لبه بنیاد کهکشانی

Foundation (Publication Order) #4

by Isaac Asimov, پیمان اسماعیلیان (Translator)

چهارصد و نود و هشت سال از هنگام پیدایش بنیاد اول می گذرد. بنیاد در اوج قدرت خود است،اما یک نفر هست که به ظاهر امر اکتفا نمی کند.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera, Fantasy, Hugo Awards

520 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1982

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

That´s at least as good as the original, especially because it explains everything, has some big, we are so small, moments, and adds an extra layer of depth to the Foundation myth, ending it so smoothly that I will just pretend that there were no other, far weaker parts. Never!

Change in style throughout a career
Asimovs´evolution towards an a bit less complicated and, sometimes, difficult to follow author can be seen here too. While the original Foundation is reaching Clarke and Lem levels of integrating so many innuendos and ideas that little minds like mine get blown, Foundations´edge is a far easier to enter and follow milestone of satiric, smart sci fi.

Now that´s a good illustration of how unimportant humankind really is
But of course I won´t tell you why, because this would be evil spoilering, but just be prepared to get shown how unimportant, tiny, and helpless we little naked apes really are. This also includes some sudden plot twists one doesn´t see coming that let one dive deeper into the world of Foundation.

Psi vs tech, hearth vs logic, emotional vs rational
What a great, old premise to make a story, especially if some kind of mysterious plot is rotating around the motivations of 2 perfectly coordinated fractions.

Good old alien influence
Just the moment one starts thinking about pretty badass humans, aliens come and make humans look so small. It may be difficult to follow this whole thing, because it is somewhat interlinked to the rest of the series too, but can easily be ignored too because it isn´t really an essential part of the actual story. But it´s a pretty fine bonus goodie for the ones who are already into this monumental epos.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

[Luca Ambrosino · Rating 4 out of 5]

English (Foundation's Edge)/ Italiano

«The First Galactic Empire was falling. It had been decaying and breaking down for centuries and only one man fully realized that fact. He was Han Seldon, the last great scientist of the First Empire, and it was he who perfected psychohistory-the science of human behavior reduced to mathematical equations»

The story so far: a large part of the galaxy is under is controlled by the Foundation, and the Seldon Plan, in place for 500 years, is perfectly progressing. So perfectly, enough to raise doubts about its existence...

Here we come to chapter four of the Foundation series (if we do not consider also two preludes, Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation, and one sequel, Foundation and Earth). And we come probably to the best among these four, written 30 years later after the publication of the previous three books. A more mature Isaac Asimov distributes science-fiction ideas about the colonization of the universe left, right and centre, increasingly persuasive and tantalizing. The sensation that in the distant future described by Asimov the loop will be closed is strong now. Only one more book. We can do that.

Vote: 8

«Il Primo Impero Galattico stava crollando. Erano secoli che si stava sgretolando e disfacendo, e solo un uomo si rendeva pienamente conto della cosa. Quell'uomo era Hari Seldon, l'ultimo grande scienziato del Primo Impero. Era stato lui a perfezionare la psicostoria, ovvero la scienza del comportamento umano espressa in equazioni matematiche»

La situazione finora: la Fondazione controlla oramai buona parte della Galassia, ed il Piano Seldon, in atto da 500 anni, procede perfettamente. Troppo perfettamente, tanto da generare dubbi sulla sua stessa esistenza...

Giungiamo al quarto capitolo del ciclo della Fondazione (se non contiamo anche i due preludi, Preludio alla Fondazione e Fondazione Anno Zero, e il sequel Fondazione e Terra). E giungiamo probabilmente al migliore dei quattro, non a caso scritto ben trent'anni dopo la pubblicazione dei primi tre. Un Isaac Asimov più maturo, che distribuisce a destra e a manca fantascientifiche teorie di colonizzazione dell'Universo sempre più convincenti e stuzzicanti. La sensazione che nel lontano futuro descritto da Asimov si sta per chiudere il cerchio in maniera decisiva è forte. Manca un solo libro. Ce la possiamo fare.

Voto: 8

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robot/Empire/Foundation. Book #13: Chronologically the sixth book in the Foundation series, published 31 years after the first Foundation book! The Foundation's concern that the Second Foundation exists, and the Second Foundation's concern about the Foundation comes to a head, when both entities start fearing the existence of a third force in the universe!

More intricately plotted than many of the other books in the series, with focus on the home worlds of both Foundations as well as an interesting cast of mostly outlier characters, I will go against what some purists might say and proclaim that decades into his writing career Asimov is still at the top of his game! I presume many purists could (rightly/) claim that this book is an overt attempt to fully join up Asimov's three primary serials, but for me, what he does, he does magnificently with a story set at one time that almost perfectly captures the many millennia of his constructed universe, a universe that I feel will never be surpassed for it's continuity, detail and creativity! 8 out of 12.

Funnily enough after reading this book, I thought that this would be a massive hit in the right hands as a TV series... and lo and behold, it's coming in September 2021! The only downside being I presume they won't be starting at the real beginning which is the Robot series :(.

[Ahmad Sharabiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foundation's Edge (Foundation, #4), Isaac Asimov

Foundation's Edge (1982) is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. It was written more than thirty years after the stories of the original Foundation trilogy, due to years of pressure by fans and editors on Asimov to write another, and, according to Asimov himself, the amount of the payment offered by the publisher.

