School & Library Binding, 282 pages
English language
Published Oct. 24, 1999 by Tandem Library.
Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon.
It's a fun book but it's not as good as the first one. Worth a read if you really like the setting but that's kinda it.
I enjoyed this book more than the original Foundation. The majority of the book focuses on a small group of characters which made it easier to follow events. The story does a great job of balancing the activities of the core characters with the scale of the crisis spanning a large part of the galaxy. I initially found the abrupt end of the first crisis a bit grating but that was easy to forgive as the seconded crisis was more interesting for me.
This is a great book if you're already in the Foundation story and it really sets the stage for the series. The two parts feel a bit disjointed, but that is only superficial. The whole premise is whether psychohistory can be changed by individual action. The first part suggests no, the second suggests yes. In addition to the interesting premise, the story is strengthened by better characters that grow and act for much longer than in the prior novel. And now the stage is set for a race to see who will reach the Second Foundation.
For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-foundation-and-empire-by.html
Would have normally rated it 4* but that ending... Wow!
