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clarks_dad's review
5.0
Finally! Asimov realizes the potential of his Foundation stories in this fourth volume in the series. There is an altogether different feel to it. Less a dramatic history and more of a suspense/mystery tale, Foundation's Edge focuses on Councilman of the Foundation Golan Trevize whose conspiracy theories concerning the existence of the Second Foundation get him in a lot of trouble. Set up opposite Golan is a young speaker of the Second Foundation, also aware that something is completely wrong with the Seldon Plan. Golan is exiled for his challenge to the status quo by the Mayor of the Foundation, his secret mission, to explore, from the peripheries, his belief that the Second Foundation exists and if so, what it is up to. The speaker's goal: to find who or what is manipulating the Seldon Plan outside the Second Foundation. Two mysteries intertwine and combine in a wonderfully new direction for the Foundation series that leaves so many more questions than before.
I loved the brilliant new twist to this storyline comes in Golan's companion, Historian Jan Pelorat, a fringe academic who believes, astonishingly, that human beings, now spread over millions of habitable planets across the galaxy, actually originated on a single planet: Earth. Pelorat joins Golan as a cover for his investigation of the Second Foundation. Why did people leave Earth 20,000 years ago? And why are there no precise records of it's history or even location? Through their journey the explore mythology and legend, folklore and fairytales of the future. Was Earth destroyed in a radioactive cataclysm? Did a war between robots and humanity force human beings to flee the planet to establish a world without?
The difference in this particular novel is Asimov's focus on just a couple of characters. He builds the mystery of Earth throughout the entire novel and does it in a very intriguing fashion. Written 30 years after the original Foundation trilogy, this novel shows Asimov's growth as an author. Gone is a lot of the repetitive explanations of bits of technology or futuristic custom and in it's place is solid character and plot development. Foundation's Edge ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, Golan is forced to make a choice for the future of humanity and it's not altogether clear what his decision entails. The Seldon Plan takes a backseat for the first time in the Foundation's history and a new force outside the Foundation makes its presence known. Guess I'll be finishing this series after all...
I loved the brilliant new twist to this storyline comes in Golan's companion, Historian Jan Pelorat, a fringe academic who believes, astonishingly, that human beings, now spread over millions of habitable planets across the galaxy, actually originated on a single planet: Earth. Pelorat joins Golan as a cover for his investigation of the Second Foundation. Why did people leave Earth 20,000 years ago? And why are there no precise records of it's history or even location? Through their journey the explore mythology and legend, folklore and fairytales of the future. Was Earth destroyed in a radioactive cataclysm? Did a war between robots and humanity force human beings to flee the planet to establish a world without?
The difference in this particular novel is Asimov's focus on just a couple of characters. He builds the mystery of Earth throughout the entire novel and does it in a very intriguing fashion. Written 30 years after the original Foundation trilogy, this novel shows Asimov's growth as an author. Gone is a lot of the repetitive explanations of bits of technology or futuristic custom and in it's place is solid character and plot development. Foundation's Edge ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, Golan is forced to make a choice for the future of humanity and it's not altogether clear what his decision entails. The Seldon Plan takes a backseat for the first time in the Foundation's history and a new force outside the Foundation makes its presence known. Guess I'll be finishing this series after all...
pfwhitman's review
5.0
I enjoyed it way more than I thought it would. Great example of waiting years to come back to a series with a fresh idea that fits well. Continuation of such a fascinating historical concept wrapped in sci Fi.
empoi's review against another edition
2.75
The fourth installment of the foundation series continues the story but adds little new to the story. Where the characters are still unremarkable and the plot thickens to the viscosity of gravy, this book feels unnecessary and is not recommended unless you liked the writing style of the previous books.
Yet another "foundation" working behind the scenes and hinting at a fourth towards the end. The plot is becoming comically convoluted.
Any need to continue this series is simply fueled by the completionist in me and to see how ridiculous it becomes in the end. This book tells a lesser story with a higher page count. You can stop at 'Second foundation' if you want.
Any need to continue this series is simply fueled by the completionist in me and to see how ridiculous it becomes in the end. This book tells a lesser story with a higher page count. You can stop at 'Second foundation' if you want.
bedwinnjamin's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
With such a large writing gap, it was interesting to see what Asimov came up with while having stepped away from this series for so long. It did have a lot of interesting moving pieces, and finally some consistent characters that were all interesting in their own ways. The search for Earth was an interesting tangent that began in this book. I was a bit saddened that the Foundation as a whole entered the back burner, while the main character is a Foundationer, we don't see too much of the system as a whole. The Second Foundation also has some strings that they're pulling, which has some interesting ramifications, and then Gaia shows up . It's ok, I'm just a bit tired at this point of new super beings showing up and taking away the identity of the books, but I'll have to see what the last book holds.
kynan's review
3.0
TL;DR: If you're a fan of Asimov's "old stuff", then you'll like it. If you enjoyed the original Foundation-trilogy, you might not. Not really worth reading stand-alone.
TL: I didn't really enjoy the original trilogy, but I read it as part of a larger "Asimov Festival", reading every book in the "series", starting with [b:The Complete Robot|50091|The Complete Robot|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405467461l/50091._SY75_.jpg|2361910] and then reading forward by internal chronology. Because of that, I think I got a good overview of the way Asimov writes novels, and I don't like his shorter "thought-piece" stories (which is what make up the original triology).
