Science Fiction

Second Foundation

Second Foundation

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  • Create Date：2021-07-19 08:53:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Isaac Asimov
  • ISBN：0008117519
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Summary

When the First Foundation was conquered by a force Seldon had not foreseen - the overwhelming power of a single individual， a mutant called the Mule - the second Foundation was forced to reveal its existence and， infinitely worse， a portion of its power。 One man understood the shifting patterns of the inhabited cosmos。 This was Hari Seldon， the last great scientist of the First Empire。

The mathematics of psychohistory enabled Seldon to predict the collapse of the Empire and the onset of an era of chaos and war。 To restore civilization in the shortest possible time， Seldon set up two Foundations。 The First was established on Terminus in the full daylight of publicity。 But the Second， at the other end of the galaxy ， took shape behind a veil of total silence。

Because the Second Foundation guards the laws of psychohistory， which are valid only so long as they remain secret。 So far the second Foundation's location， its most closely guarded secret of all， has been kept hidden。 The Mule and the remnants of the First Foundation will do anything to discover it。 This is the story of the Second Foundation。

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Reviews

Homs ，

A very well written covert %v_array_gen[1]% book。

James Hogan ，

Another fantastic novel by Asimov。 Also known as。。。the book where Asimov attempts to get in the mind of a teenage girl！ And。。。he does so not terribly？？ Well as always with Asimov， the characters aren't the point though。 The grand ideas are what thrill Asimov and he has them in spades here。 In this book， the Foundation （or should I say。。。the First Foundation。。。or should I say。。。a small group of people in the First Foundation！） are attempting to find and neuter the powers of the Second Foundation Another fantastic novel by Asimov。 Also known as。。。the book where Asimov attempts to get in the mind of a teenage girl！ And。。。he does so not terribly？？ Well as always with Asimov， the characters aren't the point though。 The grand ideas are what thrill Asimov and he has them in spades here。 In this book， the Foundation （or should I say。。。the First Foundation。。。or should I say。。。a small group of people in the First Foundation！） are attempting to find and neuter the powers of the Second Foundation that proved their worth vs。 The Mule。 But the real story of this book is most definitely Arkady。 She's pretty fantastic and I'm always excited on an Asimov re-read when I get to spend time with her again。 While the plot of this book is a bit wonky， leading to the end of the book where there's a possibly unintentionally hilarious sequence where each character successively thinks they've discovered the location of the Second Foundation。 Spoilers - they're all wrong。 The actual reveal though， is most satisfying and proves that Asimov still knows how to shock and awe。 I also greatly appreciate the insight to the Second Foundation we're granted in this book。 A quality adventure sci-fi story that I tore through in a matter of days。 。。。more

Hugo ，

Asimov， you bastard， you did it again！ 🙌

Oliver ，

Asimov is a really great example of telling， not showing。

Matt Glaviano ，

2。5。 Maybe。I have found this to be a series with diminishing returns。 At the end of the second volume I was at least interested enough to move on; by the end of this one， I was bored and done。Not a lot more to say right now。 Asimov's writing flows like mud。 Ideas are lost in stilted prose。 Characters have names and dialogue - but that's it。 2。5。 Maybe。I have found this to be a series with diminishing returns。 At the end of the second volume I was at least interested enough to move on; by the end of this one， I was bored and done。Not a lot more to say right now。 Asimov's writing flows like mud。 Ideas are lost in stilted prose。 Characters have names and dialogue - but that's it。 。。。more

Ellie ，

FIVE STARS FOR ARKADYAlso the ending of this literally made me scream "WHAT？？？" at the top of my lungs。 FIVE STARS FOR ARKADYAlso the ending of this literally made me scream "WHAT？？？" at the top of my lungs。 。。。more