It was his first novel to ever land on The New York Times best-seller list, after 262 books and 44 years of writing. Foundation's Edge won both the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1983 and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1983, and was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1982. Five hundred years after the establishment of the Foundation, the Mayor of Terminus, Harla Branno, is basking in a political glow, her policies having been vindicated by the recent successful resolution of a Seldon Crisis. Golan Trevize, a former officer of the Navy and now a member of Council, believes the Second Foundation (which is almost universally thought to be extinct) still exists and is controlling events. He attempts to question the continued existence of the Seldon Plan during a Council session and Branno has him arrested on a charge of treason. Branno also believes that the Second Foundation still exists and is in control, but she cannot admit it publicly for political reasons, and treats that as a state secret, hence her alarm and her swift action.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال1995میلادی

عنوان: لبه بنیاد کهکشانی؛ نویسنده: آیزاک آسیموف؛ مترجم: پیمان اسماعیلیان خامنه؛ تهران، بنیاد مستضعفان و جانبازان، 1373، در 520ص، موضوع داستانهای علمی تخیلی از نویسندگان روس تبار ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م

چهارصد و نود و هشت سال از هنگام پیدایش بنیاد اول میگذرد؛ بنیاد در اوج قدرت خود است، اما یک نفر هست که به ظاهر امر اکتفا نمیکند

سری «بنیاد» نام مجموعه ‌ای هفت جلدی از «آیزاک آسیموف» است، که نامدارترین سری علمی-تخیلی خوانده شده‌ است؛ داستان این سری به ترتیب زمان انتشار پیش نمی‌رود، بلکه «آسیموف» نخست جلدهای سوم (بنیاد)، جلد چهارم (بنیاد و امپراطوری) و جلد پنجم (بنیاد دوم) را نگاشتند؛ و سپس با وقفه ‌ای دراز مدت، و با پافشاری خوانشگران، جلد ششم (لبه بنیاد) و جلد هفتم (بنیاد و زمین) را به آنها افزودند؛ پس از آن با وقفه ‌ای نسبتاً دراز جلد نخست سری با عنوان (سرآغاز بنیاد) و در پایان نیز اندکی پیش از درگذشتشان جلد دوم (پیشبرد بنیاد) را نوشته اند؛ «آسیموف» داستان‌های بلند و کوتاه بسیاری نگاشته ‌اند، و می‌توان گفت، مهم‌ترین آثار ایشان، کتاب‌ها و داستان‌هایی هستند، که به نام «سری بنیاد» شناخته می‌شوند؛ کتاب‌های اصلی بنیاد به ترتیب خط داستانی عبارتند از: «سرآغاز بنیاد کهکشانی»؛ «پیشبرد بنیاد کهکشانی»؛ «بنیاد (ظهور امپراطوری کهکشان‌ها در ترجمهٔ فارسی)»؛ «بنیاد و امپراطوری (جنگ امپراطوری کهکشان‌ها در ترجمهٔ فارسی)»؛ «بنیاد دوم (سقوط امپراطوری کهکشان‌ها در ترجمهٔ فارسی)»؛ «لبه بنیاد»؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 26/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 31/02/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

[Apatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1982 almost 30 years after the last volume of the iconic original Foundation Trilogy, namely Second Foundation, I was skeptical that Asimov would be able to maintain his mojo post the Golden Age of Science Fiction when he was publishing his most iconic sci-fi stories and novels. Of his 80s books I only read The Robots of Dawn which I thought was quite good but not in the same league as his 50s robot novels The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun. Still, I liked it enough to rekindle my interest in the Foundation series of which I have only read the original trilogy in my teens. For some reason I neglected the series from the 4th volume onwards and to catch up I did not want to simply dive into it as it was decades ago since I read the previous books and I have gotten most of the background details. So I reread the trilogy a couple of months ago and enjoyed it very much in spite of already knowing the major plot twists. The Foundation saga remains quite potent after all these years.

Foundation's Edge is the 4th volume I speak of. It is set 500 years after the establishment of the Foundation. The Seldon Plan is going swimmingly and the First Foundation is at the peak of its strength having dominated all the neighboring planets through its superior technology and military might. The people of the Foundation believe that the threat from the mind controlling Second Foundation has been eliminated and there is now only one Foundation, theirs. Alas someone always shows up to rock the boat otherwise we would not have much of a story. Enters one Golan Trevize, a Council member and an original thinker; a dangerous combination.

It occurs to Trevize that the Seldon Plan has been going too well of late and there is surely something wrong when things are just too right. It is unnatural for things to always go according to plan, some deviations must occur. Trevize believes this is an indication that the Foundation is being surreptitiously controlled by puppet masters from the dreaded Second Foundation who will ensure the Seldon Plan reaches fruition and then step in as lord and masters. Voicing such a controversial idea turns out to be unwise as he is summarily kicked off the planet Terminus (home of the Foundation) with a secret mission to locate the Second Foundation in order for the First to do away with them once and for all. Many surprises ensue.

In spite of not being action packed as such, I find Foundation's Edge to be a gripping page-turner. The plot tends to move through dialogue rather than narration. Every page seems to be stuffed with dialogue as characters are always discussing or arguing about something. The climax is also played through dialogue. This is a surprisingly effective method of storytelling as the book is never dull. Asimov writes reasonably good dialogue, but his characters do have a tendency to belabor their points at times.

Asimov’s major strengths are his epic ideas, world building and plot; these are the reason he is one of the most popular sci-fi authors of all time (possibly the most popular). His world building here is better than ever, I particularly love the telepathic society and culture of the Second Foundation on Trantor and the strange people of Gaia. It is also lovely to see the robots and their “Three Laws” worked into the Foundation universe, plus a clever explanation for the absence of aliens in the Foundation universe.