I thought that this was going to be my first 4-star rating for an Asimov book. Foundation's Edge was the first "revisit" to this universe by Asimov when he started adding on to the Foundation mythos back in 1982, and there's a real sense of the desire to tie everything together, but it was a re-tread of the problems from [b:Second Foundation|29580|Second Foundation (Foundation #3)|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417900922l/29580._SX50_.jpg|64823] (and portions of [b:Foundation and Empire|29581|Foundation and Empire (Foundation #2)|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391454612l/29581._SY75_.jpg|1703483]) and things didn't quite work out as I hoped, especially the way things got wrapped-up in the end, that's what lost it a whole star - blergh.
There's a lot to like here if you liked the style of the Baley/Olivaw novels (and there's an obvious similarity with the Foundation "prequels" too, although the writing seems snappier here.
There are a lot of characters and three main story arcs that are all compelling in their own rights - only one of them had the obvious Asimov-twist
TL: I didn't really enjoy the original trilogy, but I read it as part of a larger "Asimov Festival", reading every book in the "series", starting with [b:The Complete Robot|50091|The Complete Robot|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405467461l/50091._SY75_.jpg|2361910] and then reading forward by internal chronology. Because of that, I think I got a good overview of the way Asimov writes novels, and I don't like his shorter "thought-piece" stories (which is what make up the original triology).
I thought that this was going to be my first 4-star rating for an Asimov book. Foundation's Edge was the first "revisit" to this universe by Asimov when he started adding on to the Foundation mythos back in 1982, and there's a real sense of the desire to tie everything together, but it was a re-tread of the problems from [b:Second Foundation|29580|Second Foundation (Foundation #3)|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417900922l/29580._SX50_.jpg|64823] (and portions of [b:Foundation and Empire|29581|Foundation and Empire (Foundation #2)|Isaac Asimov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391454612l/29581._SY75_.jpg|1703483]) and things didn't quite work out as I hoped, especially the way things got wrapped-up in the end, that's what lost it a whole star - blergh.
There's a lot to like here if you liked the style of the Baley/Olivaw novels (and there's an obvious similarity with the Foundation "prequels" too, although the writing seems snappier here.
There are a lot of characters and three main story arcs that are all compelling in their own rights - only one of them had the obvious Asimov-twist
funishment's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
peelspls's review
5.0
Clearly my 16yo self did not grasp the strength of Asimov's writing as well as 26yo me did. This book is self-contained within the Foundation universe, and is legendary in showing how subtle political manipulations eventually result in outcomes that neither participating party can predict. Furthermore, the strength of Asimov's writing also comes from the fact that all of the characters are rational, intelligent beings and are reasoning through their respective agendas through conversation. This, as a writing style, makes each character's POV really easy to follow. Also, I strongly suspect 16yo me was a sucker for the small romantic plot that eventually has drastic consequences.
The story-telling also uncovers how language, myth and culture are so prevalent in modern society's conception of the past. The narratives highlight how different cultures place different values on superstition, origin myths and the concept of free-will and home. I also particularly like how this book, in this universe, references the Three Laws of Robotics, almost as if to encapsulate all of the great concepts that Asimov was known for in his writing.
The story-telling also uncovers how language, myth and culture are so prevalent in modern society's conception of the past. The narratives highlight how different cultures place different values on superstition, origin myths and the concept of free-will and home. I also particularly like how this book, in this universe, references the Three Laws of Robotics, almost as if to encapsulate all of the great concepts that Asimov was known for in his writing.
thurminator's review against another edition
4.0
While not as eloquently done as the Robot novels, here Isaac Asimov again takes a series started 30 years beforehand and continues it with surprising fluidity. The story is intriguing enough for the most part. I had a great time following all the different plots and seeing how they interconnected, but unlike the first three books, the ending didn't end up in a place I thought was particularly satisfying or logical. I felt as thought it ultimately undermined the entirety of the "Plan" that has been the entire point of the books so far, which was unfortunate. I'm hoping the final chronological book solves that problem.
Side note: The Del Rey paperback easily lands itself in my top ten book covers of all time.
Side note: The Del Rey paperback easily lands itself in my top ten book covers of all time.
yorso's review against another edition
4.0
Mucho más larga que la trilogía de La Fundación. Asombra la astucia con la que los personajes tienen siempre en consideración todos los escenarios posibles, incluso los que uno no había ni considerado. Una genialidad de narración y conclusiones lógicas. Golan Trevize tiene su encanto a pesar de su frialidad de pensamiento.
"¿puede uno vivir sin confiar en nadie?". Narrador.
"el avance de la civilización no es más que un ejercicio en la limitación de la intimidad". Janov Pelorat.
"cuanto más cercana la verdad, mejor será la mentira. y la misma verdad, cuando pueda utilizarse, es la mejor mentira". Preem Palver.
"en toda la historia de la Galaxia no se habla de ninguna sociedad tan insensata para utilizar las explosiones nucleares como arma bélica". Janov Pelorat.
"toda la humanidad podría compartir una locura común y hallarse inmersa en una ilusión común mientras vive en un caos común". Janov Pelorat.
"¿puede uno vivir sin confiar en nadie?". Narrador.
"el avance de la civilización no es más que un ejercicio en la limitación de la intimidad". Janov Pelorat.
"cuanto más cercana la verdad, mejor será la mentira. y la misma verdad, cuando pueda utilizarse, es la mejor mentira". Preem Palver.
"en toda la historia de la Galaxia no se habla de ninguna sociedad tan insensata para utilizar las explosiones nucleares como arma bélica". Janov Pelorat.
"toda la humanidad podría compartir una locura común y hallarse inmersa en una ilusión común mientras vive en un caos común". Janov Pelorat.