Second Empire - Blog Posts

Something I’m cooking up, something different this time around.

…..

Yes it’s robot yaoi between Tinfist and Cat-Lon, I’m surprised that it’s not more popular.

Been taking a break from Kenshi, but the brain worm lives on ever more. God, I can’t get enough of Cat-Lon for the life of me-

For what it’s worth, Cat-Lon tried his best. It wasn’t enough, but he gave it his all, and now he has nothing.

If you want to read Asimov’s Foundation series, here is some info on the series plus my recommendations!

(The whole shebang is under the cut :3)

There are seven books overall, with The Foundation Trilogy, two Sequels, and two Prequels.

The Foundation Trilogy

Foundation (1951)

Foundation and Empire (1952)

Second Foundation (1953)

Summary: The Galatic Empire has existed for over ten thousand years, and for its Emperor and citizens, there's every confidence it will continue forever. Only mathematician Hari Seldon and his associates know the dire reality: the Empire is dying. Using the advanced mathematics called “psychohistory,” Seldon predicts the Empire's fall and the era of devastating barbarism that will follow. In order to reduce that inevitable dark age from 30,000 years to just 1,000, Seldon establishes two Foundations, guided by psychohistory, at opposite ends of the galaxy.

Sequels

Foundation’s Edge (1982)

Foundation and Earth (1986)

Summary: Former Naval officer and Terminus Council member Golan Trevize, along with his companions, search for the origins of humanity - the planet where humans evolved. (Spoiler/not spoiler - it's Earth)

Prequels

Prelude to Foundation (1988)

Forward the Foundation (1993)

Summary: This is the history of Hari Seldon - leading up to the events of Foundation (1951). With unlikely and unlooked for help, Seldon develops psychohistory to the level needed to enact the Seldon Plan (as it would later be known) and establish the two Foundations.

As with many early SF works, Asimov wrote the content of Foundation as short stories that were published in SF magazines. In 1951, those short stories were compiled and published as the first book in the series, Foundation.

First, Asimov wrote The Foundation Trilogy, and it was hugely popular. About 30 years later, Asimov’s publishers persuaded him to answer the call from fans for more Foundation content (and their own call to make them more delicious money huehuehue). Asimov got to work and produced the two Sequels and then the two Prequels.

Okay so here’s what I recommend:

🔆 Remember, these are only my opinions! Take from them only what you will, and definitely don't take them as rules for how to read the Foundation series, please! 🚀

Read The Foundation Trilogy first. DO NOT start with the Prequels.

If you want to read all seven books, I recommend you read them in the order they were published, which is the order I’ve listed above. (Foundation Trilogy, then Sequels, then Prequels.)

Treat The Foundation Trilogy, the Sequels, and the Prequels as different series.

Technically, all seven books take place in the same universe, however, Asimov wrote the Sequels and Prequels decades after he wrote The Foundation Trilogy. He did a lot of ret-conning. A lot of it was to tie the Foundation series into his Robot and Empire universes and connect them all into one.

Personally, I found a lot of that ret-conning unsatisfying in a way that detracted from the spirit of the original three books.

That being said, I did enjoy them, especially the Sequels, but as separate stories from The Foundation Trilogy.

Again, this is just my view of things, others have found the Sequels and Prequels to be great additions to the original stories. So take this advice with a grain of salt.

The Prequels are optional.

The Prequels describe Hari Seldon’s life and how he developed psychohistory and planned the two Foundations. To me, going into all that detail “ruins the magic.” I really appreciated not knowing too much about Seldon in the original trilogy.

Knowing so much about Seldon clashes with the major theme of the Foundation series: that the course of history is influenced by masses of people, not individuals. (Don't worry, this is said right at the beginning of Foundation, so no spoilers.)

Knowing less about Seldon makes his character more impressive and mysterious, and I liked it that way. (Again, it fits with the overall theme.)

Revealing so much about him was like revealing too many details about the origins of the Xenomorph in the Alien movies - when we get to know too much about the alien, she becomes less scary.

This is a continuation of my recommendation above. Again, other readers have enjoyed the Prequels and maybe you will too! My advice is merely a reflection of my own experience with the books, and it’s up to you to weigh the opinions and info to make your own decision.

Overall, the Foundation series is wonderful. If you decide to read all or part of the series, I really hope you enjoy it!!!