Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Book 2 of the first Foundation Trilogy

Rating: 3 out of 5


The Galactic Empire had been dying and they didn’t know it. And how could they? It was an empire so vast that it encompassed the Milky Way and had colonized worlds; the human population had reached an extraordinarily vast number. But one man saw the signs. That man was Hari Seldon. Using the science of psychohistory, Seldon was able to determine that the Galactic Empire would fall within three hundred years and would be followed by thirty thousand years of barbarism before a new and prosperous power would emerge from the ashes and restore order.

However, Hari Seldon, can plot a course that would control the events of the future and be able to reduce the age of barbarism to a mere one thousand years. He can do this also by using the science of psychohistory, because psychohistory is the science of the behavior of human masses, of mobs, of human society. And in the future, the number of human population has grown so vast that the actions of a single individual would become less significant when measured up to the action of the group as a whole. And by controlling the factors or stimuli that affect the probable reactions of a human society, psychohistory can plot that society’s future. Central to Sheldon’s plan is the establishment of two Foundations at “opposite ends of the Galaxy" and their existence is so devised so as it would bring about a new, powerful and stronger Second Empire within a millennium

Such was the premise of Isaac Asimov. And in his first book, Foundation, he tells the story of one of those Foundations in the first few centuries of its existence as they began simply as a settlement for scientists at one end of the galaxy, through how it was separated from the hegemony of a rapidly disintegrating Galactic Empire; to how they managed to maintain their independence from the emerging free “kingdoms” in the periphery, through being the only repository of knowledge and science in the area; to becoming the center of “religion”; to being the controller of trade; to being the most powerful state in its sector.

And now, in Foundation and Empire, the Galactic Empire, though reduced to a fraction of its original size was still the most powerful force to be reckoned with and has finally taken notice of what it perceived to be a challenge to its dominance, dwindling though it may be. An ambitious general has taken it upon himself to restore the glory of the empire by forcing a confrontation with the Foundation, destroy it once and for all, and assimilate its territory back under the Galactic Empire’s jurisdiction. And for the Foundation’s citizens, their hope rests upon on whether the events facing them were within the now-long-dead Hari Seldon’s plans and prophesies.

However, someone of extraordinary talent is emerging from the shadows: a mysterious individual known only as The Mule. And he seems to have the power greater than the might of whole planets, a power that may have been unseen in Hari Seldon’s plan. The power to unravel and spoil the well laid plans of psychohistory.

Isaac Asimov continues his brilliant exposition on the behavior of human society and expounds on the causes of its rise and fall. And through this book he presents various ideas on the course of humanity: (1) No matter how advanced or powerful a nation becomes, if it fails to grasp the lessons of history, it will sow the seeds of its own destruction from within, and (2) there are moments in history when an individual will emerge who has the capability/talent/charisma/character to change the course of nations, for better or for worse, an individual whose very life becomes a focal point in history, capable of controlling by sheer force of will the destinies of societies; individuals who are in themselves, for lack of a better term, sheer forces of nature, “mutants” of history.

Asimov presents his story in a crisp and clear way making the book an easy and fast read and, this time, he even placed a little feel of a mystery story into his work. However, as interesting as these themes may be, there are sure to be flaws. And this time, they are more visible than in the first book. As the format of Foundation and Empire has changed from a series of independent but related short stories with different central characters for each in the first book, to two sets of storylines with a definite set of characters that are constant to each plot, Asimov shows his weakness in characterization. His idea of character development is giving each character mannerisms or speech patterns that may sometimes become so repetitive and annoying. And it doesn’t help that his style of writing is so defined by the styles of his time that it has a sense of being dated. This might pull down the quality a bit for some.

Still, Foundation and Empire, along with the others of its series, is an interesting exploration into the profound ideas of one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century and one of the cornerstones of modern-day science fiction. It is recommended for anyone interested not only in a good story but of understanding the story of humanity. And these are only small glimpses into the ideas of a great man. He has lots, lots more stories and ideas for readers. Who knows? This series might just get you interested in exploring the author more.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Book 1 of the first Foundation Trilogy

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Thirteen thousand years in the very far future, man will colonize tens of thousands of world in the galaxy. Man would have forgotten the planet of his origin, Earth would just be a far memory in history. His kind would be very successful that they would number in the thousands of millions, all ruled through the Galatic Empire. No, it's not Star Wars, but one of the significant books that signaled the beginnings of the modern form of the science fiction genre. It is Foundation, and it is written by one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century, Isaac Asimov. The same man who was able to have an amazing number of books to his writing credit - more than 400 of them.

In this future, the great mass of human population, along with the studied patterns of humanity's behavior and society, makes it possible to calculate exact predictions of future events by applying mathematical statistics. This is so because the great weight of numbers of a society, like a mob, would simply drown out any individual initiative. This science would be known a psychohistory and its progenitor is a man named Hari Seldon.

Seldon, by using psychohistory, has predicted that within 300 years, the Galatic Empire will fall. It would be replaced by a 30,000 years of barbarism and Dark Ages throughout the galaxy. This fatalistic foreboding did not suit quite well with the rulers of the Galactic Empire and Hari Seldon was exiled to a far isolated planet in the periphery of the galaxy known as Terminus.

