Customer Reviews
Best of the first Trilogy - By: Mr. Liam Edward Sharratt, 04 Aug 2008 
Better than both the first & second book'sin Asimov's Foundation Series.
This third instalment begins from the aftermath of the Mule's annexing of the Foundation & tells the story of his, & his successors drive to find the elusive Second Foundation.
The leaders of Terminus of the First Foundation believe that Hari Seldon devised the Second Foundation to ensure the longevity of the First's rule of the Galaxy. They may have been mistaken.
The climax to the series, and for most people, the place to stop reading - By: Dmitri M. A. Hubbard, 29 Mar 2008 
If you started with "Foundation", went on to "Foundation & Empire" & did not read the prequels, this is a high note to go out on. Your own internal loyalty will be tested between Foundation & Second Foundation - your old alliegance is to the Foundation, but is the Second Foundation a necessary evil? Iconic stuff of a level of art rarely reachedin science fiction.
Second Fouundation: shocking revelations - By: Mark Smith, 21 Jan 2004 Whilst it is best to read second foundation after 'foundation' & 'foundation & empire' it is not essential, as the prologue fills youin on the basics of the previous two novels.
The book goes a long way to explain the purpose of the mysterious second foundation, but the main focus is on its location, & the search for it by both the mule & the first foundation.
The first half puts order into the chaotic situation left by the eventsin 'foundation & empire', & follows many twists & schemes that make it entirely engrossing, without giving the slightest hint of the dramatic ending.
The second half provides the real substance of the book, a rebellion of the first foundation against the ideals of the second foundation. This leads the reader to question the entire idea of psychohistory, as the first foundation does not like to think of itself as being 'controlled' by the second, even though it knows that the interference of the second foundation will resultin a bright, peaceful future for mankind.
The book is laid out with a new twist to the plotin every chapter, making it almost impossible to put down, especially towards the end.
The most interesting parts are meetings of the second foundation members, which explain the inner workings of the seldon plan, along with how the arrival of the mule affected it.
The characters are well presented, & are developed only as much as is necessary, to keep the fast pace of the novel going, but are entirely believable, & linkin with the charactersin the previous books.
Some people like to read the last page of a book first, doing this with second foundation, & indeed with the entire foundation series, will ruin the book utterly.
Second Foundation: shocking revelations - By: Mark Smith, 21 Jan 2004 Whilst it is best to read second foundation after 'foundation' & 'foundation & empire' it is not essential, as the prologue fills youin on the basics of the previous two novels.
The book goes a long way to explain the purpose of the mysterious second foundation, but the main focus is on its location, & the search for it by both the mule & the first foundation.
The first half puts order into the chaotic situation left by the eventsin 'foundation & empire', & follows many twists & schemes that make it entirely engrossing, without giving the slightest hint of the dramatic ending.
The second half provides the real substance of the book, a rebellion of the first foundation against the ideals of the second foundation. This leads the reader to question the entire idea of psychohistory, as the first foundation does not like to think of itself as being 'controlled' by the second, even though it knows that the interference of the second foundation will resultin a bright, peaceful future for mankind.
The book is laid out with a new twist to the plotin every chapter, making it almost impossible to put down, especially towards the end, with the most interesting parts being meetings of the second foundation members, which explain the inner workings of the seldon plan, along with how the arrival of the mule affected it.
The characters are well presented, & are developed only as much as is necessary, to keep the fast pace of the novel going, but are entirely believable, & linkin with the charactersin the previous books.
Some people like to read the last page of a book first, doing this with second foundation, & indeed with the entire foundation series, will ruin the book utterly.
Golden age science fiction at its best - By: , 03 Aug 2000 Through all the works that make up the foundation 'trilogy' Asimov maintains a tightly plotted, fast paced story.
"Second Foundation" adds to the ideas developedin "Foundation" & "Foundation & Empire", although it perhaps somewhat undermines the idea of psychohistory.
Science fiction is rarely this good. Buy it
