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Literary Review CriteriaV1
C1 PLOT
C2 SETTING
C3 PERSPECTIVE
C4 STYLE
C5 CHARACTERS
C6 THEME
C7 ORIGINALITY
C8 IMPRESSIONS
C9 IMMERSION
Full explanation of the Literary Review CriteriaV1 can be found here.
Review Summary
Foundation and Empire was first published in 1951 and is the second book in the Foundation series. Foundation and Empire is split into two distinct parts titled The General and The Mule. The General follows one of the last remaining generals of the Galactic Empire, Bel Riose, as he seeks to neutralize the Foundation as he perceives it as a threat to the Empire. We additionally learn of Lathan Devers, an independent trader and agent of the Foundation who tries to stop Riose from achieving his goal.
It is the invariable lesson to humanity that distance in time, and in space as well, lends focus.
The second part, The Mule, picks up about a century after The General, and follows Toran and Bayta Darell, psychologist Ebling Mis, and a clown Magnifico Giganticus, as they escape the Mule and his forces in pursuit of the Second Foundation. Their journey culminates on the Trantor, which is now laying in ruins after the fall of the Galactic Empire, where they finally confront the Mule.
Foundation and Empire, at least the first part thereof, comes as a logical sequel to the first book. The Foundation is still frames as essential to humanity and virtually invincible by either internal or external forces. Of course, in typical Asimov fashion, and just like the Galactic Empire itself, the Foundation’s struggle with dark forces may indeed spell out its end.
I’m being accused of modesty, a horrible and thoroughly unnatural crime.
Asimov draws inspirations from the historic accounts of the falls of empires to explore the themes of humanity’s constat struggle with the darkness, and the magnitude of the effect a few determined yet seemingly unimportant individuals can have its outcome.
Foundation and Empire
Isaac Asimov
This international paperback edition by Harper Collins printed in 2016 features an illustration of a standard model of an atom, apparently Beryllium. This is an edition of the book I own and would recommend.
Foundation and Empire
Isaac Asimov
This US paperback edition by Del Rey printed in 2008 features a geometric pattern line art. Similar cover can be found on the mass-market paperback editions.
Foundation and Empire
Isaac Asimov
This is an unabridged audiobook on Audible.com (purchasable through Amazon.com) narrated by Scott Brick. The length of this audio is 9 hours and 33 minutes.
Detailed Review
C1 PLOT
Plot
