Foundation's Edge by Issac Asimov

Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the most enjoyable book of the series so far, probably because it’s more of a tale of people actually travelling out to visit planets that they’d never been to before rather than comments of an assumed knowledge that we lack; and Pelorat was just what we needed. It’s still all confusing because of all the parallels; but the characters are easier to follow as their backgrounds are described in more detail. From the beginning I was on my guard as I fully expected any character to announce that they were an agent of another at any time. It was also a shame that we weren’t actually told what Seldon said during his appearance in the chamber; although the free-thinking in this book suggests that people would prefer to follow their own fate rather than one set out for them. I thought that Asimov should have built some anticipation when he revealed the location of the Second Foundation rather than the anti-climatic method that he did employ. I felt that it was too early and it meant that the reader already knew that some of the characters were being sent on a wild goose chase. But there were still many comic moments. Trevize seemed insistent to illustrate his background by proudly wearing a sash wherever he went. I was excited to meet the saga’s first lowly mechanoid and stumble upon the reason as to why robots hadn’t arrived sooner. And I loved the attitude of Bliss. It really introduced some much-needed humour into the saga. It will be interesting to see if the Foundationers are still keen to follow their future as they discover more about their past.

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