thinking so hard, you'll hurt yourself!



And so the original Foundation trilogy concludes with this work. Two ingenious novellas, one detailing the final passage of sympathetic villain The Mule, the other dealing with an attempt made by Foundation to upend Second Foundation. I found the first book to be interesting but flawed in its repetitiveness. The second book had two novellas: one entertaining but likewise limited, the second a brilliant leap forward.

And so it is with the third book, Second Foundation: the first novella entertaining and thoughtful but a bit of a retread of the second book's second novella... and like its predecessor, a second novella ("Search by the Foundation") that leaps forward into new, fascinating territory. All three of these books - their various stories and novellas coming together to form an intricate, elegant design - will stick in my mind. I can imagine revisiting this deep well of ideas a few years from now (if the human race still remains). Overall, despite some essentially inconsequential flaws, the original trilogy is a marvelous achievement and I think completely worthy of their classic status.

And so I wonder: should I continue with this series? Asimov is a smart man, certainly much much smarter than me. But I have found disappointment when reading series that are picked up decades later. They have read as if the author has grown too comfortable, complacent. The next novel in the series - Foundation and Earth - was written nearly three decades after this third book. Should I risk souring the well?

[Savage Bookwolf (new Mario the lone bookwolf)]

The Seldon crisis is a literal mule mind penetration

Prelude, First Foundation, mule, Second Foundation, etc. scissors stone paper style
Asimov likes to introduce new plot twists by not just showing a new antagonist or meta event, but by using the weak spots of one ideology or person to fundamentally change the red line. I´ve completely lost track of how often and in detail he did it over the whole series, because I´ve just read the best rated 3 other parts before, during, and after (or somewhat like that, also lost track of that) besides the original series. However, one doesn´t see it coming, which creates an incredible cliffhanger wtf moment each time it happens.

How many mutants does sci-fi need?
As many as there are stars, because they are what makes the genre so unpredictable, while still trying to explain and show serious and scientific future tech and social concepts. But by adding this kind of, still, fantasy, each abnormality doesn´t just has the potential for big changes at the moment, but for reproducing, mixing with the original species, and thereby changing the course of evolution. (Except one is infertile of course, haha). And that´s the reason why

Humanities and soft sciences should never be underestimated
While the first part of the series is totally serious science business with no science fantasy, except one deems psychohistory itself unscientific and a pseudo- and para science, the second part is already questioning the superiority of hard STEM power. In the final climax of the original series, fantasy style humanities and soft biological brain power are even superior to Clarketech. Maybe it was Asimovs´intention to

Make STEM science a bit more open minded regarding alternative explanations
A scientist himself, Asimov maybe wanted to open borders for more interdisciplinary science. Not the voodoo stuff, but especially the things we simply don´t understand. As a visionary dreamer, he maybe somewhat saw all these quantum nano irritations, astrophysical Space Webb space telescope mysteries, unexplainable reactions and processes in more and more things we see inside us and billions of years in the past in the stars, coming. Back then, it was just an assumption of some of the more progressive and alternative scientists who dared to question the dogmas, today, the facts are on the table. That´s why he

Didn´t just inspire everyday people to question everything, but certainly a bunch of scientists too
I guess I did already mention the legions of writers who name him as a core motivation and inspiration in one or another review of his amazing work. But each mind opened to the limitation of our current state of the art high tech achievements could be the next „Fill in your favorite prodigy science rockstar“. Because who says that it´s impossible that in 1, 1000, or 100.000 k, etc. years a multidimensional, quantum tunneling, time traveling, etc. entity can´t exist? Some psi powers seem nothing compared to that and to definitively say forever impossible is a typical human style of arrogance, and megalomania to assume that one's own incapability explains everything.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

[Manny]

[Original review, 2008]

It's so funny when SF writers, especially ones like Asimov who take themselves seriously, try to predict the future. This book contains one of my favorite examples of getting it completely wrong. We're God knows how many thousands of years on from now, they have faster-than-light travel and force fields and any number of other miraculous inventions, but what is the absolute latest, cutting-edge technology?

Well... it looks rather like Dragon Dictate, with a printer that produces cursive handwriting. Except that, hm, they don't seem to have invented Microsoft Word yet. Maybe WYSIWYG text editors aren't as obvious an idea as we all think?
___________________
[Update, Sep 2023]

Rereading this after a gap of fifty years, I liked it better than I did as a teen. The futurology is indeed ridiculous. But the idea of the Second Foundation is haunting and thought-provoking. The Galactic Empire doesn't make sense; as Asimov himself said, it's just an SF transposition of the Roman Empire. I didn't think of this in 1972, but suppose the book is telling the story of our own world in an indirect way? Suppose there really were a Second Foundation, guiding history towards a long-term goal which only they were properly aware of and fighting off unexpected challenges from charismatic human leaders who threaten to derail the Plan? You see echoes of this in Quigley's controversial Tragedy and Hope.

Needless to say, Quigley is mostly popular among conspiracy theorists, and I don't seriously believe the idea. But it's somehow a very attractive one. You can't help wondering, and perhaps this is what gives the "Foundation" series its force.

[Orhan Pelinkovic]

Second Foundation (1953) is the 3rd novel of the The Foundation Trilogy and the one I found most compelling of the three.

The Mule, after conquering the First Foundation, which is at the forefront of the physical sciences in the Galaxy, is in a restless search to find and eliminate the Second Foundation. The Second Foundation is the Mule's only threat and obstacle in uniting the Galaxy under his tyrannical rule. The Mule is a mutant with supreme mental powers capable of tampering with and manipulating the emotions of others while converting them into his loyal devotees. But the Mule is in for a surprise, as the Second Foundationers have for centuries been developing and refining their intricate telepathic science and have acquired the mental capabilities that for the Mule are inborn. Has the Mule met his match? And does Arcadia, a 14-year-old girl, become the key link as the events unfold?

As far as I am concerned, this is not a sturdy stand-alone novel, therefore, you would need to read the previous two parts, for all of this to make sense. Although, the narration flow of this novel is smoother than in the previous parts and the dialogues are well developed and psychologically intriguing, though, some of the jargon is dated.

Throughout the book, Asimov gives the advantage to the Second Foundationers due to their education in neuroscience, psychology, and sociology as well as presenting in a positive light their egalitarian society with a horizontal structure of government. Compared to the First Foundation, which is governed by a more conventional hierarchical structure where their strengths are derived from nuclear power, high-tech technology, commerce, and education in the physical sciences. But what science, 'mental' or 'physical', shows to be superior? And what system of government, 'vertical' or 'horizontal', prevails at the end of the novel?

There is a whole series of these novels but I think that I will pause with completing just this Trilogy and perhaps come back to it one day.

[Trish]

This concludes my re-read of the original trilogy that I've read not too long ago. Reason for the re-read was the AppleTV+ show although the contents of this original trilogy isn't being handled just yet (I couldn't pace myself ;P).

As the title suggests, it's all about that elusive Second Foundation whose members have psychic abilities, which makes it much more of a threat to the mule. But he isn't the onyl one looking for it.
Interesting, here, was the fate of the First Foundation (another lesson in futility) and where it all led in the end, once the Mule was gone (it's no spoiler, his name gave it away long ago).

Originally, I wasn't too much into Asimov's story element of psychic abilities (they play a part in his robot stories as well), but I have to say that I had a change of heart. It makes for a nice equilibrium with all the tech and maths.

As always, for a more detailed look at the story itself as well as the writing, see my original review below. But rest assured, I'm still loving this tremendously. Which is why I shall continue with the other two books the author penned in this series.



Original review:

This book concludes the original tale of the Foundation and it is a worthy ending.

