Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.35 You Save: $3.64 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.18 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Foundation and Earth
Book Review: The best Foundation novel !!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is, in my humble opinion, the best Foundation book of all!
I wish good old Isaac continued to expand the notions introduced in this book, instead he regressed and wrote "Prelude to Foundation."
Book Review: The downward spiral continues
Summary: 2 Stars
Aismov continued the Foundation series reluctantly under pressure from fans and his publisher in "Foundation's Edge," which precedes this novel. "Edge" is a disappointing book and "Earth" falls even shorter. The plot is very slow, the characters are only mildly interesting, the dialogue is wooden and the ideas just don't materialize in the end. I find the Gaia concept (which was introduced at the end of "Edge but plays a prominent role throughout "Earth) to be extremely far-fetched, and Asimov sinks to new literary lows as a writer here--gratuitous sex, a planet of hermaphrodites, and a planet where the women are topless. The lack of taste only makes things worse. There was very little substance in this book and it is a dismal way to end the "Foundation" trilogy, which is the best sci-fi series in history in my opinion. I do not recommened except for those who must have their curiousity to see how it all ends satisfied, but be warned this book is nothing like Asimov in his prime, some 30 years prior.Book Review: The other side of the coin
Summary: 4 Stars
This novel doesn't work very well as a standalone; you have to be familiar with the Trilogy, not only in terms of plot, but to get the proper emotional impact, because is the moodiest of all Asimov's novels.
Trevize is looking for Earth, so he is examining the oldest planets in the galaxy. Most of them have been positively presented in other novels; here we see them in decay, in different ways. Baleyworld/Comporellon was once mankind's newest world and a promise for the future; now it's the oldest inhabited world, lost in the past, and obsessed with wondering what went wrong. Aurora, a utopian world, has not only lost its human population but its ecology has gone feral. The Solarians have gone from being eccentric to basically turning inhuman, etc.
In Foundation you kept hearing about the decline of the Empire, but it was mostly a matter of plot. Here you FEEL the decline.
Things on shipboard aren't much better. Bliss and Trevize spend the first half of the novel arguing over ideology, and the last half arguing over Fallom; only their shared love and respect for Pelorat holds them together.
It's almost as if Asimov sensed death approaching and let the story reflect the loss of zest and life.
Book Review: Very good finale
Summary: 4 Stars
'Ol Isaac concludes the weaving together of his outstanding "Foundation" series with his Galactic Empire and Robot novels. Golan Trevize, continuing from FOUNDATION'S EDGE, undertakes a mission to finally discover the "mythical" planet Earth, and to learn its secret. Accompanying him are fellow Foundationer Janov Pelorat and Bliss of Gaia. If you're a fan of all the above-mentioned series, your suspense will be keen as Trevize and co. narrow down the search. What was Earth's ultimate fate? We know it became radioactive (seen in ROBOTS AND EMPIRE, and touched on in various Galactic Empire novels), but did it recover? Are people still living there?
Along the way, the trio discover several of the ancient "Spacer" worlds (the basis for many of the Robot novels), and on one of them, Solaria, they take with them a "girl" who has developed (like all the few remaining Solarians) remarkable powers. What may be a "let down" to many FOUNDATION fans is that Seldon's plan is clearly shown to be intertwined -- nay, guided -- by probably the most powerful robot of all, now an ancient, worn down figure. It's touched on that there will soon be a joining of robot and human, in the form of the little Solarian girl.
Trevize doesn't "resolve" the dispute of Galaxia vs. Individuality (continued from EDGE); however, the novel ends with him pondering what humans will ultimately become, with his gaze firmly on the little Solarian "girl."
Book Review: asimov is a genius.
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone who hasn't read about Hari Seldon and Psychohistory needs to. Though it's a fictional science in the book, I wouldn't be suprised if someone wasn't studying it today. Asimov's writing is compelling ... not too full of sci-fi babble which often sounds odd to readers 40 years later, and that makes it pretty timeless. Many older books constantly irritate me in this manner.