Asimov is often criticized for his utilitarian prose and thin characters (the same criticisms leveled toward most Golden Age authors). While he was no Dickens or Oscar Wilde in term of prose, characterization and dialogue I find these criticisms a little unfair. His prose is not extraordinary, but it is uncluttered and very readable, it is never clumsy or semi-literate; he never insults the readers’ intelligence. His dialogue is often full of amusing witty banter and sardonic remarks. As for his characters, while some of the supporting characters are indeed flat his central characters and protagonists are often memorable. After decades away from his books I still remember very well Hari Seldon, The Mule, Susan Calvin (from I Robot), Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw (from several robot novels). As for Foundation's Edge's characters, Golan Trevize, and several lead characters are quite vivid and memorable also. In contrast I can not remember a single character from Arthur C. Clarke’s books (except Hal 9000 and Dave Bowman); no disrespect to Sir Arthur though, he has his own brand of greatness.

The climax of Foundation's Edge is just wonderful and the epilogue leads nicely to the next book Foundation and Earth. Asimov always seems to enjoy telling his Foundation stories tremendously and his enjoyment is infectious. Can’t wait!

[Manny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review contains multiple spoilers for the whole "Foundation" series

I am surprised to find so little criticism of what to me came across as a train-wreck of a book. Asimov tells us in the preface to the following volume that his publishers tried for thirty years to get him to continue with "Foundation" after the end of the initial trilogy, and he always refused. He should have stuck to his guns.

Asimov says that he started writing the series in 1941, in response to a suggestion from John W. Campbell Jr. At the time, Asimov was 21 and had published a handful of stories. Campbell was ten years older and had already been editor of Astounding Science Fiction for three years. He was one of the most powerful people in the SF world, and the young Asimov must have been in awe of him. I get a strong feeling that the real creative impulse behind the original "Foundation" trilogy was Campbell, and that he contributed the key ideas. I wonder whether Asimov even completely understood them: this would explain both why he was so reluctant to continue, and why the result was so poor. I offer two pieces of evidence, one big and one small.

The big piece of evidence is the role of psychohistory. This is the core of the original series, the thing that ties all the action together. Borrowing from Tolstoy, Marx and the new discipline of quantum mechanics, we're asked to imagine that a true mathematical science of history has been developed which allows accurate prediction of the future. The prediction is statistical in nature; the larger the number of people involved, the more accurate it becomes. The mathematics is ferociously complex, but the genius Hari Seldon has managed to solve the technical problems.

Seldon uses psychohistory to discover that the Galactic Empire, which has existed for over twelve thousand years and seems invincible, is in fact on the verge of collapse. He goes further and finds a way to mitigate the effects of the Empire's downfall, so that a better Empire can arise after only a thousand years. He creates two Foundations to carry out this task. The first, overt, is the seed which will grow into the new Empire. The second, deeply hidden, holds the psychohistorians who supervise the Plan and correct the inevitable errors which develop as it unfolds. But the true magic of the books is that the Plan, on the whole, requires little supervision. It is Seldon's mathematical grasp of history's inevitability that lets him control it by making tiny nudges. It is necessary to the correct functioning of the mathematics that the Second Foundation remains concealed, and this provides much of the drama in the later part of the trilogy. Unfortunately, the plot also requires the introduction of the Mule, a mutant with extrasensory mental powers. To counter him, the Second Foundation are given similar powers.

In the new book, the sixty-year-old Asimov, now working without Campbell, has completely revised the role of psychohistory. Now it is hardly more than a background decoration: the members of the Second Foundation do not appear to be mathematicians except in name, and the extrasensory powers have been developed to the point where they take over the narrative. The Seldon Plan is no longer kept moving by the force of historical inevitability, but by the rather mundane influence of various telepathic supermen. Asimov seems to have forgotten the point of his own series.

That was my big piece of evidence, but somehow I find the small one even more convincing. In the wonderful denouement of Second Foundation, we learn that the mysterious First Speaker, the leader of the Second Foundation, is none other than the comic farmer Preem Palver. As a twelve-year-old, I loved the book's final sentence, where I discovered how cleverly I'd been tricked. Of course, "Preem" means "First" in rustic Trantorian dialect! And "Palver", a word that sounds a bit like "palaver", must mean "Speaker"! Why hadn't I noticed, it had been under my nose the whole time! But in the new book, to my astonishment, I found that Asimov had apparently forgotten a key plot twist in one of his best-known novels. "Preem Palver" is no longer a title: it's the name of the specific First Speaker from Second Foundation, who is referred to multiple times. Worse still, in Forward the Foundation, the prequel written shortly before Asimov's death, we're introduced to a character whose family name is "Palver" and given to understand that they are Preem's ancestor. I was shocked. How was this possible?

Well, as I've had occasion to discover myself, increasing age does make your memory worse. Maybe Asimov simply forgot, and that's all there was to it. But he was only sixty-one, and that seems pretty young for such a dramatic example of a senior moment. I have trouble believing he forgot. I find it more plausible that he never knew. I think Second Foundation was written in a frantic hurry, the way all those pulp novels were written at the time. Asimov got the ending from Campbell, he scribbled it in without properly understanding the point, and he moved on to something else. And then when he submitted the manuscript of Foundation's Edge, his new editor was embarrassed to tell him what they surely noticed. Or, who knows, maybe they weren't a hardcore Asimov fan and they missed it too.

There's a metafictional novel waiting to be written here.

[Jeraviz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta es la historia que estaba buscando cuando comencé a leer el Universo de Fundación. Una historia que me volviera sumergir en la sensación que tuve cuando leí la trilogía original. Una space opera con un enfoque a través de los siglos para poder llevar a la Fundación del Primero al Segundo Imperio Galáctico.

Cuando leí las dos precuelas a la trilogía, donde vemos a Hari Seldon inventar y desarrollar la Psicohistoria, me quejaba precisamente de que aquellas historias no tenían el espíritu de la Fundación. Se situaban en un solo planeta, con un solo protagonista y con unos hechos repetitivos y superfluos.

Aquí sin embargo nos encontramos con personajes que traman estrategias a través de los años, distintos puntos de vista de los hechos, tramas políticas, capas que se van desvelando una tras otra y cuando piensas que ya has llegado al misterio final aparece otra tanda de sorpresas.

