I wish I could claim a rousing finish to the books I read in 2008, but Isaac Asimov’s Second Foundation will have to do. Not that Second Foundation is bad, but the third leg of the Foundation series ain’t exactly cutting edge, fast paced, or deeply moving.
I’ll just use the lame excuse that it was due back at the library right after New Years Day! Can’t afford those exorbitant late fees.
Second Foundation contains two stories. In the first, it is a relatively short time after the events of Foundation and Empire, featuring The Mule, a mutant featuring powers of emotional manipulation and adjustment. The Mule has consolidated his hold on the galaxy and is now obsessed with finding the mythical Second Foundation, the last obstacle to complete domination. He has been able to detect people who have been subtly manipulated in their emotions, signs of a potentially superior psychohistorical force. To suss out the hidden power, he pairs up an older, converted former Foundation rebel, a younger, unconverted overachiever, and points them in the direction of the Second Foundation. Suffice it to say that The Mule gets neutralized and Seldon’s plan is saved once again.
In the wake of these events, the first Foundation has risen again for the second half of the book. However, the Second Foundation has become an almost mystical concept across the galaxy, stalling Hari Seldon’s plan. Meanwhile, a small cadre of Foundationer’s views the Second Foundation as a threat to be rooted out. They hatch a plan to find the elusive organization, but the precocious daughter of Foundation and Empire’s heroine, apparently throws a monkey wrench into the works by stowing away as the plot sets sail.
Similar to the first story, the second half of Second Foundation is a bit of an easter egg hunt. Only at this point in the Foundation series, we’re into our third consecutive tale of “search for the enemy with surprise twist at the end”. Asimov does set up a bit of a conundrum in a “how do you know you’ve defeated the invisible enemy,” vein. Other than the clean tying up of loose ends though, I didn’t find anything really distinctive. In fact, I was somewhat peeved that the world was configured back to mysterious scientists and Seldon’s Plan being well-nigh omnipotent.
You can’t really argue with a classic, but it’ll probably be a while before I read Second Foundation again, if ever.