#foundation reread

[antinael]

*** Spoilers ***

Reading Foundation and Empire when you already know the truth is incredibly comical.

The main characters ask themselves who and where the Mule is and the Mule was in the same room with them all the time.

It gets even more hilarious when the Mule himself speaks about the Mule.

Priceless.

[antinael]

I wanted to reread the Foundation series for such a long time and hopefully 2025 is the year I manage.

My plan is to reread the original trilogy and after that the two prequels. As for Edge and Earth, I am not sure, they left such a bad impression on me.

Actually I have been rereading bits and pieces of Empire and Second Foundation over the last 2-3 months. But I haven't actually sat to reread everything thoroughly.

I am doing this first and foremost because I love the series.

Secondly this is also a little experiment. I am curious if after the reread the Mule remains my favorite character of the series. I am 99,999% sure he does though. But I will write my conclusion at the end.

[antinael]

*** S p o i l e r s ***

As part of my 2025 Foundation reread, it has become a tradition for me to write a review of each Foundation Series novel.

Hence, I am doing the same for "Foundation and Earth", although this review is shorter and lacks substance because I don't know what to write.

If I didn't read the Original Trilogy and Edge, I would like Earth more. But as things are, I am not very keen on Earth, mostly because I kept comparing it to the previous books.

Throughout my whole reread I felt taken down because I knew how Earth ends and all the things I love most about the series were long gone anyway.

My favorite thing about Earth is Trevize's transformation, from an easy going guy to a person tormented under the weight of his decision. I can sense a chosen one trope here, which is not my favorite trope.

The others were uninteresting to me. Bliss feels bland, but I guess all Gaians are like that (except for one), since individuality is nor exactly celebrated on Gaia. She has an excuse for manipulating others, but when someone else does the same thing it is bad, double standards all the way.

Pelorat was annoying with his inability to stick to the point when he talked, but maybe Asimov was paid by word and that could explain things.

How I wish the Foundation Series ended? I would have loved a Second Empire without the flaws of the first one, in a galaxy where the Second Foundation is defeated/disabled/deactivated by the First one.

If the First Foundation stands for freedom and individuality, the Second for peace and stability and Gaia for double standards life, as stated in Edge, I see the First one as the lesser evil.

Also: was Gaia invented just so that a robot doesn't feel guilty for violating the Zeroth Law? Did he kidnap a child just so that this prolongues his life enough to witness fully formed Gaia? Horrible ending for a wonderful series. Asimov, what were you thinking?

After my 2025 Foundation reread, it's time to give a final answer to the question of the year, of the millenium:

Did I find an other character , whom I love more than the Mule?

The answer is no.

I don't know what to read next, probably "Stars Like Dust", it has the first mention of a Visi-Sonor! (according to the internet)

[antinael]

💜

[antinael]

I have never read any book in which the author describes the same character's eyes in every single scene the character appears in, other than Asimov's Foundation and Empire.

Magnifico's eyes are either sad, or frightened, or alert, glassy, large, soft, loving, wide, wild, bright and dark.

This is not what you'd normally expect from the science fiction genre and I love it. 💜

My reread is becoming a rerereread, as I go over the same paragraph again and again. And I am so lost in this book. I don't want it to end.

[antinael]

Can anyone imagine him saying "I am Gaia."? 😂

[antinael]

*** S p o i l e r s ***

I just finished rereading the book I said I would never reread: "Foundation's Edge" by Isaac Asimov.

I did so out of pure scientific curiosity: I wanted to see how much I remember of it since my first read and to check some facts on Gaia.

Given these reasons I wasn't very emotionally invested in the lecture. Edge is really good, even if it lacks the flamboyant atmosphere of the Original Trilogy. The fact that I don't like what happens in it is purely subjective.

Trevize is interesting and funny, but, to me, just that.

His choice options seem too simplistic.They represent extremes, and in between each pair of extremes there is an indefinite number of variants.

The main reason I didn't like Edge is the retcon of making the Mule a Gaian. When I first read the book I felt Asimov turned the Mule from one in a million into one of a million. I guess betrayal is what I felt.

But now I don't care about his origin. Gaian or not, the Mule is still a legend and nothing can take that away.

Reading a Foundation book in a detached state instead of a state of emotional tension is a new experience.

Foundation's Edge is first and foremost about humanity. It could be the book which depicts what it means to be human most accurately: the ambition, the fight for supremacy, the ever present conflict of interests, the power of love, the lack of consideration for others' free will. But also the beautiful things humans do. At least before everything becomes Gaia.

One of the main reasons for my 2025 Foundation reread was to see if I can find a Foundation character whom I love more than the Mule.

With Edge's vast cast of complex characters, one could say I changed my mind. But no, my mind remains exactly the same.

But it is cool to do reading experiments on yourself!

Up next, it is "Foundation and Earth".

[antinael]

⚡️S p o i l e r s⚡️

Born on Gaia, but no one knows exactly where. Escaped, but no one knows exactly how. Might have said some things, but no one can tell for sure.

How was he? Did he have a family? Was he adopted? Did he go to school, was he good at it? Was he a trouble maker?

Was he rich, was he poor? I think he was the equivalent of middle class (if classes exist on Gaia). He may have lacked a lot of things, but not material. I say this taking into consideration his attitude towards material possesions after taking over.

He becomes one of the richest men in the galaxy, but never brings this up, as if material possesions leave him cold, or as if he is used to them. He doesn't feel the need to show off, but this can be attributed to education and common sense as well, not necessarily to a wealthy background.

Yes, he lives in a palace, but without any personnel and his office/room is described as "modest" somewhere in Second Foundation.

How did he spend his free time? Making music? He probably didn't have any friends.

I imagine a scrawnly teenager and later young man with intelligent large brown eyes, sharp features and an aquiline nose disproportionately big compared to his face, but not at all ugly. His long light brown/dark blonde hair starts to whiten in his 20s, thus becomming of a "muddy" uncertain color.

Did he have fun breaking the rules? Did he ever regret leaving Gaia? I imagine him being disillusioned by the galaxy at some point. After all, he never set foot outside of Gaia before his escape.

At this point the Mule's origin leaves me cold, because it doesn't take away from who he is. Plus if you love someone, you don't care where they are from.

In fact, him being a Gaian, adds an other layer of pain and complexity to his mind: neither entirely human, nor fully Gaian, trying to blend in with humanity, but probably being let down, possibly afraid of his past, thus deciding to protect himself through conquest and isolation.

His origin makes you wonder how much you know the character and how much he kept to himself.