Y, ¿por qué no se lleva las 5 estrellas? Pues tal vez porque me ha tocado leerlo más mayor que cuando leí Fundación con 14 años. Ahora veo más las costuras y el estilo repetitivo y cansino en algunos aspectos de Asimov. Además también creo que utiliza un par de veces un "deus ex machina" para salir del paso. Y tampoco le perdono ese final cortado con guillotina para seguir en el siguiente libro.

Pero si no te pones quisquilloso como yo, disfrutarás de una gran historia sobre la Fundación muy parecida a las originales.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is the first time I'm reading the companion books to the original Foundation trilogy and while I'm glad to read something Asimov penned himself, it's still not as good as I had hoped. Certainly not as good as the original trilogy.

It's been almost 500 years since the last book. Terminus is ruling, the mayor beign the most powerful person and the First Foundation dictating the way forward for humanity.
A politician is doubting the Seldon Plan (its actual existence) and trying to make people see that the Second Foundation was actually never destroyed but is holding the strings to this day. He is subsequently exiled and sent on a quest with a historian (because the mayor believes the same although she can't admit to it openly).
Officially, they are looking for the fabled birthplace of the human race (spoiler alert: Earth), though they actually want to find the Second Foundation. In a way, they succeed in at least one part of that plan. But not until they find a planet called Gaia that is so much more than a planet and which calls into question everything we thought we know until now.

The direction the author took this in ... I'm not sure I'm sold on it, to be honest ... I mean, to have the Foundations introduced the way he did, only to then have a THIRD power? Perhaps this will become more clear with the next/final book in the series. Maybe Daneel will have make a return even? For what this is, it wasn't enough for me, unfortunately.

I was also more than surprised about the new MC, Trevize, and the key role he played in the end. Which led to another thing that robbed me the wrong way: how he played that key role in the end. He is able to FEEL the right answer / solution to a problem without knowing anything about said problem?! I call bullshit. Again, maybe it will become clear later, maybe there is a good reason but at this point, it just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

The writing, though, was as wonderful as ever. Sadly, that wasn't enough for a higher rating this time but I can't wait for the conclusion now.

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Кога ли ще разберат, че самото съвършенство е най-сигурният признак за опасност?“


„Острието на Фондацията“ е отличен научнофантастичен роман! Чрез него големият Азимов е разгърнал още по-задълбочена и мащабна представа за огромната фондационна Вселена. Действието се пренася около 500 г. след времето на Хари Селдън, като отново ставаме свидетели на страшно интересни обрати и ценни философски размисли.

Двете Фондации са затънали в своите политически интриги, обаче в даден момент са въвлечени в сложна плетеница от непредвидени събития. Съветникът Тривайз и историкът Пелорат са изпратени в изгнание от Първата Фондация (и евентуално като примамка за Втората Фондация), а впоследствие се отправят на далечно пътешествие в търсене на загадъчната планета Гея...






„Някак си, помисли той с цялата горчилка, която беше способен да събере, Фондацията яко се бе вторачила в бъдещето. Хората бяха обладани от мисълта за Втората фондация и за своята съдба и нямаха нито време, нито желание да поглеждат назад в миналото, а на всичко отгоре се дразнеха от ония, които го правеха.“


„Когато двама говорители от Втората фондация общуват помежду си, езикът на това общуване не прилича на никой друг в Галактиката. Това е език колкото на думи, толкова и на свободни жестове, а също и на доловени тенденции в менталните промени.
Чужд човек би чул малко или направо нищо, но по мисловен път за много кратко време биваше разменена огромна информация, макар начинът на общуване да беше неразбираем в буквалния му вид за в��еки друг, освен за трети говорител.
Езикът на говорителите имаше предимството на скоростта и безкрайната изтънченост, ала и недостатъка да прави почти невъзможно скриването на истинското мнение.“


„— Струва ми се, Голан, че напредъкът на цивилизацията не е нищо друго освен ограничаване на възможността да се усамотиш.“


„Тя буквално засия към Гендибал и той с нежелание ѝ се възхити за начина, по който незабавно смени посоката, за да изостави неизгодната си позиция. Освен това чувстваше, че всичко е само подготовка за атака от друга посока.“


„— Това не е много урбанизиран свят. Никога по-рано не съм бил в Сейшелския съюз, но според информацията от компютъра тук са склонни да се вкопчват в миналото. В очите на цялата Галактика техниката се асоциира с Фондацията и там, където Фондацията не е популярна, съществува тенденция за придържане към традициите — с изключение, разбира се, на въоръженията.“


„Щом си вкараш в главата идеята, че някой контролира събитията, можеш да разглеждаш всичко в тая светлина и никъде няма да намериш относителна сигурност.“


„Менталическият образ обаче си имаше своите предимства. Главното бе, че нямаше как да бъде засечен от което и да е известно на Първата фондация устройство. Нито пък човек от Втората фондация можеше да прихване и подслуша менталния образ на друг човек от Фондацията. Най-много да бъде проследена играта на ума, но не и деликатната промяна на изражението на лицето, която съпътстваше особено фините моменти на общуването.“


„За уважение е да знаеш кога истината може да ти свърши работа, тъй като нито една неистина не може да бъде представена със същата искреност. Палвър е казал: „Колкото лъжата е по-близко до истината, толкова е по-добра, а самата истина, когато тя може да бъде използвана, е най-добрата лъжа.“


„— С времето съпътстващите загадки сигурно ще бъдат разкрити. Сега, като имам отправната точка, мога да започна да търся сходна информация и на други светове. Важното е, че открих какъв въпрос да задавам, а един добър въпрос, разбира се, е ключът, дето може да породи безкрайно много добри отговори.“


