FanFare

It is now four hundred ninety-eight years since the Foundation was established. It is at the peak of its strength, but one Councillor of Terminus does not accept appearances— [more inside]
posted by infinitewindow on Sep 28, 2023 - 1 comment

Season finale. Gaal, Salvor, and Hari chart a new path forward on Ignis. Demerzel heads to Trantor, taking actions that will change Empire forever.
posted by Kyol on Sep 16, 2023 - 31 comments

Dusk and Enjoiner Rue learn Demerzel's origin and true purpose. Tellem's plans for Gaal take a dark turn. On Terminus, Day confronts Dr. Seldon. [more inside]
posted by jjderooy on Sep 7, 2023 - 23 comments

Enjoiner Rue confides in Dusk about her distrust of Demerzel. Hober Mallow pulls a daring move. Day sets course for Terminus and the Foundation.< [more inside]
posted by jjderooy on Aug 31, 2023 - 14 comments

Salvor begins to question the Mentalics' motives. Hober Mallow's proposal to the Spacers meets resistance. Brothers Constant and Poly stand trial.
posted by Kyol on Aug 25, 2023 - 14 comments

Day and Queen Sareth make an announcement. Tellem sows seeds of distrust between Gaal and Hari. Hober Mallow reaches his destination.
posted by Kyol on Aug 19, 2023 - 12 comments

Gaal, Salvor and Hari arrive on Ignis and meet the source of a strange signal they've been tracking. Dawn and Dusk are suspicious of Day.
posted by Kyol on Aug 13, 2023 - 10 comments

Queen Sareth and Dawn share a moment as she tries to learn more about Day. Brothers Constant and Poly bring Hober Mallow to Terminus.
posted by Kyol on Aug 5, 2023 - 6 comments

The Empire recruits Bel Riose to investigate the resurgent Foundation. Hari leads Gaal and Salvor to a desert planet.
posted by Kyol on Jul 30, 2023 - 12 comments

Gaal has a disturbing vision. Day's bond with Queen Sareth grows stronger. The Vault opens and reveals a cryptic message.
posted by Kyol on Jul 21, 2023 - 8 comments

Hari finds himself trapped in a mysterious prison. An assassination attempt leaves Day shaken. Gaal and Salvor devise an escape plan.
posted by Kyol on Jul 15, 2023 - 15 comments

An unexpected ally helps Salvor broker an alliance. A confrontation between the Brothers leads to unthinkable consequences.
posted by Gary on Nov 19, 2021 - 14 comments

On Terminus, the null field has become even more powerful. Brother Dawn makes a daring choice.
posted by Gary on Nov 12, 2021 - 33 comments

Brother Dusk reflects on his legacy as he prepares for ascension. The Foundation arrives on Terminus and finds a mysterious object. [more inside]
posted by rodlymight on Oct 2, 2021 - 19 comments

The Foundation makes the long journey to Terminus as Gaal and Raych grow closer. The Empire faces a difficult decision. [more inside]
posted by Major Clanger on Sep 26, 2021 - 17 comments

Apple's loose adaptation / "remix" of Asimov's stories and novels. This episode: Gaal Dornick leaves her life at Synnax behind when the galaxy's greatest mathematician, Hari Seldon, invites her to Trantor. [more inside]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace on Sep 24, 2021 - 25 comments

"Search by the Foundation" is my favorite story in the original Foundation series. Part of it is nostalgic, as I have vivid memories of reading the story as a young boy, but another part of is that it's in this story that you see most of the mundane, everyday world of the series, and it's a fun world to visit. You read about life in the suburbs and traveling by regular transport, and most importantly, you see a lot of the setting through the eyes of Arkady Darrell, a fourteen year old girl. My youthful self, falling headlong into science fiction fandom, was thrilled to find an easily relatable hero. Today, I'm impressed by how skilfully Asimov used this different perspective for expert world-building. And young and adult me agree, Arkady Darrell is the most purely fun protagonist to read about in the Foundation series, with the possible exception of Salvor Hardin. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 27, 2015 - 1 comment

Second Foundation is the only one of the original Foundation books that feels like a coherent whole. The two parts, originally titled "Now You See It—" and "—And Now You Don't", feel like they were conceived in one go. Nevertheless, they are quite different from each other, even if both center on the hunt for the elusive "Second Foundation" set up by Hari Seldon. The first section, "Search by the Mule" might just be the weirdest story in the original Foundation trilogy. It brings to an end the narrative of Han Pritcher and The Mule from the previous story, and climaxes in a psychic duel that feels like something out of E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 20, 2015 - 7 comments

In the imaginary science of 'Pataphysics there's the concept of the "clinamen", or "swerve". As method in the arts, it can be roughly paraphrased as: "To create art you must first create a system. Once you have the system, you must introduce an anomaly which brings the system into a state of chaos. Then you have art." To put it bluntly, until writing "The Mule", Asimov's Foundation series was a perfect system, described by the imaginary science of psychohistory. Things were moving predictably to a predicted end. But then there came a swerve, in the form of "The Mule", a warlord not predicted by Hari Seldon. And in the titular character, Asimov created one of the most interesting anti-heroes of early science fiction. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 14, 2015 - 9 comments

"The General" is the last of the classic Foundation stories. In it Asimov tackles the central dynamic head on, setting the "living will" of a single human being against the "dead hand" of psychohistory. It should be no surprise, and indeed is no surprise to modern readers, that the long arc of history doesn't bend around brilliant individuals. There are other characters than the titular general, but Bel Riose is the only one that matters. He knows exactly what he's up against, and backs himself to win. He's undoubtedly the purest example of a tragic hero in the series. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 10, 2015 - 5 comments

"The Merchant Princes" is set fairly shortly after the events of "The Traders". The changes heralded in the previous story have become the new status quo. Or almost, the traders are still nominally under the control of the old political order, who fear the independence of this new class. Master Trader Hober Mallow gets sent to the planet Korell to investigate troubling reports that may indicate the arrival of a Seldon Crisis. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 5, 2015 - 4 comments

The next jump forward in the Foundation storyline takes us well into the second century of the 1000 year plan (which, incidentally, was the original name of the the first book). A merchant from the Foundation on a trading mission to a distant planet runs afoul of local laws and customs. Another trader, Linmar Ponyets, is sent to save him. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Oct 27, 2015 - 4 comments

Compared to the previous story, there's a lot more going on in "The Mayors". While "The Encyclopedists" is a bit bare bones, this story is painted on a much bigger canvas. Political intrigue, deluded mobs and huge warships flying through space all feature. All of this is familiar from space opera, both modern and contemporary to the Foundation series. But in this story, it isn't the most destructive weapon that wins the day, but the soft power of religious authority. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Oct 24, 2015 - 3 comments

Science fiction fandom was introduced to the Foundation and psychohistory in a 1942 short story called "Foundation". When it was collected in a book, it was renamed "The Encyclopedists". It is the story of a library on a worthless planet on the far edge of a collapsing empire. And it's the story of a small city mayor who rises to the occasion presented to him by history, becoming one of the most beloved heroes of science fiction, Salvor Hardin. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Oct 22, 2015 - 10 comments

The Foundation Trilogy is the space epic's space epic. It follows the history of The Foundation for centuries, from its beginnings as a library on a rinky dink planet on the edge of the Milky Way, to burgeoning galactic empirehood. But before there's a Foundation, there's one guy with a plan, Hari Seldon. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Oct 21, 2015 - 14 comments