Some New Players in The Foundation

The second story in this novel spans just under 50 pages, and is divided into 7 small chapters. It is now nearly 50 years since the great psychologist Hari Seldon has set up the Foundation on the planet Terminus. Consequently, this story deals with different characters and events than the first part of the book dealt with. This part of the book is focused on two general entities: the recently elected mayor of Terminus: Salvor Hardin, and the stodgy Foundation Board of Trustees led by the condescending Lewis Pirenne.

In the past 5 decades Terminus has been working faithfully on collecting knowledge and preserving it in the Encyclopedia Galactica, but there are getting to be a lot of support people who aren’t directly involved in the Encyclopedia. Hence Mayor Hardin is elected to represent their interests. The problem in that the Board of Trustees still holds most of the political power, and they seem to be making some very unwise (at least politically) decisions. It is true that Terminus is still under the protection of the Emperor on Trantor, but out here on “the periphery” there have been several break-away kingdoms – the largest of which is Anacreon. Anacreon is getting nervous about the Foundation and seeks to build military bases on Terminus to “protect it.” Yeah, right. Anyway, after they make sure that the Emperor really can’t do anything, they decide to force the matter. And it is here that we see the brilliance of Salvor Hardin – and of Hari Seldon.

The Novel’s Downfall

It is in this section of the Foundation that its true colors really show. On one hand I was immediately bombarded by two of the loudest criticisms of Foundation. The first was outdated technology. On the very first page of this section we see Pirenne using a stylus to write on paper. Really? Sometimes I think that Asimov must not have been trying very hard to be creative. And not only do we see crappy old technology, but we are also plunged deep into several pages of pure conversation. Honestly, a good deal of The Encyclopedists is made up entirely of conversations between people.

The Novel’s Redemption

Ok, enough of the Asimov stereotypes, let us turn our attentions to the positive aspects of this story, of which there are many. First off, while you would think that 50 pages of mostly conversation would be horrifically boring it really wasn’t. Quite the opposite in fact – I found these chapters to be very interesting. I’m not sure what it was, perhaps it was the way Asimov skillfully manipulated the conversations to carefully mete out only the requisite chunks of information. I found the tension high throughout, and rapidly turned the pages to find out what would happen – which is all the more interesting considering the fact that I have read this book two times before!

It is also in this section that we begin to understand how powerful Psychohistory is, and what a great scientist Hari Seldon was. The ending of this story, in which Seldon holographically appears, was terrific! The message he delivers is timely, scientifically sound, and of the utmost importance to the Foundation. Well done that.

Finally, the political intrigue in The Encyclopedists is fantastic. The political love triangle between Anacreon, the Empire and Terminus is beautifully orchestrated and keeps the reader guessing. But truthfully – we know who is going to win in the end right? Still, very fun to read.

How Does The Foundation Hold Up On A 3rd Reading?

So, how does The Encyclopedists hold up over time and on multiple readings? Very well I think. I enjoyed reading about the maneuverings of Hardin the most – seeing how Terminus and the Foundation struggle to get the upper hand in the region was fascinating. And when it comes to outdated technology, well, I just used my imagination (imagine that!) to picture an updated and futuristic version of the story. Overall I was quite pleased. Hopefully you will be too. Let me know what you thought of this section.

If this book sounds like something you might be interested in reading you can find a used copy at eBay, or buy it new on Amazon.com.

If you enjoyed this article please see my other posts on The Foundation Project.

There Is Nothing Like The First Time

Nine years later, during a summer I spent in Chicago, I finally re-read my beloved Foundation novels. For many years I had wanted to read them again, but I had purposely put them off because I didn’t want to “dilute” my love for them. However, as I plowed through the books on the 21st floor of my high-rise Westin hotel I found that I didn’t enjoy them nearly as much as the first time. Why not? Who’s to say – perhaps because I was much better read by that time, but honestly I think it was because the books didn’t live up to the extremely high standards I had built up in my mind over the years. While I found them to be good, the experience was nothing like it had previously been.