„Гладкостта на ума ѝ криеше огромна интелигентност, схватливост и смелост. Какво повече можеше да иска от когото и да било?“


„— Кодел, ти цял живот си живял на Терминус. Не познаваш Галактиката. Нашата флота и бойна техника могат да победят въоръжените сили на другите светове, но ние все още не сме в състояние да управляваме една изцяло враждебна, водена от омразата Галактика — а тя ще представлява точно това, ако я превземем със сила.“


„— Един свят в хиперпространството е суеверие, но дори суеверията могат да бъдат изградени около зрънца от истина.“


„— Чувам словата ти и дори си представям идеята, която описваш, но не мога да повярвам, че подобно нещо изобщо е възможно да се случи.
— Общо взето, аз също не мога — кимна Дом. — Ето защо твърдя, че то прилича на приказка.“


„Ако те променим или приспособим по някакъв начин, ти няма да си по-ценен за нас от който и да е друг човек в Галактиката и няма да можем да те използваме. В състояние сме да го направим само защото си ти и трябва да останеш такъв, какъвто си. Ако в този момент ти въздействаме, ние сме загубени.“

[Josh Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! You should definitely read the original trilogy before cracking this one open, as it builds directly off of them.

Spoilers ahead!

I really enjoyed discovering the birthplace of The Mule. And while I found pulling the robot books into universe a tad abrupt, I freaked out at the plot twist that Bliss was, in fact, a robot.

This Asimov guy might just have a career in writing 😉 I was so impressed with all of the many theoretical scientific concepts Asimov was able to weave into this book so effortlessly. The man truly was a master craftsman.

Overall, this was a fun book that I didn't want to end!

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although written much later than the original Foundation trilogy, this book in my opinion is on a par with them. Not only is it a great story, well written as ever by Asimov, but after having read the Foundation novels, the Robot novels and the Empire novels (some many times), you realise how cleverly this book starts to bring everything together the way Asimov intended.

[Clouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.

On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.

While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).

Foundation’s Edge won the Locus Sci-Fi award in 1983, finishing ahead of The Golden Torc (sequel to the previous year’s winner), 2010 (the sequel to Arthur C Clarke’s classic 2001 ) and The Crystal Singer (the first in what, my wife and Mother assure me, is a fine Ann McCaffrey trilogy) to name just three.

I’ve read the Foundation series twice in my life, and Foundation’s Edge was one of the six winning books I had previously read before I began my Locus Quest.

The first time I read the Foundation series as an awe-struck pre-teen, I’d have instantly given the whole series a 5-star review: it was a story that became a foundation stone (excuse the pun) of my love for sci-fi.

Let's get this out of the way: Asimov's Foundation series is required reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in science fiction. If you've not read it yet, put it on your list!

Returning to Asimov in my mid twenties I was expecting to be disappointed. Some issues are unavoidable – much of the characterisation is shallow and doesn’t develop far and there series as a whole tends to repeat plot devices with surface variations – but overall I was pleasantly surprised.

Asimov tends to remind me H.G. Wells. That may sound extreme considering The Time Machine was written in the 1890s while Foundation’s Edge was released in the 1980s, but the Foundation series was conceived back in the 50s. Wells and Asimov may represent the best of pre-WW1 and post-WW2 sci-fi, but their formative cultures have more in common with each other than post-2012 audiences.

To me, their stories are now are charming combination of dated ideals and visionary speculation.

This is one of the few Foundation novels which can stand alone, so I can heartily recommend it to all - not just fans of the series.

I’m no longer blown away as I once was, but it’s still a very enjoyable read!

After this I read: Ilium

[ttrygve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was, like its predecessors, an enjoyable story. I enjoyed the premise for it, the pacing, and even the characterization is very much improved over the earlier Foundation novels (however little that may be saying).

But I cannot review this book without spoiling it. So read no further if that bothers you.

The real shortcoming is that Asimov abandons (at the very end) the first two foundations to have yet a third organization secretly pull strings from behind a curtain. I get that they're benevolent, that's fine, but Asimov spent the first three books building up the predictive powers of psychohistory as thoroughly grounded in scientific fact and experimentation, and vetted and improved upon by the Second Foundation, only to tear it down in this book and say -- without a bit of explanation -- that it wasn't good enough to account for the growth rate of technology, despite the fact that that's a big part of what it had been designed specifically to do and had done just fine at thus far.

But now we end up with yet a *third* organization working to construct a new second empire. This one, like the second, also operates in secrecy in order to achieve its goals, and so *again* Asimov comes back to ignorance as a key to solving problems created by knowledge, and that just seems like a huge betrayal of the principles he seems to be trying to embrace. He seems to have this split desire to deify science and the pursuit of knowledge in general most of the time, while embracing ignorance at other times. It's just too incongruent, in that regard.

[Denisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asimov surrounds me everytime I read his books. This time he worked more on the characters and their interactions, which made the book even more fluent to enjoy. The writing style is still very simple, so even when the plot gets dense it doesn't bother and everything Asimov has to say about the Universe, the human race, our minds as a group or a single person is so fascinated to me. A very special book about balance, our decisions and how important they are. Second favorite behind Foundation. I really enjoyed this continuation.


En una epoca extraña e imprevisible, nos aferrramos con miedo al pasado.

Lo más page-turner de Asimov que he leído hasta ahora. La trilogía de la Fundación original es más seria, por decirlo de un modo, con Los Limites de la Fundación se divierte más sin dejar su estilo y sin arriesgar la trama. Hay personajes más activos, diálogos más fluidos y un misterio más interesante. Digamos que solo deja de meterse tanto con los problemas sociales y nos adentramos más a una aventura espacial mientras el Plan de Hari Seldon está a mitad de camino.