Didarul Islam ，

অবশেষে শেষ করলাম ফাউন্ডেশন ট্রিলজির অন্তিম কিস্তি। আমি বাকরুদ্ধ， তৃপ্তির ঢেকুর তুলতে বাধ্য হয়েছি। নিঃসন্দেহে পেজ টার্নার ছিল， তীব্র উত্তেজনা অনুভব করছিলাম অজানাকে জানার জন্যে। সেকেণ্ড ফাউণ্ডেশন এর সন্ধান নিয়েই শেষ বইটা লেখা হয়েছে এবং সেটার অবস্থান নির্ণয় নিয়ে একের পর এক যে টুইস্টগুলো পেলাম তা ছিল অভাবনীয়। সিরিজের একটা বড় প্রশ্নের উত্তর দেয়া হয়েছে এই বইয়ে， শেষদিকের টুইস্টগুলো বাস্তবিক অর্থেই রোমাঞ্চিত করেছে। বিশেষ করে বইয়ের শেষ লাইনটা ছিল সবচেয়ে বড় টুইস্ট！ মিনিটখানেক পুরোই থমকে ছিলাম অবশেষে শেষ করলাম ফাউন্ডেশন ট্রিলজির অন্তিম কিস্তি। আমি বাকরুদ্ধ， তৃপ্তির ঢেকুর তুলতে বাধ্য হয়েছি। নিঃসন্দেহে পেজ টার্নার ছিল， তীব্র উত্তেজনা অনুভব করছিলাম অজানাকে জানার জন্যে। সেকেণ্ড ফাউণ্ডেশন এর সন্ধান নিয়েই শেষ বইটা লেখা হয়েছে এবং সেটার অবস্থান নির্ণয় নিয়ে একের পর এক যে টুইস্টগুলো পেলাম তা ছিল অভাবনীয়। সিরিজের একটা বড় প্রশ্নের উত্তর দেয়া হয়েছে এই বইয়ে， শেষদিকের টুইস্টগুলো বাস্তবিক অর্থেই রোমাঞ্চিত করেছে। বিশেষ করে বইয়ের শেষ লাইনটা ছিল সবচেয়ে বড় টুইস্ট！ মিনিটখানেক পুরোই থমকে ছিলাম। একটা অসাধারণ， সুখপাঠ্য এবং সন্তোষজনক সমাপ্তিজ্ঞাপক ট্রিলজি পড়লাম।রেটিং- ৯。৫/১০。৫ কম দিয়েছি দ্বিতীয় বইয়ের প্রথমাংশের জন্যে। ওটা খানিকটা বিরক্তিকরভাবে， শ্লথ গতিতে এগিয়ে গিয়েছিল। 。。。more

ქეთი ჩართოლანი ，

თანამედროვე სამეცნიერო ფანტასტიკის პირველ ტექსტად სამართლიანად ითვლება ეს ტრილოგია。 მიუხედავად ბევრი და ასევე ბევრგან თქმული ნაკლისა （მხოლოდ დიალოგებზე აგებული სიუჟეტი; ზედაპირული და სტერეოტიპული პერსონაჟები — განსაკუთრებით ქალი გმირები რომ დაგასევდიანებენ; გასული საუკუნის 30-40-იანი წლების კომუნისტურ-ფაშისტურ იდეათა ცოტა არ იყოს გულუბრყვილოდ მიღება — ერთი მხრივ， ისტორიის დეტერმინისტულ ხედვაში რომ გამოიხატება და， მეორე მხრივ， ცალკეული ტირანის როლზე მოვლენათა წინასწარგანსაზღვრულ მიმდინარეობაში）， თანამედროვე სამეცნიერო ფანტასტიკის პირველ ტექსტად სამართლიანად ითვლება ეს ტრილოგია。 მიუხედავად ბევრი და ასევე ბევრგან თქმული ნაკლისა （მხოლოდ დიალოგებზე აგებული სიუჟეტი; ზედაპირული და სტერეოტიპული პერსონაჟები — განსაკუთრებით ქალი გმირები რომ დაგასევდიანებენ; გასული საუკუნის 30-40-იანი წლების კომუნისტურ-ფაშისტურ იდეათა ცოტა არ იყოს გულუბრყვილოდ მიღება — ერთი მხრივ， ისტორიის დეტერმინისტულ ხედვაში რომ გამოიხატება და， მეორე მხრივ， ცალკეული ტირანის როლზე მოვლენათა წინასწარგანსაზღვრულ მიმდინარეობაში）， კითხვისას ხვდები， როგორ დგას დღეს მთლიანი ჟანრი აზიმოვის ხედვაზე და მგრძნობელობაზე。 ჰოდა， "violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" — ესეც არდასავიწყებელი სიტყვებია。 。。。more