Like the second book, this had not several shorter stories forming a mosaic to introduce the reader to the galaxy as had the first, but had only two parts:
- Search by the Mule
- Search by the Foundation

The first part resumes the tale where it had left off at the end of the second book: the Mule is still ruling the galaxy after having beaten the Foundation and is more powerful than ever. He knows however that there is another, a Second Foundation, and that its members have mental powers much like he does (as opposed to the strictly technological approach by the First Foundation) and that is dangerous since it could undo all the conditioning he's done on most people within his galactic Empire. Two men are thus sent out to find the Second Foundation and destroy it, one of which was a character I liked very much: Han Pritcher. The other is a young and unconditioned upstart who turns out to be of the Second Foundation.
There is a lot of back and forth with forcefully obtained information, some of which turns out to be intentionally wrong and then we get the showdown with the leader of the Second Foundation. The end actually surprised me a bit here. It becomes apparent that although the Second Foundation likes to have all the threads in their hands, they actually lack the ambition to use their power in order to rule themselves.

The second part takes place 60 years after the above mentioned events. The Mule is dead and has been dead for 55 years. Yep, his body was so weak that he had a short natural life span which the Second Foundation foresaw. To think that all the First Foundation would have had to do was endure long enough ... Moreover, since the true reason for the Mule's name was that he could not have any children, we are in a sort of limbo: we have the planet Kalgan on which the Mule ruled and which still stands apart from the rest of the galaxy that is under the rule of the Foundation once again. Moreover, most Foundationists are now aware of the existance of the Second Foundation but opinions differ greatly. Some see them as the safeguards of the Seldon plan, others are highly suspicious of them due to their mental powers.
Personally, I dislike the first group because they became lazy and understand the latter group because the whole idea of people being able (whether genetically or through training doesn't matter) to manipulate another person's mind is highly disturbing.
The ruler of Kalgan, at one point, declares war on the Foundation but loses (not really a spoiler), proving that the Foundation is strong enough to withstand even a violent conflict (they lacked the self-confidence at first after what had happened to them thanks to the Mule).
As a side character, we get the granddaughter of Bayta (the woman who made sure the Mule couldn't find the Second Foundation in the previous book). A bright 14-year-old, slightly too romantic in her notions, but I liked her very much. Especially since the view on women throughout the galaxy (no matter who rules) is preposterous!
We get another chase through a couple of worlds and a mystery and then there is the question of where exactly the Second Foundation is. You see, there are people who try to find them in order to kill them all so nobody can manipulate any minds anymore. But the Second Foundation has foreseen this (and many other) problems and they have set in motion a plan (or several, actually) of their own.

I won't say more about the conclusion other than that I knew where the Second Foundation was pretty early on. Again, Asimov leaves enough bread crumbs for the reader to follow which is quite nice. The funny thing is that my thinking was a bit too complicated in fact. I regarded one of the older book covers and saw the spiral of the galaxy and it hit me that in a spiral, "the opposite end where stars end" from the point of view of Terminus (which is at the outer end of one arm of the galaxy/spiral), is the center of the galaxy => the former capital of the Empire. It was much more easy than that however. Ah well, doesn't matter, the result was correct anyway.

It is also revealed just how intricate Hari Seldon's plan really was and how the Second Foundation works, what they regard (apparently correctly) as their "job", why there was never any psycho-scientist in the First Foundation and any other question readers might have had from the start. That was VERY large-scale.

What I definitely did not like, once again, is the notion of the uber-powerful Second Foundation. First, I don't think they would be this selfless - humans usually aren't. Secondly, I definitely don't like that everything had been calculated despite the fact that this was not predictable by psychohistory (remember: psychohistory can only predict the course of history where billions of people or more are involved, not individuals). It diminished the accomplishments of Bayta and her granddaughter and basically said that an individual cannot be intelligent/important enough to cross such huge plans and have an impact on history when, clearly, that is not true! When all was revealed at the end, this enraged me so much in fact, that I almost deducted a star (especially since it's a theme that irked me in the previous book already)! Except for the reveal who the First Speaker at that time was - that was hilarious! :D

And again I didn't deduct a star. Because this work is truly great in the literal sense of the word. Asimov deserves the title of "master" or "father of science fiction". His writing style remained top notch throughout, was "simple" yet unique, amiable and even got me through the drier parts where the Second Foundationists discussed (in infuriatingly vague but lengthy terms) what they must do or what was happening or what which theory means/entails (actually, the explanations were quite nice because it left nothing to be desired for, but still).
Getting into the story was easy and although Asimov seems to purposefully keep the reader a bit at a distance, you find yourself infuriated with the arrogance, ignorance or complacency of certain people / the repetition of events and actually feel for characters like Arkady (Bayta's granddaughter). He also manages to give each and every one of them a realistic and distinct voice although they are all quite different.

In fact, I am so happy I read this trilogy that I might read the other volumes too, just for completion's sake.

[Dream.M]

جلد سوم مجموعه‌ بنیاد، یعنی بنیاد دوم، در میان اشک و حیرت و جوشش مغزم تموم شد. اگه جلد اول درباره‌ ساختن نظم از دل فروپاشی بود و جلد دوم درباره‌ ظهور یک مورد استثنایی خطرناک، جلد سوم درباره‌ این پرسش بود که "چه کسی حق داره آینده‌ بشر رو هدایت کنه؟" و مهم‌تر اینکه، اگه آینده از پیش مهندسی شده باشه، اصلاً آزادی انسان چه معنایی داره؟

آسیموف توی این جلد، جهان بنیاد رو از میدان جنگ‌های فضایی به میدان ذهن می‌بره و دیگه خبری از اون نبردهای کلاسیک بین امپراتوری‌ها نیست؛ و دشمن این‌بار نامرئی عه، در سایه حرکت می‌کنه و اسلحه‌اش نه ناوگان فضایی، بلکه روان‌شناسیه. اون حس ناامنی از اینکه همیشه کسی (بنیاد دوم) در سایه‌ها نشسته و داره انتخاب‌های انسان رو مهندسی می‌کنه، خیلی ترسناک‌تر از هر ناوگان فضایی‌ و اسلحه لیزی ایه. این همون تکنوکراسی روانیه که آسیموف با ظرافت تمام، مثل یک نیشِ زهرآگین وارد ذهن خواننده می‌کنه
و دقیقا همین تغییر سطح روایت، بنیاد دوم رو به پیچیده‌ترین و شاید بالغانه‌ترین رمان این سه‌گانه‌ تبدیل می‌کنه. این کتاب بیشتر از اینکه یک داستان آینده‌نگر باشه، درباره‌ اکنون عه؛ درباره‌ سیاست، تبلیغات، پروپاگاندا و گرایش همیشگی انسان به سپردن اختیارش به کسانی که ادعا می‌کنند خیر اون رو بهتر می‌دونن.

داستان این جلد ادامه‌ بحرانی عه که با ظهور استر آغاز شده بود. برای یادآوری باید بگم استر موجودی جهش‌یافته‌ست که با قدرت تغییر احساسات دیگران و مطیع کردن‌شون، بزرگ‌ترین تهدید برای نظریه‌ "روان‌تاریخ" هاری سلدون شد. روان‌تاریخ هم همون ایده‌ شگفت‌انگیز سلدون هست که ادعا میکرد رفتار توده‌های عظیم انسانی رو می‌شه با دقت آماری پیش‌بینی کرد؛ این پیش‌بینی در مورد رفتار یک فرد صدق نمیکنه، بلکه مسیر کلی تمدن‌ها رو از نظر آماری پیش بینی میکنه. سلدون تصور می‌کرد می‌تونه دوران هرج‌ومرج پس از سقوط امپراتوری کهکشانی رو از سی هزار سال به هزار سال کاهش بده. اما استر یک استثنا بود؛ یک خطای غیرقابل‌پیش‌بینی در معادله و تاریخ، و خب همون‌طور که بارها دیدیم، تاریخ عاشق استثناهاست و کافیه یک نفر خارج از الگو ظاهر شه تا قرن‌ها برنامه‌ریزی به خطر بیفته.

