Foundation and Empire
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1945
35% recommend57% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Science fiction novel in the Foundation series. Its setup of the Mule and the General is a standout, and it is typically read as the second book after Foundation.
Common criticism: Some find the later sequels weaker and the time jumps disorienting.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon.
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…book if you're into Game theory and economics kind of stuff, though it has no prerequisites Meditations- Great views of a stoic thinker Zero to one- Interesting take on startups and how to build them Foundation and empire- Amazing sci-fi book. Second book in the foundation series
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…adult section, they are quite adult though). I think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it). My 2 cents.
on “Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?” ↗I just read it for the first time ever (I know, right? I'll turn in my nerd card at the door) a couple of years ago. I thought the original trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation) was amazing. I also thought Asimov really, really, really should have stopped there.
on “Psychohistory” ↗Yeah, and there's a bit of a bucket crab effect where trying to be a definite optimist in a world of indefinite optimists is much harder. Reminds of me of "The General" from Asimov's Foundation and Empire (spoiler alert for an amazing book from 1952). In a time where the galactic empire is collapsing/shrinking, General Bel Riose makes it his mission to restore the empire militarily and re-conquer the…
on “Part of Wright brothers' first airplane on NASA's Mars chopper” ↗* A Deepness in the Sky - Vernor Vinge * Foundation - Isaac Asimov (But, the sequel Foundation and Empire is more interesting as it presents ideas that continue to challenge current assumptions of software) * Meditations on First Philosophy - Rene Descartes * Road - Cormac McCarthy
on “Ask HN: What are the best Well-Written Books?” ↗* A Thousand Splendid Suns * Foundation and Empire * On Liberty * Good to Great Those books shaped how I interact with other people, which is: * I will move forward. I am not waiting for you to make a decision. If you need time then it’s on your own…
on “Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?” ↗Foundation and Empire
on “Ask HN: Which Strategy Book has influenced you most?” ↗Foundation and Empire
on “Ask HN: What book has been most influential in your life?” ↗Many people (including me) think it’s best to start with the Foundation core set - Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. Then you can move to the Robots Series - Caves of Steel, Naked Sun, and Robots of Dawn. Then circle back to the Foundation sequels, which ties them together a bit. It's important…
on “Apple confirms TV series order of Asimov’s Foundation” ↗I would start with the Foundation trilogy first (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation). Foundation for me was a perfect book. I don't remember if I finished the robot series though, and the books looking at Wiki, have a ton of content continuing on the original universe.…
on “Which reading order would you suggest for Asimov’s Foundation Series newbie?” ↗…of their time both writing and imagining the future) were thinking of when they imagined how people would write if they had the right technology. Places where I've already seen such stuff are Asimov's Foundation and Empire, Philip K. Dick's The Penultimate Truth, Roald Dahl's The Great Automatic Grammatizator.
on “Ask HN: Can you recommend Sci-Fi books/stories?” ↗I must say I'm not enjoying Foundation and Empire as much as the original Foundation. Foundation had me pausing every few pages to think, but I found the second book lacking in those viewpoint-altering ideas. Anyway, I'm only halfway through the second…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗Note that this wasn't Asimov speaking as Asimov, it was a character in Foundation and Empire. http://easygold.cn/library/admin/upload/kehuan/asimov/fdep/f...
on “Why you (entrepreneurs) should trust your gut. Always.” ↗…noticed that until the last subheading: The chips, like dust -- references The Stars, Like Dust, a 1951 book by Asimov. And then the rest became clear: Empire and foundry-nation -- probably a play on Foundation and Empire, the second novel in Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. "The Dead Past" is an Asimov short story first published in 1956. "The Wedge" is a short story Asimov published in 1944. "Birth of a Notion" is a 1976…
on “The Economist on Intel versus ARM” ↗I am reading the Foundation Trilogy - Asimov. I am now on the second book, called Foundation and Empire. Non-fictional i am reading "Pratical Node.js"
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