Como siempre, este Plan se ve amenazado por alguna disputa y/o pensamiento desviado y ahora para prevenir la catástrofe se debe enderezar el camino. Y como siempre, la resolución final es contundente, imaginativa e ingeniosa al mismo tiempo, lo que hace del libro una experiencia increíble de forma redonda. 

Lo unico que debe hacer es mirarse atentamente a si mismo y entendera a todos los demas.

Otro gran detalle son las dos grandes referencias a otros libros del autor, te hablan sobre el pasado prehistórico del Primer Imperio Galáctico y te pica la curiosidad por leer esos otros volúmenes de los cuales ya tengo uno yei!

En general, esta cuarta entrega de la serie trata más acerca de lo que escapa a ambas Fundaciones, su razón de ser y su papel en la historia. Ha sido muy interesante y te deja con muchas ganas de leer Fundación y Tierra...es una pena que no lo encontrara en la Feria del Libro. Espero lo traigan pronto. Recomendado para quienes disfrutaron la trilogía principal.

Si hubieramos esperado hasta que la seguridad fuese doble y triple y cuadruple e infinitamente grande, habriamos esperado siempre.

[Mahdi Lotfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

مجموعهٔ بنیاد نام مجموعه‌ای ۷ جلدی از آیزاک آسیموف است که مشهورترین مجموعهٔ علمی-تخیلی خوانده شده‌است. داستان این مجموعه به ترتیب زمان انتشار پیش نمی‌رود، بلکه آسیموف ابتدا جلدهای سوم (بنیاد)، چهارم(بنیاد و امپراطوری) و پنجم (بنیاد دوم) را نوشت و سپس با وقفه‌ای طولانی مدت و بر اثر اصرار خوانندگان جلدهای ششم (لبه بنیاد) و هفتم (بنیاد و زمین) را به آن افزود. پس از آن با وقفه‌ای نسبتاً طولانی جلد اول مجموعه (سرآغاز بنیاد) و در نهایت نیز اندکی پیش از مرگش جلد دوم (پیشبرد بنیاد) را نوشته‌است.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that needs to be recognized in the context of its time; Asimov had written some of the most iconic stories in the field in the 1940s and '50s, and his lofty reputation had been made by the robot stories and the Foundation trilogy. When it became known that he was going to revisit and reboot these worlds and integrate them into a single universe, a lot of fans were ready to hate it. It had been thirty-some years (which is, like, at least fifteen fannish generations), and there was a lot of resistance to the idea. Asimov's fourth book of the trilogy became a standard joke, and a lot of people thought he was just writing it for the money. The fact that the book went on to win the Hugo and Locus Awards for best novel of the year (both voted for by fans, beating novels by two other old-time favorite grandmasters, Clarke and Heinlein) is something of a testament to his success. The book starts a little slowly but has an intricate plot that falls into place quite nicely and it's an interesting and engaging read. The style seems a little more comfortable than the originals, and the characters are enjoyable and realistic. The theme seems to me to counter the philosophy of the original a bit, perhaps a nod to changed social conventions, but looking back after yet more decades I believe it may be the best of all the Foundation books, and one of Asimov's best novels overall.

[Jan-Maat]

Sort of brick-like sequel to the earlier Foundation books. The sheer bulk of the book testifies to the difference in publishing between when Azimov wrote his original stories - mostly first printed in magazines and later released as books and as a result far shorter. But this was not all that had changed, the story testifies to a change in Azimov's thinking and vision. The original stories were the product of post WWII USA there is an uncomplicated optimism about technology and in the values of the USA, the far future as a result is the 1950s writ large with a generous splash of Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a degree of pessimism as the necessary sauce to sharpen the faith in those fundamental values.

This book takes the Foundation idea in a slightly different direction by introducing a factor and the possibility of a factor outside of the original psychohistorical calculations made by Seldon. Which rather renders the original stories superfluous. The drive of late Azimov to completeness and neatness, tying all of his stories together into one superbundle is accomplished at the cost of the integrity and cleverness of those original stories from the 40s and 50s. One can read and enjoy this book and the one that comes after it and as a pair they serve to tie the Foundation series back to the Bailey/robot books.

More seriously Azimov's solutions in the 1980s are revealed to be thoroughly collectivist, he had moved a long way from his starting point.

[Diana Stoyanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Досто заплетена част, където основните действащи лица отново са първата и втората Фондации. Тук обаче се появява една нова променлива в уравнението, трето неизвестно, което през цялото време е дирижирало събитията. Гея. Ще спра до тук, за да не издам важни елементи от историята.
И тази част е не по- малко епична от останалите.

[Wick Welker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espionage and social arrangements.

This is the fourth book in the Foundation series and my third read of the series and I just got to say that I’m eating this series up. It is sooo good and unique. Yes it still suffers from sexism and patriarchy like the prior books. Looking past the flaws, I think this is probably my favorite science fiction series I’ve ever read.

MAJOR SPOILERS:

This fourth book is after the ordeal with the Mule and the First Foundation believing they have finally vanquished the Second Foundation in the prior book. This book is about the linchpin character Trevize who believes the Second Foundation is still in operation because the Seldon Plan is running a bit too smoothly and reeks of orchestration. And then we have a second POV by Gendibal who is actually from the cabal of the Second Foundation and he claims the Seldon Plan is working too smoothly when they look at the Prime Radiant which must be evidence that there is another agent at work, pulling the strings. So you have these two parallel stories going on with amazing espionage and subterfuge and very cool deductions happening between the characters. One of the main elements in this book is the power struggle and politicking between the established physical government representative of the First Foundation and the shadow government which is the Second Foundation. It’s all really compelling to read.

