This was the first foundation book written after the long, 20 year gap after the original trilogy, and boy, is it bad. It follows the story of Golan Trevize who is booted off the Foundation for claiming that the second foundation still exists. He is sent off to locate the second foundation, if it still exists, but there are actually larger things at stake. A "living" planet named Gaia wants Golan to "choose" who should be in charge, the First Foundation or the Second Foundation. Why is Golan empowered to make such a decision? Because, we're told, he's a good chooser. At the end, he chooses for everyone to become one with the living planet Gaia, so we can lose our individuality and become psyhically linked to trees and plants. Golan's professor friend gets a robot girlfriend to have sex with as a consolation prize.
This book is dumb on so many levels, the biggest of which is this: what kind of an ending is it to say that humanity will merge into a group consciousness with rats, birds, trees, and daisies? And why was Golan such a great chooser? After seeing his decision, he seemed like a lousy chooser to me. The story is slow, very little happens, and the ending, which Asimov is usually best at, is a real dud.
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Review Summaries
"This books picks up from the end of the famed Foundation Trilogy, namely, Second Foundation where the First Foundationers supposedly eliminated the "threat" of the Psychohistorians when the Psychohistorians had truly eliminated the threat of the First Foundationers. But the very perfection with which both Foundations supposedly quelled their respective anatagonists leaves the Foundationers in a blanket of false security. Two people, namely Golan Trevize of the First and Stor Gendibal, of the Second, defy their superiors in firmly believing that both Foundations have not succeeded and an "alien" force is guiding the universe to it's own ends..and their ominous doom. This incredible galaxy-hopping book (in which many secrets of the Psychohistorians are revealed) describes the separate and ultimately intersecting path of Trevize, his companion, Pelorat and Stor Gendibal, towards an unknown part of the Galaxy and towards an encounter which will change the future of the Galaxy forever."
Mithun Jacob, Resident Isaac Asimov Scholar
"This was one of Asimov's later Foundation books. It details the story of an exiled politician who is sent in search of the Second Foundation. But along the way he finds an "intelligent planet" which is running the show, and the smart planet gives him a big, big choice to make about how the galaxy should be run."
Steve, Resident Isaac Asimov Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
Composition of Book planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 60%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- preventing/managing clash/war between govts/kingdoms
Tech./$$$/Info hunt
Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying
- info about lifeform(s)/society/phenomena
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers?
Yes
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Setting
Spaceship setting:
- futuristic human freighter/transport
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- inhabited by friendly aliens
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
- some scientific explanation
How much dialogue?
- mostly dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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