A review by joshbrown
Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

5.0

SPOILERS AHEAD:

A group of individualists leave a millennia old Empire to start their own thing that focuses more on knowledge and democracy. Things go pretty well for over 200 years until a mutant, though some see him as a clown, illogically rises to power by manipulating the people's emotions and tears the whole system down.

Science Fiction stories can warn us of dark, possible futures. If only we had paid more attention to this one.