And then on top of that you have the search for Gaia which as we come to find out is a world of in which all organism live in mental harmony which was created by the “Eternals” who are robots from thousands of years ago who apparently followed the First Law of Robotics so much that they created an entire dimension where humans are the only intelligent life form in order to protect them forever. So you have that little plot point going on which is worked really deftly into the story and everything interests the character Trevize. Trevize has some sort of unspoken and special ability to have a mind unaltered from mentalic influence. Gaia has selected him to make a decision for humanity: how should civilization proceed? He has three options: 1. Go with the autocratic and military rule of the First Foundation in order to establish a second galactic empire 2. Go with the shadow government that will be led by the Second Foundation or 3. Go with Gaia who will spread their consciousness throughout the galaxy to integrate all together in harmony. Basically the three options are fascism, technocracy or communism. Trevize goes with the third option, not because he believes it is the best, but it will take thousands of years to accomplish thus buying time for further options.

I’m amazed that Asimov took his story here. His willingness to abandon the Seldon Plan and explore these concepts and the politics involved is truly something special. I think Asmiov had a really great mind to work these concepts into his science fiction.

At any rate. I LOVE this series and loved this book.

[Andrew Rockwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars—-

[Michael Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the past four years, I've been reading one Foundation book a year. I'm not entirely sure why that is; you would imagine I'd forget a lot of what I read in the year between books. However, every time I come back to this series, it feels like I read the previous book only yesterday.

At first I was skeptical of this one. I read that he wrote this one decades after the third installment and was worried this was written just as a bit of fan service. If that's true, this is the highest quality fan service I've ever read.

Out of the four I've read so far, this is the one that follows more of the standard novel format the most. One set of characters throughout the novel and doesn't time skip a generation or two at any point. I really enjoyed the change of pace, because what a brilliant cast he put into this novel!

The plot twists were abundant and kept me guessing right up until the end. In fact, I'm still guessing after having read it. I wish I'd have read more of his novels before reading this, because I know he ties up several series with this book. Even without having read the other series, it felt fluid and well done.

Isaac Asimov is without a doubt, my favorite Hard Science Fiction author. Every book I read by him cements that further. A few years ago, I'd have said Frank Herbert because of the extent to which Dune blew my mind. That series dwindled immediately after the first installment. All of the Foundation books have been as good, if not better than the first. I might have to read the next Foundation book this year even!

[Massimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scritto molto dopo l'originaria trilogia, è un libro interessante. La storia è molto più viva e complessa e si svolge in uno spazio temporale più ristretto. C'è molta più azione e i personaggi sono più articolati, anche se spesso appaiono essere comprimari nell'immenso scacchiere della storia. Con l'esperienza, lo stile di Asimov ha guadagnato freschezza e capacità di coinvolgere il lettore, anche se la fine delude un pò e non è conclusiva. In compenso, bello il ritorno all'origine con il richiamo ai robot.

[ابوالفضل نصری · Rating 5 out of 5]

می‌تونید تصور کنید یه روز انسان‌ها به قدری توی کهکشان پراکنده بشن که زمین فراموش بشه؟ مغزم دود می‌کنه بهش فکر می‌کنم.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much time was spend on explaining the theory behind ... Well, everything in the book. This was a good example of way so many people get turned off by sci-fi and think that you can't have entertaining narratives that are scientifically accurate. Stereotyped, single dimensional characters and don't even get me started on the portrayal of women - in one scene a university professor's wife leaves the dining room because she's offended by the topic of conversation. She said nothing during the entire sequence, only got up and left. It’s left to her husband to explain her inexplicable behavior, but don’t be fooled, what the author means here is her feminine behavior. Then the men leave the room to continue their conversation so she will be able to come back and clean up the remains of the meal. Ok, maybe if it had been written in the 1950s, but this was originally published in the mid 1980s (clearly Asimov just ignored the whole women's liberation thing from the 50s, 60s & 70s). In all fairness, there are other female characters that are different. One is a mayor and leader of a prominent faction, another is a spy (masquereading as a simple farm woman) for a secret faction and sexy little plaything for heterosexual male fantasies. But none of them are really even as well developed as the two-dimensional male characters. Oh well, I still have one more of these Foundation books to read. So, I'll keep plugging away at it.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, Foundation's Edge, the winner of the '83 Hugo, was a perfect example of an author returning to a beloved series at the time of his highest popularity. Look, folks, it's the return of a FOUNDATION story!

And while that was great and all, I have to step back and judge this more on its own merits.

It's an adventure that feels a lot like Second Foundation, only more drawn-out intrigue hinging on another search-for-the-Second-Foundation-under-the-guise-of-looking-for-Earth.

After all, the Earth, if it was indeed the cradle of humanity and human history and the birth of the mechanism OF psychohistory, it's a great place to start, right? Right.

And to be fair, the novel is entertaining enough, but it didn't really reach the level of the original trilogy. Good, but not absolutely fantastic. Why? Mainly because I was sus about the whole Gaia sequence. I mean, it follows and is followed by the Second Foundation Trilogy which runs with some of these ideas, especially in Foundation's Triumph, as a prequel, but overall I'm stuck looking at it like it might be one of those Deus Ex Machina events. Sure, a lot of time is spent setting it up, but it still feels meh. I love the basic idea, but I keep thinking it could have been so much greater, lush, and fascinating.

I'm imposing my own desires upon the work. I know this. But I still wish for things that didn't happen. Alas.

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

16/5 - Yay! Finally an Asimov that I looked forward to picking up every night (reading before bed). I thought this was outstanding compared to Foundation and Foundation and Empire. Asimov's dialogue was still awkward, but in the 29 years between the publication of Second Foundation and this book Asimov certainly improved his skills in writing believable dialogue for his characters. Sometimes it felt like Trevize, or his travelling partner Janov Pelorat, were repeating their explanation of the situation needlessly (and annoyingly), but I never found myself bored by the plot or the prose. The relationship between Trevize and Pelorat was what made the book for me. The hunt for the Second Foundation would not have been so enjoyable (for them trapped together on a not humongous spaceship for weeks, or me) if these characters hadn't interacted so well with each other. When I finished this I was actually looking forward to starting Foundation and Earth immediately.

