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riffcaster 's review for:
Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Proudly epic in scale, and a classic if you're after a grand sweep of history kind of feel. The feeling you get of empires rising and falling as individuals offer futile resistance against the tides of history is really satisfying and you can build the world as much as you like (Asimov doesn't describe much!). And it gets you thinking, as there's a clear theory throughout the book: individuals have a marginal impact on history at best. It's economic and sociological forces which drive the change.
In terms of how it's written, to be honest there are parts that are a bit of a slog to get through and the characters aren't really well developed (but that fits in with the grand historical theme I suppose). Even so, it's still mostly decently paced and makes time for some intrigue. The Second Foundation especially has loads of bluffs and double and triple bluffs in the last 100 pages or so!
In terms of how it's written, to be honest there are parts that are a bit of a slog to get through and the characters aren't really well developed (but that fits in with the grand historical theme I suppose). Even so, it's still mostly decently paced and makes time for some intrigue. The Second Foundation especially has loads of bluffs and double and triple bluffs in the last 100 pages or so!