اینجاست که دقیقا "بنیاد دوم" اهمیت پیدا می‌کنه. اما بنیاد دوم اصلا یعنی چی؟
هاری سلدون از همون ابتدا دو بنیاد طراحی کرده بود. بنیاد اول در سیاره ترمینوس در لبه کهکشان که متکی هست بر علم، فناوری، تجارت و قدرت جسمی؛ و بنیاد دوم نهادی کاملا پنهانی و مرموز که مکانش رازآلوده و با علوم ذهن، روان‌شناسی و نسخه‌ عمیق‌تر روان‌تاریخ کار می‌کنه. اگر بنیاد اول نماد تکنولوژی باشه، بنیاد دوم نماد دانشی عه که به چشم دیده نمیشه اما شاید خطرناک‌تر باشه چون درباره دونستن اینه که انسان‌ها چطور و به چه چیزی فکر می‌کنن، چه چیزی اونها رو می‌ترسونه و چجوری می‌شه ذهن‌شون رو دستکاری کرد که مسیر انتخاب‌هاشون عوض بشه.

و بازم آسیموف باهوش و نابغه توی این لحظه، خواننده رو به چالش میکشه و کتاب به شکلی غیرمنتظره فلسفی می‌شه و سوالات هستی شناسی و اخلاقی درباره کنترل شهروندان و اراده آزاد می‌پرسه.

لابلای این ایده‌های سنگین، شخصیت‌ها هم اهمیت پیدا می‌کنن. از کتاب قبل فهمیدیم استر برخلاف خیلی از ویلن‌های علمی‌تخیلی، فقط یک هیولا یا دیکتاتور نیست؛ و شخصیتی تراژیک داره و عملا یک موجودی منزویه که میل شدیدش به سلطه از نوعی عقده طردشدگی عمیق میاد.
در مقابل توی این جلد ما آرکادی رو داریم که یکی از زنده‌ترین شخصیت‌های مجموعه است؛ دختر نوجوانی باهوش، بازیگوش و کنجکاو که حضورش باعث می‌شه کتاب از سنگینی فلسفی صرف و فضای بزرگسالانه غالیش فاصله بگیره. توی دنیایی که همه چیز زیر سیطره‌ روان‌تاریخ و نقشه‌های بزرگ سلدون له میشه، حضور آرکادی، مثل یک لکه‌ رنگ روشن روی یک بوم خاکستریه و این پیام رو به مخاطب نوجوانش میده که تاریخ فقط توسط نابغه‌ها یا رهبران نوشته نمی‌شه و گاهی یک نوجوان، با کنجکاوی و حتی اشتباهاتش، می‌تونه مسیر کهکشان رو عوض کنه. جذابیت این کتاب اینجا بیشتر میشه چون آسیموف برخلاف بسیاری از نویسندگان هم‌دوره‌اش، به یک شخصیت دختر نوجوان با ویژگی‌های جسمی و ظاهری کاملا نرمال و معمولی، فضای واقعی برای تأثیرگذاری می‌ده ، نه مثل خیلی از داستانها که دخترها در اون صرفاً نقشی تزئینی دارن.

اما مهم‌ترین ویژگی "بنیاد دوم" پایان‌بندی اونه؛ پایانی که بدون تکیه بر اکشن عظیم یا انفجارهای فضایی، صرفاً با ایده و بازی ذهنی کار می‌کنه و نوعی معمای فلسفی پیچیده بزرگ مطرح میکنه که ناگهان نگاه خواننده رو به تمام وقایع قبلی تغییر می‌ده و خواننده رو توی یکنوع تعلیق اخلاقی رها میکنه. آسیموف نابغه در انتهای مجموعه عظیمش یکبار دیگه قدرت خودشو به رخ میکشه و ثابت می‌کنه که داستان علمی‌تخیلی لزوماً درباره‌ سفینه‌ها و تکنولوژی نیست؛ و می‌تونه درباره‌ اخلاق و اختیار انسان باشه.
با توجه به پایان‌بندی این جلد، این فکر به ذهن میرسه که هاری سلدون، با وجود تمام ادعاهای علمی‌اش، آیا بیشتر یک آدم خیرخواه بود یا یک معمار توتالیتاریسم که می‌خواست تاریخ رو مثل خمیر بازی به شکل دلخواهش دربیاره؟ آیا "بنیاد دوم" نمادی از محافظت از بشریت عه یا نمادی از تحقیر بلوغ بشر؟
این کتاب با وجود گذشت دهه‌ها از زمان انتشارش هنوز زنده و به روزه چون که آسیموف فقط درباره‌ آینده ننوشته و مسائلی که مطرح کرده هنوزم سوالات ما هستن و بشر باهاشون درگیره.
......
⚠️ هشدار اسپویل جدی

اگر کسی هنوز کتاب رو نخونده، بهتره همین‌جا فرار کنه چون آسیموف در جلد سوم چند تا توییست روایی داره که دونستن‌شون تجربه‌ خوندن رو عوض می‌کنه، و خب خیلی ها عجیب دوست دارن لذت غافلگیر شدن رو تجربه کنن 😭
بنیاد دوم در دو بخش اصلی روایت می‌شه و هر دو بخش عملاً حول یک سؤال می‌چرخن: "بنیاد دوم کجاست؟"

● بخش اول: استر در برابر بنیاد دوم

داستان با این شروع می‌شه که استر، همون جهش‌یافته‌ قدرتمندی که در جلد دوم ظهور کرده، تقریباً بر بخش بزرگی از کهکشان سلطه داره. اون با توانایی ذهنی‌ش می‌تونه احساسات افراد رو تغییر بده؛ دشمنان رو وفادار کنه، ترس رو حذف کنه یا عشق مصنوعی بسازه. همین باعث شده تقریباً شکست‌ناپذیر به نظر برسدگه.
اما استر یک ترس بزرگ داره به نام "بنیاد دوم". اون می‌دونه تنها نیرویی که احتمالاً می‌تونه جلوش بایسته همین نهاد مرموزه چون اهالی اون سیاره هم مثل خودش، با قدرت ذهن سروکار دارن. در واقع، استر حس می‌کنه اگر کسی بتونه اونو متوقف کنه، کسانی‌ان که حتی از خودش در بازی ذهنی قوی‌ترن.
خب حالا استر دو نفر رو مأمور پیدا کردن بنیاد دوم می‌کنه. ژنرال هان پریچر و مردی به نام چنیس که ادعا می‌کنه رد بنیاد دوم رو پیدا کرده. استر و چنیس به سیاره‌ای به نام روسم می‌رن که ظاهراً قراره محل بنیاد دوم باشه. اینجا یکی از توییست های مهم کتاب اتفاق میفته.

چنیس فکر می‌کنه داره استر رو فریب می‌ده چون خودش عضو بنیاد دومه و می‌خواد استر رو به دام بکشونه. امااا مشخص می‌شه استر از اولم به اون مشکوک بوده و کل بازی رو فهمیده بوده😭

اینجا سخنگوی اول بنیاد دوم ظاهر می‌شه یعنی رهبر واقعی بنیاد دوم که از مدت‌ها قبل در سایه اوضاع رو زیر نظر داشته. اون توضیح می‌ده که بنیاد دوم سال‌هاست رفتار استر رو مطالعه کرده و فهمیده که اون یک استثنای خطرناک در برنامه‌ی سلدون عه و بعد… بزرگ‌ترین اتفاق رخ می‌دهد😱😱😱
سخنگو به‌جای کشتن استر، ذهنش رو تغییر می‌ده.
بنیاد دوم احساسات استر رو دستکاری می‌کنه و میل او به فتح کهکشان رو از بین میبره، جاه‌طلبی‌ش رو خاموش می‌کنه و اونو به فردی نسبتاً آروم‌تر تبدیل می‌کنه. چند سال بعدم استر در حالیکه یک امپراتور تقریباً منزوی و بی‌خطره، توی تختش می‌میره.