[Giannis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η "κλίμακα" έχει μικρύνει σε όλους τους τομείς σε σύγκριση με ό,τι είχαμε συνηθίσει στη τριλογία του Θεμελίου. Σε αυτό το βιβλίο, συναντάμε μικρότερο αριθμό ατόμων, ταξιδεύουμε σε λιγότερους πλανήτες και η εξέλιξη της ιστορίας εστιάζει σε ένα πολύ συγκεκριμένο γεγονός, την ανακάλυψη του πλανήτη Γαία! Παρ' όλα αυτά, το βιβλίο διατηρεί τον ωραίο λόγο του Asimov, τις ενδιαφέρουσες προσωπικότητες και μία ιστορία γεμάτη ανατροπές, που κορυφώνεται μέχρι τη τελευταία πρόταση!
Απλώς, διαφέρει στο ύφος των προηγούμενων και αυτό είναι που το κατατάσσει πιο χαμηλά σε σχέση με εκείνα.

Συνεχίζουμε όμως δυναμικά με το 5ο!

[Χρήστος Αζαριάδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Παιδιά, τι να πούμε για αυτόν τον άνθρωπο;
Η αλήθεια είναι ότι ο ίδιος είχε δηλώσει πως αυτό το βιβλίο (όπως και τα 5 και 6 της Γ.Α.) τα έγραψε κατόπιν πιέσεως των εκδοτών, των φαν και της λευκής επιταγής που του έδωσε ο εκδοτικός οίκος προκειμένου να συνεχίσει την ιστορία. Και τριάντα χρόνια αργότερα το έκανε. Και σάρωσε τα βραβεία.
Όχι, δεν υπάρχει ο ίδιος ενθουσιασμός με το πρώτο θεμέλιο. Και δεν θα μπορούσε να υπάρχει γιατί το πρώτο θεμέλιο γράφτηκε, το διαβάσαμε και το λατρέψαμε. Εδώ συνεχίζεται η ιστορία.
500 χρόνια μετά τα γεγονότα του πρώτου Θεμελίου και λίγο μετά το Μουλάρι, υπάρχει μία νέα απειλή. Και πως το έκανε αυτός ο μπαγάσας ο Ισαάκ και μπλέκει τις ιστορίες σας ψηφιδωτό και εκεί στο τέλος, με έναν μαγικό τρόπο, τσουπ συνδέονται! Εκπληκτικός.
Τώρα θα στραφώ στο Ρομπότ και Αυτκορατορία (που διαβάζω ότι ενδείκνυται να διαβαστεί πριν την Γαλαξιακή Αυτοκρατορία 5).
Η έκδοση του Κάκτου (οίκου που αγαπώ γιατί έφερε τον Ασίμωφ στην Ελλάδα) απλά για γέλια. Νομίζω ότι το βιβλίο άξιζε περισσότερο σεβασμό ή έστω απλά επιμέλεια.

[Derek Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't plan to read the "later" Foundation books because most attempts to reinvigorate an early, highly successful series (and except for "Lord of the Rings," no original series of the '50s and '60s was as successful as the Foundation trilogy) usually leave you somewhat embarrassed for the author.

Not here. Rather than trying to reanimate the sword-and-hoopla of much of 1950s SF, Asimov writes us a 450-page logical argument. You might think that would be enough to give Socrates a headache, but, as the master storyteller he always was, Asimov keeps you hanging on every unexpected but perfectly reasoned turn of plot.

By "logical argument" I mean a warring of intensely bright minds trying to one-up each other's motivations and uncover the structure behind a constantly reorganizing viewpoint of political and social organization.

Roughly 200 years after the original stories, the Foundation has taken peaceful control of nearly half the galaxy's million colonized worlds. The Foundation believes that the secretive Second Foundation has been exterminated, but we (of course) know that it still lurks on the former Empire home world of Trantor, controlling the unfolding fate of the galaxy through subtle but benevolent mind-tuning.

There's no need to list more facts, because this is not a fact-based novel. It's a constantly unfolding and interfolding of ideas through the truly deft use of mind games. And it works only because Asimov created superb characters who speak to each other not in didactic paragraphs but in a genuine attempt to explain the situation to each other. We, the readers, are but eavesdroppers.

One thing from the original series remains the same, and it's always seemed both silly and endearing to me. Despite the fact that the galaxy is home to a quintillion human beings (or, one royal shitload squared), their fate always hangs on tiny a handful of isolated minds, who meet two or three at a time out behind some planet where any two spaceships can always conveniently find each other, like neighborhood rudeboys dreaming up a heist in the parking lot of the Pep Boys' warehouse.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Definitely a better read than the The Foundation Trilogy, as some friends had suggested. :)

Having written this much later in life (early 1980s, 32 years after the publication of the previous Foundation book Second Foundation), Asimov's writing style seems to have had improved than from the 1950s. The book won the Hugo Award for best novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1983. Although the book is self-contained, the story in this book is a continuation to the original trilogy, and it is recommended to read this only after reading the first three books.

Mysteries (if any) are very well-maintained, while reading the book until its last page is interesting. Some of the themes mentioned in the book were not new to me, and as a result have not really happened to put me in a state of awe, as a result of which my inability in giving it a perfect five-star rating. However, I was glad to see those embedded themes, and the series' integration with Asimov's other series of his books.

Some of my questions which I had conceived while reading the original trilogy were particularly attended to by the author, for which I am glad, such as the question of Earth in the Galactic Empire's History, and the possibility of other life-forms. These concepts have now been well-integrated.

Now on to the next in the series: Foundation and Earth :)