3rd Time’s The Charm?

Now, twelve years after my second reading of the Foundation novels I have the itch to try them again and see how they pan out. And so I shall. I consider myself to be much more well read, especially after spending the last two and a half years reviewing science fiction short stories, so I am very eager to see how my experience will be this time around.

So, with all that in mind I am starting a different kind of summer project. This time I will re-read the Foundation novels, bringing all my super SF reviewing powers to bear, and see how they hold up. Feel free to join me. I know that not everyone loves (or even likes) Isaac Asimov and his Foundation novels – but I do. The books have been around for over 50 years and are still in print and very easy to find. Check out your local library if nothing else. I welcome any comments you might have about the series, and look forward to hearing what others think.

And We’re Off!

Today I started off the project by reading the introduction to my original 1989-purchased Foundation novel. These 10 pages, written by Isaac himself in the early 1980′s after he finished writing Foundation’s Edge, talk about how the Foundation novels came to be. It seems that the idea for them started in 1941 when Asimov was just a 21 year old grad student. He came up with an idea for a set of science fiction stories about the fall of a galatic empire – roughly based on The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He pitched the idea, it was accepted, and the first four “parts” (i.e. short stories) were published in the early 1940′s in Astounding magazine. The first Foundation novel, compiled years later, is made up up these first stories in addition to one that Asimov wrote just to make the beginning of the novel “less abrupt.” I can’t wait to jump in and re-familiarize myself with Hari Seldon and the Psychohistory project!

Any other Foundation lovers out there? I’d love to hear what you think of the series.

The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith is a 1993 collection which contains all of Mr. Smith’s science fiction short stories. Most of the stories in this collection, which are arranged in chronological order, take place in Cordwainer’s future universe of the Instrumentality of Mankind, although there are some stories which are not set there.

Several of the stories in this book have won or been nominated for awards, and since its publication the book itself placed 3rd in the 1994 Locus poll for best collection, and 18th in the 1999 Locus All-Time poll. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that 96% of all Amazon.com readers have given it the highest rating possible: 5-stars! Not too shabby eh?

Anyway, here is a listing of the stories included in The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith: (I’ve linked to the ones that I have reviewed.)

1. No, No, Not Rogov!
2. War No. 8 1 -Q
3. Mark Elf
4. The Queen of the Afternoon
5. Scanners Live in Vain
6. The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
7. When the People Fell
8. Think Blue, Count Two
9. The Colonel Came Back from the Nothing-at-All
10. The Game of Rat and Dragon
11. The Burning of the Brain
12. From Gustible’s Planet
13. Himself in Anachron
14. The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal
15. Golden the Ship Was-Oh! Oh! Oh!
16. The Dead Lady of Clown Town
17. Under Old Earth
18. Drunkboat
19. Mother Hitton’s Littul Kittons
20. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
21. The Ballad of Lost C’mell
22. A Planet Named Shayol
23. On the Gem Planet
24. On the Storm Planet
25. On the Sand Planet
26. Three to a Given Star
27. Down to a Sunless Sea
28. Western Science Is So Wonderful
29. Nancy
30. The Fife of Bodidharma
31. Angerhelm
32. The Good Friends

If this collection looks like something you might enjoy then be sure to check it out at Amazon.com, or find a used copy on eBay.

Looking for more science fiction short story collections to read? Be sure to take a look at my other book reviews.

The Illustrated Man is a 1951 book by Ray Bradbury which contains 18 science fiction short stories. The stories are loosely tied together by a tattooed guy called “The Illustrated Man.” Apparently each of his tattoos is animated and tells a different story from the book. If you have ever seen the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes then you’ll recognize “The Illustrated Man” as one of the carnies! Anyway, almost all of these stories were previously published elsewhere before The Illustrated Man, but were brought together for this now-famous book.

