Foundation Trilogy

The book that I am currently reading is the third and final book in the classic science fiction Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov. The trilogy is set far into the future when humans have taken over and spread throughout the entire galaxy. There are humans and different societies on planets all over the galaxy, and space travel is common. At the beginning of the third book, the Galactic Empire has already fallen, and the Mule, who is the main villain from the second book, is poised to take over the entire galaxy. The Mule is described as a mutant, which means that he is not entirely human, because he is able to manipulate anyone’s emotions, and this gives him the ability to control other humans. After defeating what is known as the First Foundation, the Mule searches for and finds the Second Foundation, and if he is able to defeat the Second Foundation, he will be ruler of a new Galactic Empire. It seems that the Mule is going to defeat the Second Foundation because he has a large army and powerful spaceships on his side; however, the Second Foundation leads him into a trap, and even though the people of the Second Foundation do not have powerful ships or armies, they do possess the same ability at the Mule and are able to enter his mind, change his emotions, and make him forget all about the Second Foundation ever existing. The Mule returns home to his capital planet, and not long after that, he dies (Asimov, 1-98). 

While the Foundation trilogy is not the typical genre that I choose to read, I would consider these books to be the best science fiction novels I have ever read, and I have had a lot of fun reading them. I normally read relatively dry but extremely detailed and informational books about history, so reading the Foundation trilogy has been much more lighthearted and fun than my normal historical reads. There are many things that I have enjoyed and found unique about reading Asimov’s science fiction. One of the things that I particularly like about these books is that there are no aliens or magical elements to the story. All of the technological advances and the spreading of humans throughout the galaxy are linked to developments in science and space travel technology. To me, while some things are still very far-fetched, it makes everything more real and authentic than other science fiction books like Dune or Star Wars. Furthermore, one aspect of the books that I find really intriguing is the way in which Asimov makes big jumps in time; sometimes there are jumps of decades or even centuries from one chapter to the next, so new characters are frequently being introduced, and the reader can’t get too attached to any of the characters in particular and instead must keep the bigger picture in mind. All of the books have been building towards whether or not a new Galactic Empire will be established, and with only half of the final book to go, I am eager to see how Asimov plans on tying everything together.