TomK2 ，

I read this trilogy decades ago， as a teenager。 This read I was surprised about how little I actually remembered。 I only remembered one character， The Mule， and I didn't even recall much about the actual plots of the three books。 I liked it as a teenager， but I had a harder time with the third book， Second Foundation， as an older adult。 When I was younger， the theme of mind control and telepathy / empathy must have been more appealing to me， but it was a detraction for me today。 I still liked Se I read this trilogy decades ago， as a teenager。 This read I was surprised about how little I actually remembered。 I only remembered one character， The Mule， and I didn't even recall much about the actual plots of the three books。 I liked it as a teenager， but I had a harder time with the third book， Second Foundation， as an older adult。 When I was younger， the theme of mind control and telepathy / empathy must have been more appealing to me， but it was a detraction for me today。 I still liked Second Foundation， because it was a mostly straightforward "whodunnit" mystery plot for the last half of the book。 I didn't have too many surprises as things wrapped up。 I suppose that could be because it was a re-read。 Or it could be from maturity， and being exposed to mystery and plot twists over the years let me see the outcomes earlier and clearer。 Overall， it was a surprise to me that I didn't find this last book in the series a 4 plus star book for this re-read。 I give it a 3 plus star rating。 。。。more

Juliana Guimarães ，

EU TO BERRANDOOO 🗣🗣🗣

Voss McCulligan ，

Isaac Asimov's works has been fascinating me since day 1 and they still do without any effort。 So far the Foundation was safe。 But there was a hidden Second Foundation to protect the first。 The Mule has yet to find it， but he was getting closer all the time。 The men of the Foundation sought it， too， to escape from Mule's mind control。 Only Arkady， a 14 year-old girl seemed to have the answer， or did she。。。？ Isaac Asimov's works has been fascinating me since day 1 and they still do without any effort。 So far the Foundation was safe。 But there was a hidden Second Foundation to protect the first。 The Mule has yet to find it， but he was getting closer all the time。 The men of the Foundation sought it， too， to escape from Mule's mind control。 Only Arkady， a 14 year-old girl seemed to have the answer， or did she。。。？ 。。。more

Rafał Klich ，

It is very interesting to me how strongly times we live in impact our view on how， even distant future will look like。 In the Foundation series Asimov imagine that the core technology in couple millennia is nuclear， people still smoke tobacco and books only lie in the physical form on the library's shelves。 The final book is slightly less surprising and interesting than the other two （I bet I am the only reader ever who didn't realize who the Mule is until the very end of the 2nd book）。 I loved It is very interesting to me how strongly times we live in impact our view on how， even distant future will look like。 In the Foundation series Asimov imagine that the core technology in couple millennia is nuclear， people still smoke tobacco and books only lie in the physical form on the library's shelves。 The final book is slightly less surprising and interesting than the other two （I bet I am the only reader ever who didn't realize who the Mule is until the very end of the 2nd book）。 I loved the first book for being a page-turner and great introduction to the story。 The Mule was an amazing protagonist of Foundation and Empire。 In Second Foundation， however， I did not find any part or character that were particularly interesting。 It is still a great ending of an epic series， which I recommend to anyone who even slightly likes science-fiction。 。。。more

Stephen Roderick ，

Not the best in the series but still solidNot the best in the series but still solid… looking forward to the new Apple+ series coming in September。 Still love this series。

Boris Morales Rios ，

El final del clásico ciclo de trantor， aún así las 2 novelas que le siguen y que escribió posteriormente Asimov no bajan el nivel

Gregory Janiczek ，

I think this is the best of the original trilogy。 Full recommendation。 😍🤩

Hagan ，

Coherent and exciting。 Highly recommended。

José Antonio Gutiérrez Guevara ，

La mejor parte de esta trilogía está en estas páginas。 El suspenso que Asimov usa aquí es muy efectivo ¿serán correctas las profecías del doctor Seldom？ El descubrimiento y la verdad serán aplastantes， como el futuro de la humanidad。 La mejor trilogía de ciencia ficción que existe。