However, this did not worry Hari Seldon. In fact, this is exactly what he wanted. By using methods of psychohistory, he has devised a plan that would reduce the Dark Ages to only 1,000 years and the first step of that plan was to establish a Foundation in a remote place of the empire where a selected group of historians could, without interruption, compile all human knowledge of the whole galaxy into one enormous tome called the Encyclopedia Galactica, as the Dark Ages is being defined as a state of society where knowledge is lost. This premise sets up the whole Foundation series. A study of the breakdown of human society and the important role knowlege and information plays in the formation of civilization.

This book, influenced by Edward Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published as separate short stories in Astounding Magazine between 1942 and 1944, was first compiled as an entire book in 1951 as Foundation and became the first of what was initially three books of a series, and subsequently, along with another Asimov story - the Robot series, of which the book I, Robot is a part, became a cornerstone of modern science fiction.

Asimov's style of writing is marvelously clear and crisp and easy to follow. It is short enough to say that one may be able to finish reading the book in a day or three, if one has the inclination. Although modern readers, used to the flash and dash of modern-day style stories may find the lack of action a strain. Asimov's story isn't action-based, or character-based (in fact, there are different protagonists in each different chapter). His is a plot-and-dialog based tale that focuses on themes rather than protagonists. One such theme, for example is the idea of how a more knowledgeable man would take advantage of an relatively illiterate man and take advantage of his superstitions to form or manipulate a religion and control an entire society (a social reality particularly hated by Asimov).

Still, Foundation, along with its two sequels, is a brilliant book and a facinating thesis into man's social tendencies (for better or for worse), and a look at the importance of the role of knowledge on the historical development of man's civilization. It is one of the most important books in the whole of speculative fiction and a great influence in modern culture.

Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

Book 3 of the Malazan Book of the Fallen

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


It's only his third book of a planned ten-part Malazan Book of the Fallen series but Steven Erikson is redefining the word 'epic'. One can only begin to realize that this is really only the proverbial "tip of the iceberg" that the readers are seeing at this point of the story. It's a marvel to witness the uncovering of his imagination and realize the depth of what he has created. Erikson has created a world that probably surpasses any other fantasy world that ever existed and he has yet seven more books in which he can allow his readers to explore.

In Memories of Ice, he returns to the continent of Genebackis, the setting of his first book, Gardens of the Moon. The Malazan army of Genebackis have now gone renegade under the leadership of Dujek Onearm and Whiskeyjack are trying forge an alliance with their former enemies led by Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake. They would need to find a way to come across a common ground and forget their differences because a new enemy is coming from another direction. The new empire of the Pannion Domin is flexing its muscle and it is a threat more terrible and horrifying than anything they have ever seen before. The first target of the Domin's armies would be the free city of Capustan, and it seems nothing can stop its hordes from overrunning the it. Armies are being formed. Armies that would include the undead, cannibals and beasts. They would however soon realize that this would only be a part of an even larger war. A war that has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years. A war between gods and demi-gods and everybody is being sucked in towards it.

There would be new players in the scene. There will be the caravan bodyguard captain, Gruntle, who escorts his client towards the beleaguered city and finds himself trapped in a desperate siege unknowing of the large part he is going to play in the whole war. There will be Itkovian, one of the leaders of the army hired by Capustan's leaders to defend the city, as he and his group of paladin-knights prepare themselves on what they think what would be their last act in life. There will be Silverfox of the Rhivi, a girl who is much more than she seems growing into adulthood in days instead of years.

Of course, there would be the returning characters from Gardens of the Moon like the aforementioned four war leaders, the irrepresible and enigmatic Kruppe, and Ganoes Paran, Quick Ben and the Bridgeburners (Malazan's own version of Special Forces) with the part they are going to play in these War of the Gods.

As with his previous books, Erikson has a huge cast and a huge plot, and he handles them well. In fact, a distinct improvement from his previous work can be noticed. As before, Erikson structures his plot with having separate story threads, but this time the threads are more cohesive and doesn't make the reader feel like being tossed from one place or another. Each plot thread is now handled smoothly as they ease their way towards the end of the book.

Also, here in Memories of Ice, Erikson's characters become more alive now. They become personalities. Maybe because the readers have already gotten to know them through the first book, but one can now feel being able to identify with each character, even the minor ones. So real have they become, that some readers might find themselves shedding a tear for some of them by the end of the book.

That is not to say that Erikson has already found the perfect formula for his style. Old flaws from the first two books still emerge every now and then. The story starts out slow and doesn't pick up until the second third of the book. It is also still possible for the reader to get confused at the happenings of the plot. And Erikson still doesn't take time to explain things. But these problems become less of a hindrance here in the third book than it was in the first two.

There is one area, though, where Steven Erikson has established himself in the top echelon, probably more any other fantasy writer before him. He has become a master in writing military fantasy. His battle scenes are glorious, exciting, viceral, terrifying and tragic. He doesn't shy away from the gore. However, at the same time, he emphasizes the dreadful emotions one feels on having to fight for one's life and having to take the life of another. He doesn't glorify battle. In fact, he presents it in all its tragedy for what it really is: that despite the circumstances that sometimes make it a necessity, it is still an act of mass murder. That's what makes his battle scenes compelling, and in this book he gifts his readers with not one, but two extraordinary scenes of battle that is heart-pounding and edge-of-your-seat, and one of the best-written. It even includes a sort of "covert ops insertion mission" that would probably make techno-thriller author Tom Clancy sit up and take notice.

With Memories of Ice, Steven Erikson has come to stay. His imagination is boundless and the world-building he executed to bring to life this Malazan world is nothing short of genius on par of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a vast amazing world that is full of amazing beings that would surely become imprinted in the minds of those fortunate enough to read their story.