Book Reviews of Foundation and Earth

After reading the first four books, I had to find and read this one. I just like Asimov's style, and the Foundation setting. This one was a bit of a let down, but IMO, was well worth it. Now I'll go back and read the previews.

The conclusion to the Foundation series. Intricate, well plotted, plenty of twists and turns.

I had read some of the Foundation and Robot books in high school when I first discovered Asimov, and I started re-reading them last year when I found some of the first few Foundation books on the $0.50 shelf at a charity shop. I don't think I read this one in high school, and I'm pretty sure I would have given up on it fairly early.

It's a hefty tome compared to my usual selections these days. I started it the other evening thinking that I could read a little bit of it at a time. Tonight I began about five hours ago, and I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know the outcome, so I kept reading even until this wee hour when I should be in bed but have resigned myself to four hours of sleep and arriving late to work in the morning. I wish it had been worth it.

Asimov has one great "Why?" hanging throughout the story, and when it comes time for the answer, it's very sparse and hedged. Maybe by that time my eyes and brain were tired, but if that's the case then his editor should have not spared the red ink. Don't get me wrong, it's a classic Asimov novel, but it's by no means the best of either the Foundation or Robot series as far as rewarding the reader for the excessive detail and exhaustive dialog throughout the book.

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