Christopher Selmek ，

Finally， the residents of Asimov's Foundation begin to articulate their interest in the nebulous Second Foundation。 The Seldon plan appears to have failed due to the unexpected genetic mutation of The Mule， and the first half of this book deals with the Second Foundation's attempt to neutralize The Mule and return the course of events to one that is controllable。 This issue of control is the primary concern for Foundationers in the second part of the book， who begin to balk at the notion that th Finally， the residents of Asimov's Foundation begin to articulate their interest in the nebulous Second Foundation。 The Seldon plan appears to have failed due to the unexpected genetic mutation of The Mule， and the first half of this book deals with the Second Foundation's attempt to neutralize The Mule and return the course of events to one that is controllable。 This issue of control is the primary concern for Foundationers in the second part of the book， who begin to balk at the notion that their freedom may be circumscribed by a more powerful group of aristocrats。This is not a simple issue。 Because we， as readers， are introduced to members of the Second Foundation during the second part of this book， we are meant to understand that their influence represents a self-sacrifice so that the fledgling Foundation will some day bring about the Second Galactic Empire。 The First Foundationers likewise understand that the proper course of events should result in a Second Galactic Empire， but they distrust the Second Foundation。 At the end it is revealed that this entire discussion was pre-planned by the Second Foundation， and that both Foundations are back on course as Hari Seldon arranged for。This kind of conclusion foreshadows the fourth and fifth Foundation novels that Asimov wrote years later， where we're meant to keep questioning who is really in control of events。 The original course of Asimov's Foundation end here， I'm afraid。 The sequels don't really add much to the proper rise of the Second Galactic Empire， so I don't think I'm going to read them。 I am interested in possibly reading Foundation's Triumph， by David Brin， which was approved by the Asimov estate。 I am simply impressed by Asimov's generalized mapping of human future-history， which nearly every subsequent science-fiction series has adopted。 。。。more

joaovilnei ，

Passado-chocado

Sam ，

What an excellent conclusion to the series！ Second Foundation was a brilliant keystone in the series， tying it together in a truly unforgettable way。 When I read books， I frequently find myself thinking， "Ok， that's plausible， but it could have been equally plausible if this happened。" Second Foundation removes all of these doubts and presents a masterpiece of a plot。 Read it if you enjoyed the first two books of the series！ What an excellent conclusion to the series！ Second Foundation was a brilliant keystone in the series， tying it together in a truly unforgettable way。 When I read books， I frequently find myself thinking， "Ok， that's plausible， but it could have been equally plausible if this happened。" Second Foundation removes all of these doubts and presents a masterpiece of a plot。 Read it if you enjoyed the first two books of the series！ 。。。more

Ian Hrabe ，

My favorite of the Foundation series and it feels like Asimov really hits his stride here。 Like this predecessor the novel is effectively two novellas， but the two here are more intermarried than the two in Foundation and Empire。 The most important thing is that Asimov has established the world and the big ideas enough that he can spin a fantastic mystery yarn within it。 Asimov’s prose was always going to be the weakest part of the series where the ideas at play are so great， but I found myself My favorite of the Foundation series and it feels like Asimov really hits his stride here。 Like this predecessor the novel is effectively two novellas， but the two here are more intermarried than the two in Foundation and Empire。 The most important thing is that Asimov has established the world and the big ideas enough that he can spin a fantastic mystery yarn within it。 Asimov’s prose was always going to be the weakest part of the series where the ideas at play are so great， but I found myself more invested in the story here than in the first two books。 I also love that despite the space ships on the covers of the old dime store paperbacks this series is， at its core， chapter after chapter of people talking。 Most of the action takes place off screen and what you get is a cipher for Asimov’s big What If about the future of humanity （with a telepathic twist）。 。。。more

