Foundation and Empire

Author	Isaac Asimov
Language	English
Series	Foundation Series
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Publisher
Released	1952
Media Type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
ISBN	ISBN
Preceded by	Foundation
Followed by	Second Foundation

Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov in 1952. It is the second book in the Foundation Series. It takes place in two halves, originally published as separate novellas. Download high resolution version (369x643, 74 KB)Scan I made of the cover of Foundation and Empire (Isaac Asimov) - fair use claimed This image is a book cover. ... Isaac Asimov, Ph. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Hari Seldons holographic image, pictured on a paperback edition of Foundation, appears at various times in the First Foundations history, to guide it through the social and economic crises that befall it. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... Paperback may refer to a kind of book binding by which papers are simply folded without cloth or leather and bound - usually with glue rather than stitches or staples - into a thick paper cover; or to a book with this type of binding. ... Psychohistorian: Hari Seldon Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... Second Foundation Second Foundation is the third novel of the Foundation series written in 1970. ... Isaac Asimov, Ph. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hari Seldons holographic image, pictured on a paperback edition of Foundation, appears at various times in the First Foundations history, to guide it through the social and economic crises that befall it. ...

The General

The first half of the book, titled "The General," tells how the Galactic Empire, now well into its collapse, launches an attack against the Foundation. They are led by General Bel Riose. The Empire, though a wreck of its former self, is still partially alive, and has far more resources than the Foundation. Lathan Devers, a Foundation agent, allows himself to be captured by Riose and tells him about the Foundation: how it's supposedly protected by the dead hand of Hari Seldon, and how its technology surpasses anything else in the Empire. Riose asks the Emperor for way more reinforcements than he could possibly need, so he can guarantee victory over the Foundation. He also rejects the Foundation's offer of "You stop invading us and we'll pay you a wad of money." Devers intercepts a message that summarizes the General's doings, and escapes to Trantor, trying to see the Emperor and show him the message. He fails and is nearly killed, but the Emperor finds out anyway. In the end, the Emperor decides that Riose is too dangerous (refusing bribes? Highly suspicious. Taking that many reinforcements? And he's popular enough that he could easily turn them against the Empire and carve out his own territory), and has him tried and executed. In Isaac Asimovs Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of planets settled by humans across the whole galaxy. ... Psychohistorian: Hari Seldon Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... In Isaac Asimovs Foundation series, the fictional character Bel Riose was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as the Last of the Imperials, and earned this title well. ... Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels. ...

This was the psychohistorical defense: Under a weak Emperor, an upstart general would have much greater opportunities for conquest than a group of planets on the edge of the Galaxy. A strong Emperor, on the other hand, is one that allows no one else to become too powerful; a strong emperor would kill a competent, strong general before he even launched an attack. The only time there would be an actual threat to the Foundation would be when there was both a strong emperor and a strong general; the general could not overthrow the emperor, so his attention would be diverted outwards. However, the strong emperor would eventually become fearful of the strong general's exploits, and being a capable emperor he would get rid of a general like Riose, as happens in the story. The emperor and the general cannot be the same person, because then someone will take over while the emperor is off conquering the Foundation. In all cases, the Foundation is invulnerable.

The characters of Emperor Cleon II and Bel Riose in this story are based around those of the historical Roman Emperor Justinian I and his general Belisarius, the story of whom was familiar to Asimov from his recent reading of Robert Graves's novel Count Belisarius. Justinian I depicted on one of the famous mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale. ... Belisarius, to the right of Emperor Justinian I, in the mosaic in Ravenna that celebrates the reconquest of Italy, performed by the Byzantine army under the skilful leadership of Belisarius himself. ... Portrait of Robert Graves (circa 1974) by Rab Shiell Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English scholar, poet, and novelist. ... Count Belisarius is a historical novel by Robert Graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the Byzantine general Belisarius. ...

The Mule

The second half of the book, titled "The Mule," takes place approximately one hundred years after the first half. The Empire has ceased to exist in name as well as in fact, Trantor having been sacked by a "barbarian fleet", and only a small rump state of 20 agricultural planets remaining (dwarfed by most barbarian kingdoms). Following Cleon II's death the Empire entered into an even more rapid phase of decline and civil wars, never to have another revival like that which happened under Cleon II. The Foundation has become the dominant power in the Galaxy, controlling its regions through its trading network. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Foundation has become degenerate: the Mayor of Terminus is the ineffectual successor to a strongman who seized power and instituted hereditary rule.

In response to the interal corruption on the Foundation, roughly 30 outer planets belonging to the Foundation who have become wealthy on their own through extensive trade begin to plan a civil war. The Independent Traders are gearing up for a war to secede from the Foundation.

In addition to this internal corruption, an external threat arises in the form of a mysterious man who is known only as the Mule. The Mule (whose real name is never revealed) is a mental freak, and possesses the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this ability to take over the independent systems bordering the Foundation, and has them wage a war against it. The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ...

