Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Foundation and Earth
Book Review: A bit disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
It would seem that the last batch of books produced by the Asimov aren't quite what they use to be. I'm still and always will be an avid fan, but the last two books in the foundation series were a bit of a let down. Though Foundation Forward (in the timeline between Prelude to Foundation and Foundataion) was relatively the best of his last 3.
-chris
Book Review: A different style book in the series
Summary: 3 Stars
Another good book in the series, Foundation and Earth tells the story from the moment Foundation's Edge left off, detailing Trevize's quest to find the origin of mankind.
This book, though enjoyable, was more of a Gulliver's Travels type of format as we hop from world to world meeting variations on human settlement. There is less of the mystery/intertwining plot intrigues I enjoyed in earlier Foundation books.
Book Review: A great book...because..
Summary: 5 Stars
It's part of the great Foundation saga from I. Asimov.... i really enjoyed every word of it.... you must read the saga!Book Review: Another major work by Isaac Asimov
Summary: 5 Stars
This book by Isaac Asimov is fascinating in two ways--first, it is the last of the Foundation series; second, it is another link between two of the greatest series in science fiction, the Foundation series and the Robot series. As always with Asimov, there are the irritating things--his characters get talky, plot sometimes breaks down, and there is a certain discursive quality to his writing that does not always serve movement of the story well. However, by this point in his career, Asimov was capable at developing characters (and it shows here) and had otherwise grown greatly as an author. And, as ever, he was capable of developing big picture, galaxy-wide concepts that challenge the reader to think about things in a new way.
The work begins with Golan Trevize having already made his fateful decision to impel the galaxy to move toward a major superorganism to be called Galaxia, with its model the planet-wide Gaia superorganism. In that, he turned his back on the vision of either the Foundation or the Second Foundation being the model, with Hari Seldon's vision being transcended by another. In that sense, this really is not a Foundation novel (maybe an anti-Foundation work?).
However, he is troubled about his decision and wants to understand better his decision, be sure that it is the right one. So, he begins what might be called an Odyssey, along with his friend Pelorat and his friend, Bliss, a part of Gaia. That sets up an almost Socratic dialogue among the three as they move from planet to plant, trying to find answers--including the location of the mythical home planet of humanity, Earth. The discussions sometimes slow the forward movement of the novel, but they do elaborate the various views of where humanity and the galaxy ought to go.
After revisiting some places that will be familiar to readers of the Robot series, the trio finally arrives on Earth, by then a dead planet. And they meet an old friend of every Asimov fan in a way that produces an upbeat ending and a resolution as to where humanity will go, with that character promising to be a guiding hand, working behind the scenes, to help produce that future.
Book Review: Asimov's Foundation Series
Summary: 5 Stars
Asimov's Foundations series is spectacular and one that should not be missed. It is stunning in its scope and highly original for its time. One of the best science fiction writers in not only my opinion, produced a stunning series. Foundation and Earth is the continuation of the series.