The Illustrated Man is quite well known and has won several accolades, including:

• placing 10th in the 1952 Astounding / Analog All-Time Poll.
• being nominated for the 1952 International Fantasy award.
• taking 22nd place in the 1956 Astounding / Analog All-Time Poll.
• being ranked 33rd in the 1999 Locus All-Time Poll.

So, here is a listing of the stories included in The Illustrated Man: (I’ve linked to the ones that I have reviewed, but Wikipedia gives a short summary about each of them too.)

1. Prologue: The Illustrated Man
2. The Veldt
3. Kaleidoscope
4. The Other Foot
5. The Highway
6. The Man
7. The Long Rain
8. The Rocket Man
9. The Fire Balloons
10. The Last Night of the World
11. The Exiles
12. No Particular Night or Morning
13. The Fox and the Forest
14. The Visitor
15. The Concrete Mixer
16. Marionettes, Inc.
17. The City
18. Zero Hour
19. The Rocket
20. Epilogue

If this sounds like something you might like then be sure to check out The Illustrated Man at Amazon.com, or look for a used copy on eBay.

Arthur C. Clarke is one of the most famous science fiction authors of all time. He wrote a lot of pieces, including many short stories, but if you are looking for one great book that includes nearly all of his short stories then look no farther than The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke.

This amazing collection contains 104 Arthur C. Clarke stories, all arranged in order of publication, from “Travel by Wire!” in 1937 to “Improving the Neighbourhood” in 1999. It includes all his famous one (like “The Nine Billion Names of God” and “The Star”), several of the better known ones, and many of his lesser-know stories – including some that I had never heard of before.

Anyway, if you are a fan of Arthur C. Clarke, or classic SF short stories in general, then you should definitely take a look at this incredible collection.

Here are the stories included in The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke: (I’ve linked to the ones that I have read and reviewed)

1. “Travel by Wire!”
2. “How We Went to Mars”
3. “Retreat from Earth”
4. “Reverie”
5. “The Awakening”
6. “Whacky”
7. “Loophole”
8. “Rescue Party”
9. “Technical Error”
10. “Castaway”
11. “The Fires Within”
12. “Inheritance”
13. “Nightfall”
14. “History Lesson”
15. “Transience”
16. “The Wall of Darkness”
17. “The Lion of Comarre”
18. “The Forgotten Enemy”
19. “Hide-and-Seek”
20. “Breaking Strain”
21. “Nemesis”
22. “Guardian Angel”
23. “Time’s Arrow”
24. “A Walk in the Dark”
25. “Silence Please”
26. “Trouble with the Natives”
27. “The Road to the Sea”
28. “The Sentinel”
29. “Holiday On the Moon”
30. “Earthlight”
31. “Second Dawn”
32. “Superiority”
33. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth”
34. “All The Time in the World”
35. “The Nine Billion Names of God”
36. “The Possessed”
37. “The Parasite”
38. “Jupiter Five”
39. “Encounter in the Dawn”
40. “The Other Tiger”
41. “Publicity Campaign”
42. “Armaments Race”
43. “The Deep Range”
44. “No Morning After”
45. “Big Game Hunt”
46. “Patent Pending”
47. “Refugee”
48. “The Star”
49. “What Goes Up”
50. “Venture to the Moon”
51. “The Pacifist”
52. “The Reluctant Orchid”
53. “Moving Spirit”
54. “The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch”
55. “The Ultimate Melody”
56. “The Next Tenants”
57. “Cold War”
58. “Sleeping Beauty”
59. “Security Check”
60. “The Man Who Ploughed the Sea”
61. “Critical Mass”
62. “The Other Side of the Sky”
63. “Let There Be Light”
64. “Out of the Sun”
65. “Cosmic Casanova”
66. “The Songs of Distant Earth”
67. “A Slight Case of Sunstroke”
68. “Who’s There?”
69. “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting…”
70. “I Remember Babylon”
71. “Trouble with Time”
72. “Into the Comet”
73. “Summertime on Icarus”
74. “Saturn Rising”
75. “Death and the Senator”
76. “Before Eden”
77. “Hate”
78. “Love That Universe”
79. “Dog Star”
80. “Maelstrom II”
81. “An Ape About the House”
82. “The Shining Ones”
83. “The Secret”
84. “Dial F for Frankenstein”
85. “The Wind from the Sun”
86. “The Food of the Gods”
87. “The Last Command”
88. “Light of Darkness”
89. “The Longest Science-fiction Story Ever Told”
90. “Playback”
91. “The Cruel Sky”
92. “Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq.”
93. “Crusade”
94. “Neutron Tide”
95. “Reunion”
96. “Transit of Earth”
97. “A Meeting with Medusa”
98. “Quarantine”
99. “siseneG”: “Genesis” spelled backwards.
100. “The Steam-powered Word Processor”
101. “On Golden Seas”
102. “The Hammer of God”
103. “The Wire Continuum” (with Stephen Baxter)
104. “Improving the Neighbourhood”