Alexander Scruggs ，

There just aren't writers like Isaac Asimov anymore。 He simultaneously uses complex sentence structures and wording that have been forgotten by our time and tells stories in such a simple， unassuming manner。 It's impressive and refreshing。 This may be my favorite book in the series simply because it kept me so engaged。 All of his stories have this same quality: that if you zone out or skip a paragraph， a sentence， then you'll be forced to go back and reread as every passage has information cruci There just aren't writers like Isaac Asimov anymore。 He simultaneously uses complex sentence structures and wording that have been forgotten by our time and tells stories in such a simple， unassuming manner。 It's impressive and refreshing。 This may be my favorite book in the series simply because it kept me so engaged。 All of his stories have this same quality: that if you zone out or skip a paragraph， a sentence， then you'll be forced to go back and reread as every passage has information crucial to understanding the next。 There's no fluff。 But that's not why it's my favorite; the perspectives in this book change like in the others， but with the difference that you get to experience the perspective of multiple sides - you have to always remind yourself of who you're rooting for because all characters are drawn out in such a relatable manner。 And man， what an ending。Loved it！ Whether you're an admirer of sci fi， or totally new to fiction， Asimov knows how to take a story with a massive scale and shrink it down to pure relatability and striking intrigue。 。。。more

Porsha ，

It is an stunning fiction novel。

Joshua ，

While the revelation and conclusion bumped this back up to a 5 for me， this was the hardest I had to think between 4 and 5。 This was the only part of the trilogy that dragged a bit， and without the conclusion would definitely sit at 4。

Anaïs ，

🤪 Gaga de cette série 🤪

Adam Getchell ，

Still classicThe action is still in dialogues and ideas， the scope a grand sweep of history， the plot a whodunit detective story with layers of revealings。 Golden age sci-fi with the charm of occasional mispredictions such as slide rules and vacuum tubes， but the story and human core is there。

Yılmaz BAYSAL ，

What a great book series that has been wrecked by poor translation。

Tarmo Pungas ，

Incredible finish to a thrilling series。 Twists upon twists with no hope to guess the ending。

Brendan ，

“Finished products are for decadent minds。” Throughout this third entry in the Foundation series， Asimov expands on the mythos by properly introducing The Second Foundation。 By this point in the series， the reader is more readily able to accept the mentalist introduction which smooths the transition into the beginning of the story concerning this still mystical group。 Second Foundation forces the reader to search for a core idea much more than the first two and focuses much more on plotting and， “Finished products are for decadent minds。” Throughout this third entry in the Foundation series， Asimov expands on the mythos by properly introducing The Second Foundation。 By this point in the series， the reader is more readily able to accept the mentalist introduction which smooths the transition into the beginning of the story concerning this still mystical group。 Second Foundation forces the reader to search for a core idea much more than the first two and focuses much more on plotting and， surprisingly， some characterization for Arkady in the back half。If this book has any true core idea， you have to search for it。 At first， it may seem to be as simple as ‘not everything is as it first appears，’ but I think it is best illustrated by two quotes found in the different sections:“You won’t understand why that was， unless you can once again feel the intellectual atmosphere of the days of the dying Empire。 It was a time of absolutes， of the great final generalities， at least in thought。 It was a sign of decaying culture， of course， that dams had been built against the further development of ideas。 It was his revolt against these dams that made Seldon famous。 It was that one last spark of youthful creation in him that lit the Empire in a sunset glow and dimly foreshadowed the rising sun of the Second Empire。”“But that is trifling。 It is an accidental and irrelevant solution。 The solution could have been reached immediately， if the questioners had but remembered that Hari Seldon was a social scientist， not a physical scientist， and adjusted their thought processes accordingly。 What could ‘opposite ends’ mean to a social scientist？ Opposite ends on the map？ Of course not。 That’s the mechanical interpretation only。 “The First Foundation was at the Periphery， where the original Empire was weakest， where its civilizing influence was least， where its wealth and culture were most nearly absent。 And where is the social opposite end of the Galaxy？ Why， at the place where the original Empire was strongest， where its civilizing influence was most， where its wealth and culture were most strongly present。” Asimov wanted to drill into us that ideas are inextricably twisted alongside the culture， the people， and the history surrounding the creation and cultivation of themselves。 That， without knowing the context in which someone posits a dream or an invention， you can’t know the whole story。 This is playfully expanded upon by all of the ridiculous double and triple crosses that criss-cross throughout the length of the book。 Does it work and create a fun， engaging story？ Absolutely， but not more than that。 。。。more

Gail ，

The story is believable and the characters grow on you quickly。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Second Foundation

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Second Foundation&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Second Foundation&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0