●بخش دوم: شکار بنیاد دوم
بعد از مرگ استر، همه فکر می‌کنن خطر تمام شده. اما حالا بنیاد اول در ترمینوس دچار پارانویا می‌شه. اونها تازه می‌فهمن بنیاد دوم واقعاً وجود داره و شاید از پشت پرده همه‌چیز رو کنترل می‌کنه. ترس اصلی حاکمان بنیاد اول اینه اگر بنیاد دوم بتونه ذهن‌ها رو تغییر بده، پس شاید رهبران ترمینوس هم آزادانه تصمیم نمی‌گیرن و تحت کنترلن.
اینجاست که شخصیت جذاب کتاب وارد مرکز روایت می‌شبهه‌ها... آرکادی که نوه‌ توران دارل، خانم قهرمان جلد قبلی هستش؛ یک دختر ۱۴ ساله‌ کنجکاو، باهوش و کمی دردسرساز که نه خیلی ام تصادفی وارد ماجرای جست‌وجوی بنیاد دوم می‌شه😉.
آرکادیا توی سفرش به سیاره‌های مختلف، سرنخ‌هایی پیدا می‌کنه و کم‌کم همه به این نتیجه می‌رسن که بنیاد دوم احتمالاً روی سیاره‌ کالگان یا استارز اِند قرار داره. آسیموف عمداً خواننده رو مدام به مسیرهای غلط می‌فرسته.
رر پایان، گروهی از بنیاد اول فکر می‌کنن بالاخره بنیاد دوم رو نابود کردن و فکر میکنن چند نفر که تصور می‌شود اعضای بنیاد دوم‌ هستن کشته می‌شن و همه با خیال راحت جشن می‌گیرن که دیگه کسی ذهن ها رو کنترل نمی‌کنه.
اما اینجا آسیموف آخرین آسشو رو می‌کنه...
توییست نهایی اینه کههههه...‌ اون‌ها اشتباه می‌کنن.
بنیاد دومی که نابود شده، واقعی نبوده. تمام ماجرا یک فریب حساب‌شده بوده تا بنیاد اول فکر کنه تهدید تموم شده و دیگه دنبال بنیاد دوم نگرده😁😁 و بعد معلوم می‌شه بنیاد دوم از اول احتمالاً در جایی بوده که همه نادیده گرفته بودن؛ جایی نه در لبه‌ کهکشان… بلکه در سوی دیگر همون جایی که هاری سلدون گفته بود یعنی "در انتهای مقابل ستارگان".
اشاره‌ پنهان کتاب اینه که بنیاد دوم احتمالاً روی خود ترانتور، پایتخت قدیمی امپراتوری، مخفی بوده؛ جایی که هیچ‌کس انتظارش رو نداشت، چون همه دنبال پایگاه مخفی عظیم می‌گشتن، نه گروهی از ذهن‌های نابغه که میون ویرانه‌ها پنهان شده‌ باشن.
انتهای کتاب، زل زدن سیامک انصاری به دوربین....

ترسناک‌ترین بخش داستان شاید این باشه که بنیاد دوم شرور ذاتی نیست. اونها واقعاً از روز اول می‌خواستن تمدن بشری رو نجات بدن. اما روش‌شون چیزی شبیه با پنبه سر بریدنه چون معتقدن "ما بهتر می‌دونیم چی به صلاح‌تونه، پس اجازه بدید بی‌سروصدا ذهنتون رو تنظیم کنیم. "
تاریخ بشر هم پره از آدم‌هایی که با نیت خوب کارهایی رو شروع کردن و بعد…. 😶

.......
صوتی کتابو هدیه گرفتم. عاااشقشمممم♡

[Simona B]

The book alone, I probably would have rated 3 stars out of 5, but I just noticed I rated 3 stars also the first two books in the trilogy, which baffles me because when I think of the Foundation trilogy, I do not think 3 stars. It seemed appropriate, therefore, to up the average rating of the series with this last chapter.

“Every human being lived behind an impenetrable wall of choking mist within which no other but he existed.”

What I loved about this particular instalment, and a thing that is quite evident more or less in all Asimov books, is that the solution of its plot is so layered, the reader gets lost in its endless folds. Second Foundation comprises more than one episode like its two predecessors, two in the case at hand, and in each of these halfway through the story the narrator starts offering us different explanations, preferably through the perspective of one of the characters, and this successfully contributes to creating an escalation of tension that masterfully resolves into the achievement of the last solution, necessarily the correct one. It's an extremely simple scheme, and yet an infallible one—at least in hands as capable as Asimov's.

As always, I could continue with various attempts at clarifying why I love this author, but I've written dozens of reviews/comments about him that you can find in a minute by browsing my shelves, so I won't repeat myself. (Though I would love to: my love for Asimov is a marvelous excuse for me to become repetitively verbose.)

And speaking of the devil--aka my tendency to repeat myself--of course I recommend the Foundation trilogy; in fact, to be precise, I recommend Asimov's whole bibliography in spite of not having read it all myself. That's how much I love him.

[Велислав Върбанов]

„Няма да разберете защо е така, освен ако още веднъж почувствате интелектуалната атмосфера на дните, когато е умирала Империята. Било е време на абсолютни стойности, на велики последни обещания, поне в мисловната област.“


Само една алтернатива в никакъв случай не е достатъчна, колкото и добре да е замислена и изградена. Хари Селдън е предвидил възможността бъдещите поколения хора, които са част от Фондацията, да допускат големи грешки или да се главозамайват от успехите, заради което е създал тайнствена Втора Фондация.

Айзък Азимов е вложил в книгата си изключително стойностни мисли, разказвайки многопластова научнофантастична история, изпълнена с вълнуващи обрати! „Втората Фондация“ представлява чудесен завършек на неговата великолепна първоначална трилогия за „Фондацията“.

В първата част от романа действието се развива около 300 г. след смъртта на легендарния Селдън. Могъщ мутант, наричан Мулето, притежава способността да манипулира емоционално хората. Той изненадващо успява да унищожи Фондацията и започва да проявява имперски амбиции за завладяване на галактиката. Мулето е притеснен от слуховете за Втора Фондация, която би могла да му се противопостави, затова изпраща Хан Притчър и Бейл Чанис на опасна мисия, чиято цел е да я открият...

Втората част описва събитията, които се случват 50 г. след тези от предната. Главна героиня в нея е Аркадия Даръл, която е много интелигентно момиче и дъщеря на известен учен. Междувременно Първата Фондация се е възстановила и се развива, обаче нейните членове са притеснени от възможността за съществуването на загадъчната Втора Фондация, смятайки я за свой враг. Хомир Мун отива на планетата Калгън в търсене на ценна информация, а пък Аркадия решава да тръгне с него. Там гостуват на настоящия управник лорд Стетин, който се оказва доста алчен за власт, а впоследствие предстоят опасни приключения...






„Чанис се ухили с широка усмивка.
— Зная какво искаш да кажеш. Доста скучно е, нали?
— Не, ако се наслаждаваш на лични хроники на владетели. Бих казал, че вероятно са недостоверни и в двете посоки. Когато историята се занимава предимно с личности, илюстрациите стават само черни или само бели, в зависимост от интересите на автора. Мисля, че тази наука е безполезна.“


„— Искаш да кажеш, че съм постигнал твърде голям успех?
— Прекален успех за всеки предан човек.
— Понеже поставените от теб стандарти за успех бяха твърде ниски?“


„Надолу и все надолу… — резултатите можеха да се проследят и цялото страдание, което човечеството бе познало въобще, щеше да се сведе до простия факт, че никакви хора в историята на Галактиката преди Хари Селдън и малко на брой след него успяваха да се разберат истински помежду си. Всяко човешко същество живееше зад непроницаемата стена от задушаваща духовна мъгла, в която не съществуваше никой, освен самият него.“


„Помнете, за да бъдете действително ефикасен, не е необходимо да държите съзнанието си под строга контролираща бариера, която за интелигентното сондиране е по-осведомяваща, отколкото разголеното съзнание. По-скоро човек трябва да култивира невинност, липса на чувство за превъзходство на собствената си личност, които не ви оставят какво да криете.“


„— Това е първият урок, от който трябва да се отучите. Селдъновият план не е нито пълен, нито безгрешен. Той просто е бил най-добрият, който е могло да се състави на времето.“


„Но Аркадия разбра, че той просто не гореше от желание да посети библиотеката — сигурно по същата причина, поради която калгънци избягваха двореца на Мулето. Суеверният страх, сковаващ днешните пигмеи пред реликвите на гигантите на миналото.“


„Мразеше ни и завиждаше на нашето превъзходство, но при това разчиташе безрезервно на нас да го опазим.“

[Amin Matin]

بنیاد، پایه‌های ژانر علمی‌تخیلی

از روزگاران قدیم ساده نوشتن سخت‌ترین نوع نویسندگی بوده است، مهارتی که آیزاک آسیموف در آن استاد بود، او در طی دوران نویسندگی خود آثار زیادی چه داستانی و چه غیرداستانی از خود به جای گذاشته که بالغ بر ۴۷۰ کتاب در موضوعاتی متنوع، از علم گرفته تا شکسپیر و تاریخ، است و همواره عنصر مشترک آثار او سادگی و سرراست بودن هست، منظور ما از سادگی در کتاب‌های آسیموف صرفاً سادگی نثر و کلمات نیست، بلکه آسیموف سادگی کتاب‌های خود را وارد نوع فضاسازی و روایت هم می‌کند، بنیاد اثر شاخص آسیموف هم دقیقاً به همین سبک و سیاق نوشته شده است.