If this book looks like something that you might be interested in you can find out more about it at Amazon.com, or see if there are any used copies on eBay.

If you want to read some of the most famous science fiction short stories of all time then your best bet is The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One. Edited by Robert Silverberg (himself a famous SF author), the 26 stories in this amazing collection were “chosen by vote of the membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America.” (That is a good sign, especially since my experience is that most stories voted on by many people usually end up being pretty good – as opposed to lists where only one person gives his opinion… you know, like my lists!)

First published in 1970, this volume has been reprinted many times and contains short stories written between 1929 and 1964. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One has won several awards including winning the 1971 Locus award for best collection, and placing 2nd in the 1999 Locus poll for All-Time best anthology. Needless to say, if you love classic science fiction short stories then this book is for you!

Here are the stories included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: (I’ve linked to the ones that I have reviewed)

1. A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
2. Twilight by John W. Campbell
3. Helen O’Loy by Lester del Rey
4. The Roads Must Roll by Robert A. Heinlein
5. Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon
6. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov
7. The Weapon Shop by A. E. van Vogt
8. Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett
9. Huddling Place by Clifford D. Simak
10. Arena by Fredric Brown
11. First Contact by Murray Leinster
12. That Only a Mother by Judith Merril
13. Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith
14. Mars is Heaven by Ray Bradbury
15. The Little Black Bag by C. M. Kornbluth
16. Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson
17. Coming Attraction by Fritz Leiber
18. The Quest for Saint Aquin by Anthony Boucher
19. Surface Tension by James Blish
20. The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
21. It’s a Good Life by Jerome Bixby
22. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin
23. Fondly Fahrenheit by Alfred Bester
24. The Country of the Kind by Damon Knight
25. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
26. A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny

If this sounds like something you might like then be sure to check out The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One at Amazon.com or on eBay.

A Blend Of Genres

Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening is, obviously, the first book in a planned series. It is very difficult to succinctly describe what the book is about, so let me quote the what the author told me:

… and from the back cover of the book itself:

My Two Cents…

• The plot is somewhat complex, and the many characters in the book don’t make it any easier to follow. Add to that the fact that the story line jumps around from one set of characters to another and you’ll see why I was often confused by what was happening. Luckily, however, the author has provided a nice online chart of the Terenzio family tree, which I referred to often and found to be very helpful.
• I am not a fan of stories with lots of profanity and gratuitous sex scenes. And there was plenty of both in this book – way too much for my tastes.
• One thing I did like, however, was the mixing of science fiction, fantasy, mythology and crime genres. That made for some very interesting clashes – such as the people who simultaneously used high-tech gadgets and mythological creatures to deliver messages! Very cool indeed!

Learn More About Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening

Anyway, if this sounds like your cup of tea then here are a few helpful links:

• You can purchase Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening at Amazon.com.
• Check out the novel’s own website.
• Take a look at the author’s nifty website as well.

