Second Foundation (Foundation #3) by Isaac Asimov (novel #203)

A circle has no end ~ Arcadia Darrell

Second Foundation is the third book in the Foundation trilogy. There are subsequent prequels and sequels, but the trilogy stands complete.

 

Foundation (book #1) – Hari Seldon, the Galaxy’s preeminent psychohistorian, scientifically predicts the fall of the Galactic Empire and creates The Foundation to mitigate the ensuing chaos and suffering.

 

Foundation and Empire (book #2) – Seldon’s predictions prove accurate, and the benevolent intentions of the Foundation are confounded by the emergence of a mysterious conqueror known as the Mule. There are rumors of a Second Foundation at the far end of the Galaxy.

 

Second Foundation (book #3) – The Mule is rendered harmless, and The Foundation attempts to right the Galaxy and return to Seldon’s plan. However, members of The Foundation grow suspicious of The Second Foundation, never wholly convinced of its existence, and seem to work at cross purposes. It may be that hope of reconciliation and sparing the galaxy many millennia of suffering rests with Arcadia Darrell, the precocious granddaughter of Bayta Darrell, hero of book #2.

 

I found it riveting, filled with suspense, intrigue, human interest, and plenty of unexpected twists, especially in this concluding book. But I was a bit disappointed. I thought the suspicion The Foundation developed for The Second Foundation somewhat incongruous. They were ordinarily strict disciples of Seldon’s plan, and if The Second Foundation was part of the plan, it didn’t follow that they would attempt to subvert it. There is an explanation, but I thought it was weak and unconvincing.

 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the trilogy. I’ll read more Sci-Fi by Asimov, but I don't think I'll read more in the Foundation series. The trilogy wrapped it up nicely, and I’ll leave it there.

  

My rating for book #3 and the trilogy as a whole: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

 

 

 

In my review of book #1, I mentioned that I believed the setting to be the distant future of Earth’s humanity, but that Asimov is never explicit on this point. In book # 3, there are some obvious clues that this is so. One character refers to another’s efforts as quixotic, a definite reference to Earth literature. The narrative also explains the standard time measure of the Galaxy as consisting of seconds, minutes, hours, and years based on the solar time of some planet lost in history.

 

For reason or reasons unknown to members of the Galaxy at the time of the era under discussion…

 

…before Man had spread beyond a single, now-unknown world.

 

And the synopses of other Foundation series books confirm Earth’s origin of the story.

 

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