A Review - Second Foundation - Isaac Asimov



I have a love hate relationship with this series. I love the setting, I love its unending sense of mystery and tension, I love how it keeps me on my toes, never knowing who to trust (more so in second foundation than any other book) but the series has some things that just don’t work for me. Asimov is a master of building tension but really struggles when it comes to the crescendo. The story arcs build and build to a point where you’re expecting something to happen, only to find a short summary of the events stopping just short of a “and they all lived happily ever after”. His characters also don’t work for me as the series progresses, I understand the short, fast episodic nature of his work but he’s proven in Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow that he can write interesting characters, he just doesn’t do it consistently and it’s a huge shame.


This book is the second strongest of the three in my opinion with Foundation and Empire being the weakest and Foundation being miles out in front. The ending is satisfying and thought provoking but ultimately unspectacular. Four stars because I did enjoy it, it just left me wanting.

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