هر تمدنی که دست به ابداع و نوآوری نزند، هر تمدنی که پاسخ پرسش‌هایش را در تحقیقات گذشتگان بجوید، هر تمدنی که دانسته‌هایش بیشتر از ندانسته‌هایش باشد، محکوم به نابودی هست. امپراطوری کهشکان به مدت دوازده هزار سال بر بیست میلیون سیاره‌ی بشر حکم رانده و در تمام این دوران صلح و آرامش را برقرار کرده. اما به آن مشکلاتی دچار شده که تمدن‌های دیگر را به نابودی کشانده و در نتیجه فروپاشی نزدیک است. با این همه، تنها هری سلدون ریاضیدان این مسئله را می‌داند. سلدون علمی‌ ابداع کرده است به نام «روان تاریخ» که با کمک آن می‌تواند آینده را «ببیند» ریاضیات اون نشان می‌دهد که وقتی امپراطوری فروبپاشد، سی هزار سال بربریت و بی‌تمدنی بر کهکشان حاکم خواهد شد تا امپراطوری تازه‌ای سر بربیاورد.
آیزاک آسیموف نوشتن مجموعه‌ی «بنیاد» را در سن ۲۲ سالگی آغاز کرد و کلمه به کلمه بر آن افزود تا در نهایت «بنیاد» تبدیل به یکی از عظیم‌ترین پایه‌های ژانر علمی‌تخیلی شود، و از خود آسیموف به عنوان یکی از نویسندگان مثلث طلایی دوران علمی‌تخیلی یاد شود.

اولین کتاب از مجموعه هفت‌جلدی آسیموف به نام بنیاد در سال ۱۹۵۱ چاپ شد و مشتکل از چهار داستان بلند بود، بعد‌ها آسیموف برای درک بهتر مخاطبان داستان پنجمی هم نوشت که به صورت مقدمه کتاب اول مجموعه در آمد.


به صورت کلی سه‌گانه اصلی بنیاد عبارت‌اند از: ۱. بنیاد (Foundation) ۲. بنیاد و امپراطوری (Foundation and Empire) ۳. بنیاد دوم (Second Foundation). به همین منوال دنباله‌های هم به ترتیب زمانبندی داستانی، نه ترتیب انتشار عبارت‌اند از: ۱. سرآغاز بنیاد (Prelude To Foundation) ۲. پیشبرد بنیاد (Forward The Foundation) که زمان وقوع‌شان قبل از بنیاد، یعنی جلد اول سه‌گانه است؛ ۳. لبه بنیاد (Foundation's Edge) و ۴. بنیاد و زمین (Foundation and Earth) است که زمان وقوع‌شان بعد از بنیاد دوم یعنی جلد سوم سه‌گانه است.


بخش وسیعی از داستان مجموعه بنیاد در مکالمات بین شخصیت‌ها در جریان است، شخصیت‌هایی که معمولاً تک‌بعدی‌اند؛ آسیموف هیچوقت شخصیت‌پرداز خوبی نبوده و در واقع نمی‌خواهد وقت خود را با شخصیت‌پردازی تلف کند، و تمرکز خود را در پیشبرد داستان و ایده اصلی می‌گذارد.

از بنیاد به‌عنوان غیرآسیموفی‌ترین اثر آسیموف یاد می‌کنند و دلیل آن هم فقدان هیجان و ضربآهنگ توالی اتفاقات پیوسته که اگر بخواهیم ساده‌تر بگوییم همان تعلیق هست؛ توجه داشته باشید ژانر علمی‌تخیلی همیشه به سرعت روایت سریع خود و درگیری‌های لحظه‌ای پر از هیجان معروف است که اثر شاخص آسیموف ذره‌ای از آن را ندارد؛ تنها توصیف نبرد در بنیاد به دو خط محدود می‌شود که آن هم از زبان شخصیتی هست که کاملاً به دور از مهلکه و در آرامش تمام ناظر تمام ماجراست.

سوالی که ممکن است برای شما پیش بیاید حتماً این است که پس چرا بنیاد اینقدر معروف مانده است و چرا از آن به عنوان یکی از بهترین داستان‌های علمی‌تخیلی تاریخ (تنها داستانی که به انتخاب مجله «World Science Fiction Convention» برنده جایزه بهترین مجموعه گمانه‌زن تاریخ شد، در حالی که نامزد دیگر همین جایزه ارباب حلقه‌ها شاهکار جهان‌آشوب تالکین بود.) یاد می‌شود؟ جواب ما به شما واضح است، ایده بنیاد و عظمت داستانی که روایت می‌شود؛ بنیاد راجع هیچ شخصیت و دوره کوتاه مدتی نیست، بنیاد راجع به سقوط و ظهور امپراطوری‌های کهکشانی‌ست، به عبارتی بنیاد همان تاریخ است، تاریخی که به واسطه علم «روان‌تاریخ» که کارش پیش‌بینی اتفاقاتی هست که برای کلیت بشر در مقیاس کهکشانی رخ می‌دهد، منتها روان‌تاریخ نمی‌تواند زندگی فردها و فردیت‌ها را پیش‌بینی کند بلکه لازمه کارکرد آن وجود توده‌های عظیم جمعیت هست که همین موضوع نیز می‌تواند عدم وجود شخصیت‌پردازی قوی و عمیق کتاب را توجیه کند، دلیلی که می‌گوید بنیاد به شخصیت‌ها اهمیتی نمی‌دهد، برای مثال وقتی می‌خواهید صبحت از علمی مانند زمین‌شناسی کنید دوره‌های زمانی کوتاه‌مدت و حتی صد ساله برایتان به حالت چشم‌ برهم‌زدن می‌گذرد و آنچنان اهمیتی به آن نمی‌دهید، باید به شما بگوییم به همین نسبت بنیاد به شخصیت‌هایی که می‌آیند و می‌روند اهمیتی نمی‌دهد.
راجع به نکات مثبت بنیاد می‌توانیم تا ابدیت حرف بزنیم ولی بگذارید اندکی هم راجع به ضعف‌های بنیاد هشدار بدهیم؛ کمی قبل‌تر ذکر کردیم بنیاد اثری با شخصیت‌پردازی عمیق نیست، و شخصیت‌های آن عموماً انسان‌هایی تک‌بعدی و فاقد درونیات پیچیده هستند، حالا باید بگوییم علاوه بر تک‌بعدی بودن شخصیت‌های آسیموف از تک‌جنسی بودن هم رنج می‌برند، آسیموف طبق گفته خود تا قبل از نوشتن بنیاد و در کل تا قبل از ازدواج کردن هیچ‌گونه معاشرتی با زن‌ها نداشت، شاید به همین علت است که مجموعه بنیاد در سه‌گانه اول تقریباً فاقد شخصیت‌های زن هست، و اگر شخصیت زنی هست صرفاً استفاده‌ای کلیشه‌ای و به قول معروف فن سرویسی از آن شده است، برای همین خواندن بنیاد برای شما خواننده امروزی و در قرن حاضر ممکن است سخت باشد و نتوانید به راحتی از خواندن کتاب و ایده‌های جذاب آن لذت ببرید.