While his vassals prosecute the war, the Mule travels under the guise of a refugee clown named "Magnifico Giganticus," with Foundation citizens Toran and Bayta Darell to different worlds of the Foundation. He uses his abilities to undermine the Foundation's war effort by spreading despair and destroying morale. In the end, the Foundation falls without much of a fight at all. As the Mule was advancing, the Foundation leadership complacently assumed that Seldon predicted his attack, and that even though the Mule was inexorably winning, the scheduled hologram crisis message appearace of Hari Seldon would tell them how to win (just as Bel Riose had seemed impossible to defeat, yet was "defeated" by Seldon's predictions). However, when Seldon's crisis tape plays they are shocked to discover that the crisis Seldon predicted was a civil war between the Foundation and the Independent Traders, and makes no mention of the Mule whatsoever. Several representatives of the Independent Traders in attendance explain that they were going to start a civil war of secession, but stopped when the Mule started his invasion: Seldon didn't predict the Mule. When the Mule's ships soon afterwards appear over Terminus, the Foundation surrenders with little fight. The Trader worlds, however, fight a losing war of attrition. It has been suggested that Circus clown be merged into this article or section. ...

Still under the guise of a refugee clown, the Mule travels with the Darells, along with psychologist Ebling Mis, to the Great Library of Trantor. The Darells and Mis seek to contact the Second Foundation, which they believe will be able to defeat the Mule. The Mule, on the other hand, wishes to know the location of the Second Foundation so that he can use the First Foundation's technology to destroy it. A psychologist is a scientist who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human behavior and mental processes. ... Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels. ... Second Foundation Second Foundation is the third novel of the Foundation series written in 1970. ...

While at the Great Library, the Mule surreptitiously stimulates Ebling Mis's mind, allowing him to make powerful insights. Unfortunately for Mis, the Mule's actions cause his health to deteriorate very quickly. As Mis lies dying, he tells Toran, Bayta, and the Mule that he knows where the Second Foundation is. Just before he reveals the Second Foundation's location, however, Bayta kills him. (Bayta had shortly before realized that the renegade clown was actually the Mule, and killed Mis to prevent him from revealing the Second Foundation's whereabouts to the Mule.) Defeated, the Mule leaves the Darells on Trantor to reign over the Foundation and the rest of his new empire. Bayta tells the Mule that while the First Foundation was made to master physical sciences, the Second Foundation was centered on the science of psychology and mentalics; in a sense, Seldon did predict the Mule, or at least, anticipated that something unexpected like the Mule might happen, and set up the Second Foundation as a direct countermeasure to a hypothetical individual with mental or telepathic powers like the Mule. The Mule admits that had he found out where the Second Foundation was from Mis, he would have destroyed it before they could develop a counterstrategy, but now he doesn't now where it is, and the Second Foundation has been bought enough time to develop a counterstrategy to the Mule. Now that the Mule has conquered the Foundation (as well as the pathetic remnants of the Galactic Empire) he stands as the most powerful force in the galaxy, as he is the sole controller of nuclear technologies and weapons; the Second Foundation is the only real threat to his eventual rule over the entire galaxy. The Mule promises that he will find the Second Foundation, while Bayta asserts that he will run out of time before the Second Foundation reacts. A modern-style library in Chambéry In the traditional sense of the word, a library is a collection of books and periodicals, . It can refer to an individuals private collection, but more often it is a large collection that is funded and maintained by a city or institution. ...

Characters

• Bel Riose, the last strong general who attempted to capture the Foundation.
• Ducem Barr, Siwennian patrician and hostage of Riose.
• Lathan Devers, trader sent to spy on Riose.
• Emperor Cleon II, the last strong emperor before the sack of Trantor.
• Brodrig, Cleon II's Privy Secretary.
• The Mule, mutant who captures the Foundation and attempts to establish a Second Empire.
• Toran and Bayta Darell, the Mule's companions.
• Captain Han Pritcher, intelligence agent for the Foundation, and first to recognise the power of the Mule.
• Mayor Indbur III, mayor of the Foundation during the Mule's conquest.
• Ebling Mis, psychologist who discovered the location of the Second Foundation.

In Isaac Asimovs Foundation series, the fictional character Bel Riose was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as the Last of the Imperials, and earned this title well. ... Ducem Barr is a fictional character, part of of Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Cleon II is a fictional character from Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ... Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimovs Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels. ... The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ... Toran and Bayta Darrell are fictional characters in Isaac Asimovs The Foundation Series of stories and novels. ... This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ... Han Pritcher is a fictional character from Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... Mayor Inbur III is a fictional character in Isaac Asimovs The Foundation Series of stories and novels. ... Ebling Mis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimovs Foundation Series. ...

The Sequels

This novel is very closely tied into Second Foundation, which tells the rest of the Mule's story. Second Foundation Second Foundation is the third novel of the Foundation series written in 1970. ...

We learn in Foundation's Edge that the Mule was a rogue member of the planet/society Gaia. Foundations Edge Foundations Edge is a novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. ... Gaia is a fictional planet described in the book Foundations Edge, by Isaac Asimov. ...

The demise of the Empire's remnant on Trantor is told in "Trantor Falls" by Harry Turtledove in Foundation's Friends, a tribute collection. Harry Turtledove at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949), is a historian and prolific novelist who has written historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction works. ... Foundations Friends Foundations Friends, Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov was a collection of short stories set in Asimovs universes, particularly the Robot/Empire/Foundation universe. ...