Foundation's Edge
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1977
33% recommend33% neutral33% critical
Why HN recommends it
Praised as the most mature and modern entry in the Foundation series, with a strong hard sci-fi feel; fans say it reads quickly and suits readers who want to continue past the original trilogy.
Common criticism: Critics find it less literary, with weaker characterization and prose than the originals.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
After the defeat of the Mule by the Second Foundation, Terminus enjoys a period of prosperity and stability which is publicly attributed to the Seldon Plan, but which some feel is the work of the Second Foundation. A search is begun to determine if the Second Foundation still exists. Meanwhile, the Second Foundation finds that there is evidence of an independent force acting against the Mule to protect the Seldon Plan. A search is launched to determine what this force is and if it is a threat. The end result is a search for Earth (Terminus being the last planet settled by the galactic empi
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Wow, what a great question -- it seems like everyone here has been sitting on a wish list for a while. :) Here's one of mine: Ever since reading Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth as a kid, I've thought some elements of that story would make a great game. The player plays an archaeologist in the distant future trying to unravel the mysteries of humanity's…
on “Ask HN: What game do you wish existed?” ↗…topics, etc. So it's hard to say that one is "the best" overall, so I'll break it into some categories: 1. Most interesting, overall: Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter 2. Best in Hard Sci-fi: Foundation's Edge by Asimov 3. Best in Business: Customer-Centric Selling by Michael T. Bosworth, John R. Holland, Frank Visgatis 4. Best in Technology: An Introduction to MultiAgent Systems by Michael J. Wooldridge…
on “What is the best book you read this year? (optional: why?)” ↗I've worked through the Foundation series and my favorite is by far the Foundation's Edge. Perhaps because it is more modern and mature than the previous books. I haven't even started looking at other novels written by Asimov. Do you have any recommendations?
on “The Phrase “Kilroy Was Here” (2017)” ↗>Ever since reading Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth as a kid, I've thought some elements of that story would make a great game. The player plays an archaeologist in the distant future trying to unravel the mysteries of humanity's…
on “Ask HN: What game do you wish existed?” ↗I really love the foundation series. Even Foundation's Edge is really good, I think I read that the fastest of the four, although I haven't read the rest of the series. I think the original three are so good because they are much less tainted by actual technology…
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗…like regular novels with no jumps. For me the first book was by far the worst and I consider it more of a background filler than an actual story. I enjoyed the rest of the series far more, especially Foundation's Edge.
on “Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Trilogy” ↗…(non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as "the Foundation Trilogy". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the "trilogy". The Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way: - The Caves of Steel - The Naked…
on “Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?” ↗…literary virtues - less characterization, much less exploration of characters' mental states, often even less polished prose - than other works of (nominal) SF, simply because there isn't time for both. Foundation's Edge is possibly the least literary book I've ever read; I don't think Asimov wrote a deeply-characterized human in his life. The same applies to most Heinlein, a lot of Dick, A Canticle for Leibowitz, and…
on “When Popular Fiction Isn’t Popular: Genre, Literary, and the Myths of Popularity” ↗Upon review, Asimov had criticism for his plotting: as quoted on geek.com: In the author’s note for Foundation’s Edge, he says that, upon re-reading his earlier work, “I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever did. All three volumes, all the nearly quarter of a million words, consisted of thoughts and…
on “Writer Liu Cixin on How His Visions of the Future Collide with Reality” ↗Frankly, after the first three, it starts going downhill very fast. I stopped reading after Foundation's Edge.
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗…Winners vol. 3 - Various Between Planets - Robert A. Heinlen The Martian - Andy Weir * Perelandra - C S Lewis Heretics of Dune - Frank Herbert (Unfinished, couldn't do it.) Nightfall - Isaac Asimov * Foundation's Edge - Isaac Asimov * Foundation and Earth - Isaac Asimov * Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlen * Information Doesn't Want to be Free - Corey Doctorow Currently Reading Engines of Creation: The…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗You can see exactly the same with other authors. Asimov and J. K. Rowling, to pick two obvious candidates. Compare "Foundation" with "Foundation and Earth" or "Foundation's Edge". Or "The Philosopher's Stone" with "The Order of the Phoenix". The former were well-edited and succinct. The latter were overly long, in some cases sorely repetitive with large amounts of padding,…
on “Ask HN: How to level up your technical writing?” ↗A lot of stuff: Asimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.) Asimov's short stories Tolkien Ben Hur The Count of Monte Cristo…
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗…Lightning (Dean Koontz) 13. Daemons (Daniel Suarez) 14. Foundation and Earth (Isaac Asimov) 15. Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) 16. Fear and Loathing in Las Veges (Hunter S. Thompson) 17. Foundation's Edge (Isaac Asimov) 18. The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley) 19. Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson) 20. Tortilla Flat (John Steinbeck) 21. The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson)
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗The sequels are definitely weaker, but still worth reading. I enjoyed Prelude to Foundation. I disliked Foundation's Edge because I didn't agree with the fate of mankind as envisioned by Asimov :/
on “How Isaac Asimov shaped robotics and space exploration and predicted the Internet” ↗