در کلام آخر به تمام شما خوانندگان عزیز لازم می‌دونم یادآوری کنم که مجموعه بنیاد آسیموف شاهکاری بی‌همتاست، هیچوقت به مانند آن چیزی نوشته نشده و احتمالاً بعدها هم نوشته نخواهد شد؛ رمان‌های بنیاد به‌رغم فقدان تعلیق‌های معمول و به‌رغم نبودن قهرمان و ضدقهرمان، بی‌اندازه هیجان‌انگیزند، و برای شما طرفداران دو آتشه علمی‌تخیلی نوشته شده‌اند؛ منتهای عمل بله بنیاد ایراداتی هم دارد، حال و هوای کتاب‌های بنیاد با کتاب‌های داستایفسکی متفاوت است! توصیفات و شخصیت‌ها آنچنان خوب نیستند و ایرادات علمی‌ هم وجود دارند، منتهای عمل بنیاد قصه‌ای هست که باید بخوانید و آن فرصتی دهید که افکار و حد و مرزهای ذهن شما را درهم شکند.

[Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI)]

Again, our beloved Foundation is imperiled by powerful enemies. The Mule reigns victorious and apparently unstoppable in his megalomania. Plans within plans are laid to discover the rumored Second Foundation, a potential ally seemingly created by Hari Seldon himself at the opposite end of the galaxy, but for what purpose? And, in the midst of the intrigue (and perhaps a result of it) a new player with a fleet of starships attacks.

[Ms. Smartarse]

It's been 5 years since the Mule's unexpected "defeat" on Trantor, since his new Galactic Empire has stopped its expansion. According to the official propaganda, this was meant to be a period of consolidation, where rules and regulations were supposed to be cemented. Unofficially though, the Mule has been engaged in a frantic search for the mythical Second Foundation, all over the Galaxy.



So there is this Second Foundation that we've all known about since the beginning, because the Founding Fathers Hari Seldon made sure to mention it in the constitution his message to the early settlers. But nobody really knows whether they're a boogie-man or a benevolent saviour... watching creepily from the shadows.

So people try all sorts of tricks to unmask them, only to get so cleverly thwarted that they don't even realise they've been had. And if you think that as a reader you get to oooh and aaah over said thwarting at your leisure, well you're sadly mistaken. You will need to wade through a page-long treatise on just how evolved the psychohistorians are, and how they've transcended normal speech, and that the entire dialogue you're about to read is the result of dumbing things down for your intellectual capacities. Oh and this happens at the start of every chapter involving a dialogue between the Second Foundationers...



Otherwise, the underlying idea is great, especially with the additional information revealed about the final events from Foundation and Empire. And I thoroughly enjoyed all of Dr. Darell's attempts in "sciencing" the heck out of psychohistory. Arkady's plot lines however... started out nicely enough, but Asimov's reticence in giving most of his characters any significant depth eventually turned her into a clichéd caricature.

Score: 3/5 stars

"You see, I happen to know where the Second Foundation really is."

... the plot in a nutshell.
It's fairly clever/intriguing/funny the first few times, but I dare you to keep a straight face by the fifth iteration. And yes, I'm still hooked enough to continue with the series reread.

=================
Review of book 1 (chronological order): Prelude to the Foundation
Review of book 3 (chronological order): Foundation
Review of book 4 (chronological order): Foundation and Empire

[Tony]

Much more a mix of detective story and psychological drama than a traditional sci-fi novel, Second Foundation chronicles various parties' search for the secretive eponymous organization.  Asimov does a good job of keeping the reader continually guessing about whether the Second Foundation has actually been discovered or whether the latest development is just another of their obfuscations.  The result is an exciting tale that is my favorite installment, to date, in the Foundation series. 

[Ali Book World]

"بازخوانی دوم"
بنیاد دوم یه جورایی بازی شطرنج ذهنی در مقیاس کهکشانیه.
داستان حول این می‌چرخه که بنیاد دوم کجاست؟ اصلاً وجود داره؟ چه کسی کنترل آینده بشر رو در دست داره؟
در جلدهای قبل ما با سقوط امپراتوری و ظهور نابغه‌ها و اسطوره‌ها و جنگ‌های بزرگ سروکار داشتیم…
اما اینجا فضا خیلی روان‌شناختی‌تر و رازآلودتر می‌شه.
همه دنبال بنیاد دوم هستن…
همه از قدرتش میترسن…
و تقریباً هیچ‌کس نمی‌دونه واقعاً چیه!
این کتاب حس تعقیب دائمی می‌ده. انگار همیشه یکی چند قدم جلوتر از بقیه فکر می‌کنه.
آسیموف اینجا نشون می‌ده که قدرت واقعی، کنترل ذهن و احساساته، نه ارتش‌ها.
فضای داستان هم پر از شک، فریب، نقشه‌های چندلایه و غافلگیریه. واقعاً تا آخر نمی‌فهمی چه کسی برنده‌ست...
اگر جلدهای قبلی درباره ساختن تمدن بود…
این جلد درباره کنترل تمدنه.

الان که بار دومه میخونمش، بهتر و بیشتر میفهممش. بیشتر از قبل دوستش دارم و واقعا میگم در دنیای علمی-تخیلی رودست این مجموعه نمیاد.


-----------------------------------
ریویوویی که برای خوانش اول نوشتم: (دلم نیومد پاکش کنم):
جلد سوم، عالی شروع شد. معرکه. کاملا هیجان انگیز. شروعی پرکشش که باعث شد همون لحظه تا صفحه ۱۱۲ و یک نفس بخونم و برم جلو. جذاب شروع شد، جذاب ادامه پیدا کرد و عالی تمام شد...

مجموعه‌ی بنیاد به ظاهر یک مجموعه کتابِ علمی-تخیلی است. بله هست! ولی صد درصد نَه!. در حقیقت آینده‌ی زندگی بشر است. داستان این مجموعه در آینده رخ میدهد، اصلیت ماجراها مربوط به جامعه‌ی بشری‌ست. در حقیقت از بنیاد انتظار جنگ و شلیک و تفنگ و ابزارهای فوق عجیب و غیره نداشته باشید.

فکرشو بکنید، در زمانی که نمیدونیم چه تاریخی‌ست اما قطعا رخ خواهد داد، نسل بشر کهکشان‌هایی رو کشف کرده که من و شما در حال حاضر اصلا حتی بهشون فکر هم نمیکنیم و یک روزی رسیده که مرز امپراطوری‌ها محدود به خاک‌های زمینی نیست و یک حکومت واحد بر کل این کهکشان ها حکمرانی میکنه. باز هم با تمام اینها روزی میرسه که یک نفر میاد و با علمی نامعلوم به نام "روان‌تاریخ" پیشبینی‌های عجیبی برای این امپراطوری میکنه و از آمدن نابودی و ‌بی‌تمدنی خبر میده. ترسناک نیست؟ و از این هم ترسناک‌تر اینه که راه حل ‌هایی ارائه بشه و به اجرا گذاشته بشه اما باز هم همینجایی که فکر میکنی مشکلات حل شده اتفاقاتی رخ بده که هیچ فکری در موردشون نداشتی. بله، بنیاد چنین داستانی داره.

با تمام این‌ها، بنیاد یکسری ایرادات هم داره. مثل شخصیت پردازیش. کاراکترها کاملا رو هوا هستند، هیچ توصیفاتی در مورد ظاهرشون داده نمیشه و صرفا با نقشه‌هایی که میکِشند و کارهایی که میکنند و کلا با نوع جایگاهشون در روند داستان میشناسیمشون. البته شاید نشه به این هم بگیم نقطه ضعف، چون بنیاد اصلا شخصیت محور نیست بلکه یک رمان با چاشنی تاریخه!...

این مجموعه ادامه داره اما توی این سه جلد به یک نقطه خاص میرسه و به مخاطب این حق انتخاب رو میده که ادامه بده یا نه که من قطعا ادامه‌ش میدم.

