Resumo de Second Foundation

The final--and arguably the best--volume of the original trilogy, "Second Foundation" expands Asimov's premise that a solution found in one era is often the grief of the next generation.

"Search by the Mule," the first half of this book, follows the race between the Mule and remnant members of the First Foundation to find the location of the keepers of the secret Second Foundation--or whether such a civilization exists at all. The very presence of a mutant like the Mule has thrown off course the inexorable historical trajectory plotted by the psychohistorian Hari Seldon, who (as readers of the previous volumes know) planted the seeds for an accelerated rebirth of a new empire after a thousand-year intergalactic Dark Ages. The second half, "Search by the Foundation," pits several of the leaders of the resurrected First Foundation against the (real or imagined?) threat posed by the Second Foundation.

The Foundation books were originally written as a series of eight interconnected stories (plus an opening chapter written for book publication), so their arrangement as a trilogy is rather random--and that leads to this book's only significant fault. The first half of "Second Foundation" is a continuation of the Mule's reign of terror that began in the second half of "Foundation and Empire"; they are the only two stories in the series that share a lead character. Their separation into two books arbitrarily contributes to an odd lack of cohesion, and if it has been a while since you read the second volume you might find yourself confused. (Had Asimov originally planned these books as a trilogy rather than a series, these two halves would have, together, comprised a nearly seamless novel.)

On the plus side, what is noticeable in this final volume is how much better Asimov's writing had become by the time he wrote the last story. (The first Foundation story, "The Encyclopedists," was written when he was only 21; the final installment was published when he was 28 and after he had completed graduate school.) In addition, his humor is more mature, his science more speculative, and his characterizations more complex.

Even the multiple twists and turns in "Second Foundation" are the sign of a more confident writer. With a choice of over four hundred books, Asimov's fans may differ over which is their favorite, but this is certainly one of his best.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Spectra; Reissue edition (June 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN: 0553803735
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.76 ounces

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