نمیدونم باید دقیقا به چه کسانی پیشنهاد خوندن این مجموعه رو بدم. اما اگر علمی-تخیلی دوست دارید که قطعا باید بخونید، اگر دوست دارید یک داستان علمی-تخیلی اما نه چندان جنگی رو بخونید این مجموعه برای شماست.

[jade]

“a circle has no end.”

second foundation is the third and final book in what started out as a trilogy, and attempts to satisfyingly wrap up all loose ends from the first two books.

this trilogy has been steadily going downhill for me.

and this third book proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that (1) i do not think asimov explores his themes in-depth enough, and (2) barely-there characters with zero agency does not an engaging story make.

anyhow, let me briefly summarize where we stand right now.

foundation (#1) busied itself with showing the sociological development of a society created specifically to mitigate the effects of a falling galactic empire and the subsequent dark age that would follow. foundation & empire (#2) showed us how psychohistory cannot account for everything, and what would occur if a fledgeling foundation would be threatened by exceptional individuals with exceptional powers.

throughout these books, we are constantly reminded that a second foundation exists: a mysterious society created at the opposite end of the galaxy, which has supposedly been manipulating everyone to ensure a successful progression of hari sheldon’s plan from the get-go.

the first foundation has the power of physical science; it’s technologically advanced, possesses the knowledge of atomic energy, and it can dominate the societies around it through such means (as well as religious control) because of its weapons and military power.

the second foundation is rumored to have the power of psychohistory, with none of the technological advancement. though it is also a society of scientists, these are scientists that focus only on the mind (sociological / psychological) and not on physics. hence, they are incredibly weak when it comes to military matters and brute force.

three-hundred years after book one, this story (#3) deals with the two strongest powers in the galaxy each trying to locate the second foundation to see whether it truly exists and what its powers actually are.

in part one, we meet a familiar face as we join ‘villain’ the mule on his quest to eradicate and annex the second foundation into his empire, since it proves to him the larger threat than the first one ever could be.

and in part two, we join new characters from the first foundation in trying to uncover whether the second foundation is real at all, and whether or not it proves a threat to their existence.


© Michael Whelan

like i said in the beginning: this book just wasn’t it.

in previous books, i felt that asimov rather neatly sidestepped the pitfalls of having one big statistical theory that can predict anything -- there was still tension and character agency, mostly due to the fact that the theory can’t account for exceptional individuals AND several characters were concocting plans of their own.

here, however? the second foundation is so ridiculously overpowered that nobody even stands a chance. we spend pages upon pages of characters cleverly setting up traps and trying to bait each other out, only for another character to pop up and yell, “ha! but i knew that you knew! so i changed the plan!”

and then another character runs in, confesses to be a secret agent who sabotaged the plan, and the first character admits to knowing the other character was a secret agent so the plan was not the plan but fake. repeat ad nauseam.

there are even chapter titles referencing this (‘the answer that satisfied’ versus ‘the answer that was true’) and asimov plays all of this Extremely Seriously. i mean, this is an actual quote from the book:

“you don’t look surprised. but i don’t waste time doubting that you feel surprised. yes, i knew about it. and now, having shown you that i knew of something you didn’t think i did, i’ll tell you something you don’t know, that i know you don’t.”

what am i even reading? a serious sci-fi classic or a monologue drafted for doofenschmirtz evil incorporated?



and cheap, clunky stuff like this keeps happening all the time. i found it hard to take the characters and the narrative seriously because of it.

speaking of characters, we have old favorite the mule taking center stage in the first half of the book. with his special powers -- the ability to induce / manipulate emotions and control people en masse through that -- he’s one of the few people who can stand up to the second foundation. in this book, he goes toe-to-toe with them directly.

and fails miserably. his ending was such an anti-climactic one, and i felt so sorry for how his story had to end and how the foundation viewed him as a person. the way he’s described in the latter half of the book once his story is over is honestly heartbreaking.

you can’t tell me we’re meant to sympathize with the people who talk about the only person who could ever be the second foundation’s peer like this:

“... the mule was a freak, physical as well as mental. [...] his ill-adjusted body could no longer struggle its creaking machinery along. for several years before his death he was an invalid. his best health was never more than an ordinary man’s feebleness. all right, then. he conquered the galaxy and, in the ordinary course of nature, proceeded to die. it’s a wonder he proceeded as long and as well as he did.”

and then there’s the fact that the second female main character we ever get, who’s arguably the protagonist of the second half of the book, is also treated horrendously in-text.

arcadia “arkady” darell is the granddaughter of bayta darell, the somewhat legendary foundation historian who stopped the mule in the previous book. she’s a brash fourteen-year-old with romantic notions who sneaks her way into the plans of the adults to uncover the whereabouts of the second foundation -- and actually starts playing a pretty pivotal role in attempting to locate it.

this is how one of the foundation protagonists and her dad talk about her:

“fourteen? great galaxy -- tell me, has she ever said she expects to marry someday?”
“no, she hasn't. not to me.”
“well, if she ever does, shoot him. the one she's going to marry, i mean. i'm serious. life could hold no greater horror than living with what she'll be like when she's twenty. i don't mean to offend you, of course.”
“you don't offend me. i think i know what you mean.”

plus, at the end of the story, it is of course revealed that the second foundation kind of had a manipulative hand in just how pivotal the roles were that she and her grandmother played in the story. because women cannot be brave or intelligent without outside manipulation.

both of them were mentally and emotionally controlled into stopping the mule and the first foundation from finding the second foundation. in arkady’s case, this goes so deep that, “... her control involved the development of a precious and intelligent personality”. OUCH.

and so i found myself rooting for literally ANYONE ELSE than the second foundation.

the condescending attitude, the inherent superiority, the constant manipulation, and the idea that they somehow have a greater right to exist and live more freely than others -- it tripped me up immensely. nobody ever questions whether the second foundation’s creation, subsequent survival, and manipulative power are a good thing.

nobody ever asks if all of that gives them a right to rule the galaxy.

it’s supposedly good because it would lessen the galaxy’s “dark age”, but what that dark age would actually be and for whom it would be dark is never explored in-depth. all we hear is that it will be thirty-thousand years of “ignorance and violence”, and we just have to take that at face value.

to me, it is there that asimov fails spectacularly in exploring the themes surrounding the rise and fall of empires. i’ve been wracking my brain wondering whether it was truly asimov’s intent to have me root for an unsympathetic bunch of dickbags who believe they’re inherently smarter and better than anyone else, but the tone and framing of the text (see quotes above) betray no deeper commentary.

and as long as the jury’s still out on that one and that’s all that i’m being given, it just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

so! an unsatisfying conclusion to a trilogy that, to me, did not properly explore the deeper themes behind its initial concept -- a concept that i greatly enjoyed and appreciated when it was set up in the first book.

two things that asimov did very right in this book, however: (1) i don’t think i ever saw anyone smoke any tobacco of any kind, and (2) he managed to make me care for and empathize with a character to the point where i’m actually pissed about his fate, even though most of the characters are just walking nameplates.

gotta give credit where credit is due.

this was an interesting field trip into classic sci-fi that i don’t regret taking, and i genuinely enjoyed reading the first book. however, its lack of depth re: theme and character made the last book fall flat on its face for me.

i hope i’ll fare better with the robot series!

read my review of the second book here.

✎ 2.0 stars.

[Davyne DeSye]

This was a fabulous conclusion to the original trilogy!

In the first book, we see the rise of the Foundation – the kernel of civilization around which the Second Galactic Empire will eventually rise after the fall of the First Galactic Empire… a foundation established for precisely that reason by the inestimable Hari Seldon, who – through his mathematics – can predict the future.

In the second book, we see Seldon’s Plan shattered by the unexpected rise of a conqueror with mutant mental powers (the “Mule”) – something Seldon’s mathematics could not foresee nor account for. Thankfully, the Mule is stopped through the bravery and intelligence of one woman, and through the help of the secret Second Foundation.

In this book, we are about 500 years into the single millennium Seldon’s Plan predicts before the Foundation will establish the Second Galactic Empire. The problem? The Second Foundation, whose purpose it is to protect and continue Seldon’s Plan, is no longer secret. Both the Mule (who was stopped in his expansion) wants to find the Second Foundation and wipe it out and the Foundation (the First Foundation) doesn’t like the idea of being manipulated by some secret outer force and, therefore, also wants to find the Second Foundation and wipe out for reasons of its own.

The first half of this book is about the Mule’s search for the Second Foundation which revolves around a bunch of intrigue involving mind control. I love this part of the book because the Mule is such a fascinating and enigmatic creature (well… man, but still… creature might be a better descriptor). This part of the book also includes a lot of double-double crosses that keep the reader guessing all the way.

The second half of this book is about (after the Mule’s eventual death) the search for the Second Foundation by the First. I love this part of the book because the heroine is Arkady, a 14-year-old girl who has all the spunk, intelligence and teenaged neurosis/romance you could want in a heroine. (Example: She stows away on a spaceship in her guaranteed-wrinkle-proof jacket with food stores and water, convinced that all she has to do is keep herself from sneezing because that is what gives away all the spies in the movies, but soon realizes that the movies never talk about where/how the stowaway is going to pee… ha ha!) She caroms around the galaxy, from Terminus to Kalgan (where she gains the eye of the ruler as a future wife, escapes and is almost arrested until her escape) to Trantor, all the while trying to hide from the Second Foundation – and knowing that she is the most important person in the galaxy because she knows where the Second Foundation’s secret location is! Just great stuff! I also love Preem Palver, humble farmer who helps Arkady along the way.

The ending… well the ending is just sublime. So sublime. Love it!

I highly recommend this entire series to lovers of classic science fiction. But even if you are uninterested in reading the entire series, Asimov includes – as a prologue – a synopsis of the first two books, so this could be read as a standalone novel. This is probably my favorite of the three, so I definitely suggest reading it. No, maybe not my favorite. Yes, probably so. Errr… just read them all – they’re great!

[Apatt]

“Was his controlled mind so concerned with obedience as to lose initiative? He felt a thickening despondency drive him down into a strange lassitude.”

Poor Captain Han Pritcher. Mind control is a common sci-fi trope but the feelings or thoughts of the person under control are rarely explored. This is what makes Part 1 of Second Foundation so special. As I mentioned in my review of Foundation and Empire The Mule is a terrific villain, clever and ruthless but no exactly evil and a little pitiful. This part of the book is entirely concerned with The Mule’s battle of wits against the eponymous Second Foundation. Where the First Foundation that we have come to know from the previous two books is made up of scientists the eponymous Second Foundation is made up of psychohistorians (or psychologists-cum-mathematicians). Their study and development of psychology over hundreds of years make the best of them the equals of the Mule in term of mental power. The showdown between a Second Foundation leader (“first Speaker”) and the Mule consist of moves and counter-moves almost entirely through dialog. This being Asimov the kickass climax does not actually involve feet coming into contact with posteriors; be that as it may the scene is very tautly written and has stayed with me for decades since I first read it.

Part 2 of Second Foundation is mainly concerned with the First Foundation’s search for the Second with the intent of destroying it. This turn of event surprises me a bit, suddenly the Second Foundation is cast in the role of antagonists (“ubiquitous menace”) in spite of having saved the First’s bacon in the preceding part. This makes the First Foundation seems like terrible ingrates. On the other hand, nobody likes to have their minds tampered with so their hostility is somewhat understandable. Mixed into the main story arc of the search for the Second Foundation is a subplot concerning the First Foundation’s war with Kalgan. I personally find this warfare section a little dull compared to the much more interesting major plot; I am not at all surprised that I remember nothing of this aspect of the book from my previous reading.

The world building in this third volume is the best of in the trilogy, I particularly enjoy Asimov’s description of the Second Foundation’s culture. They do not communicate by telepathy but conduct whole conversations in micro-gestures (actually much more interesting this way). The denouement at the end of the book is particularly ingenious. Asimov does seem to enjoy pulling the rug from under the readers’ feet, and his enjoyment is infectious.

So that’s it, the entire legendary trilogy read in just one week due to the total page count being under 700 pages. My main reason for the reread is to go on to Foundation's Edge and subsequent Foundation novels, published around 30 years after the original trilogy which I have never read before. Really looking forward to that!

[فؤاد]

کتاب سوم رو به اندازهٔ کتاب‌های قبل دوست نداشتم، چون عنصر اصلی داستان، نیروی نادیدنی‌ای که شخصیت‌ها رو ناخودآگاه پیش می‌برد، هیپنوتیزم و کنترل ذهن بود، نه جبر روانتاریخی. حبر روانتاریخی عنصر ابتکاری و خلاقانهٔ دو کتاب قبل، مفهومی بکر و دست اول توی ادبیات علمی تخیلیه، اما هیپنوتیزم و کنترل ذهن، نه چندان.

اما خوبی آسیموف اینه که همیشه چند تا غافلگیری توی داستان‌هاش داره. جذابیت داستان‌هاش رو به ایده‌هاش واگذار نمی‌کنه. با غافلگیری‌هاش داستانش رو جذاب می‌کنه. برای همین حتی اگه ایدهٔ داستان چندان باب طبع آدم نباشه (مثل همین کنترل ذهن) همچنان داستان می‌تونه آدم رو به هیجان بیاره.

[Adrian]

Like the other Foundation novels I have read this book (non GR or pre GR) many times since the wonderful fist reading in the 70s. Do I enjoy it every time ? Yes of course, otherwise I wouldn't re-read. Do I enjoy as much or more, hmm, difficult, in some ways no, its not new to me, but in some ways yes, because I get more every time, and I realise every time what an amazing author Asimov was.
So I have just finished it for 2017 as part of the Foundation (7 book version) series read for SF Aficionados and again I realise what an amazing book and series this is.

(One of my dreams is to read Asimov from Robot novels through the Empire novels and then into all of the Foundation novels - I've been told its over 30 novels, so I really look forward to that, maybe 2019, a special year)

[Markus]

Second Foundation is a decent enough conclusion to the original Foundation trilogy, although it was by far the weakest book in the trilogy in my eyes.

The problem is that whereas the first book, despite its own flaws, is both intriguing and original, both the second and third volumes focus on deviation from, and restoration of, the psychohistorical master plan of Hari Seldon. The whole story of the Mule feels quite pointless and could be considered the weakest point of Asimov's ideas. Both the sequels seem to be diversions adding little of value to the story as a whole.

Still, the Foundation series is a classic for a reason, and I am happy to have read them. Whether I will continue with the newer books is a matter for another time.

[Miltos S.]

Έπειτα από περίπου δύο πολύ περίεργους μήνες, που δεν υπήρχε περίπτωση, όχι βιβλίο - αλλά ούτε γραμμή να μπορέσω να διαβάσω, επέστρεψα στην αγαπημένη μου ασχολία.

Όσο για το βιβλίο, μάλλον δεν έχει τη δυναμική των δύο πρώτων και είμαι σίγουρος ότι έχει πάει αλλού από αυτό που ο Asimov είχε στο μυαλό του ξεκινώντας το Foundation.
παρόλα αυτά, παραμένει ένα άξιο τέλος σε ένα κλασικό έπος της επιστημονικής φαντασίας.

[Jason]

Intergalactic chess game - shall the Seldon Plan unravel, leaving the galaxy to savagery and digression or shall carefully laid undertakings based on probabilities save the galaxy from such a fate, and if so at what cost?

This, the third of the series, was simply comprised of a better story than it's predecessors. It still had that intelligent tilt, but it also fleshed out the characters and concealed the twists in plot in a much more satisfactory way. This was a page turner and by the end I felt invested in the outcome.

As always, I refuse to go too much into the plot when the book is plot-driven, but I will say that this book not only deals with external threats to life and peace, but also has the reader start to question whether a plan such as Seldon's is acceptable to us if it threatens our own sense of self and free-will. What is the greater evil? What is the greater threat? The further into this book you read the more you come to appreciate the careful weaving of the plots. Asimov deserves praise for this series of books, in them he manages to provide credibility to a genre that many of us readers too often turn our noses up at.