About a year ago I came to the sad realization that I had never read anything by Philip K. Dick – not stories, not novels, not anything. Shocking, I know. So to rectify the situation I decided to read some of his short stories. There were a couple of problems, though. First, Mr. PKD has written a ton of short stories, so where was I to begin? And second, there are a lot of Philip K. Dick short story collections out there to choose from. Basically I just wanted a book that had his most famous stories in it, so I ended up going with The Philip K. Dick Reader. It was a great choice, and I have really enjoyed all the fun pulp fiction stories in it. In fact, a few of the stories in this book won major awards or were made into big budget Hollywood movies. And in case you didn’t know, Philip K. Dick himself placed 21st in the 1999 Locus All-Time Poll for best “all time short fiction writer.” Not too bad, eh?

Here is the list of stories it contains – I’ve linked to the ones that I have reviewed and also I’ve noted which ones were nominated for major science fiction awards or made into movies:

1. Fair Game
2. The Hanging Stranger
3. The Eyes Have It
4. The Golden Man (basis of the 2007 movie Next)
5. The Turning Wheel
6. The Last of The Masters
7. The Father-Thing
8. Strange Eden
9. Tony and The Beetles
10. Null-O
11. To Serve The Master
12. Exhibit Piece
13. The Crawlers
14. Sales Pitch
15. Shell Game
16. Upon The Dull Earth
17. Foster, You’re Dead
18. Pay for The Printer
19. War Veteran
20. The Chromium Fence
21. We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (basis of the 1990 movie Total Recall, also placed 32nd in the 1999 Locus All-Time Poll for best novelette)
22. The Minority Report (basis of the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie of the same name)
23. Paycheck (basis of the 2003 movie of the same name)
24. Second Variety (nominated for 2004 Retro Hugo Awards for 1953, also the basis of the 1995 movie Screamers)

Sound like a good book? That’s because it is! Be sure to check out The Philip K. Dick Reader at Amazon.com.

Just so you know, I have never read this particular story, and don’t know much about it (you can, however, learn more about the phrase “Etaoin Shrdlu” at Wikipedia.) Also, I am not associated with Ivy at all, I just thought this book was an amazing project for one person to undertake, so I agreed to share it with my readers.

Anyway, I asked Ivy a little bit about herself and how she came to print this particular story, here is what she had to say:

From the back cover:

The book measures 7 x 10 inches, has 13 pages and is limited to 40 hand signed copies. So, to answer Ivy’s question, “who gets to make a book with their own hands from liquid metal to bound pages anymore?” Practically no one. But if you are interested in owning a book like that you can email Ivy at ivyd AT earthlink DOT net.

You can also find “Etaoin Shrdlu.” in the collection From These Ashes: The Complete Short SF of Fredric Brown.

I bought Michael Swanwick’s Tales of Old Earth a couple of years ago so that I could read some of his Hugo Award winning short stories that weren’t available online. I didn’t realize at the time how jam-packed this book is with great stories. And you don’t have to just take my word for it, because of the 19 stories it contains 16 of them have been nominated for major awards like the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Asimov’s Readers poll. That is a pretty good ratio! In fact, the book itself won the 2001 Locus Award for Best Collection. Needless to say, if you are a fan of Michael Swanwick’s short stories then it’s a good bet that you love this amazing collection.

Here is the list of stories it contains – I’ve linked to the ones that I’ve reviewed and I’ve noted which ones were nominated for major science fiction and fantasy awards:

1. The Very Pulse of the Machine (1999 Hugo winner)
2. The Dead (1997 Hugo and Nebula nominee)
3. Scherzo with Tyrannosaur (2000 Hugo winner and Nebula nominee)
4. Ancient Engines (2000 Hugo and Nebula nominee)
5. North of Diddy-Wah-Diddy
6. The Mask (1995 Locus nominee)
7. Mother Grasshopper (1998 Locus nominee)
8. Riding the Giganotosaur (2000 Asimov’s nominee)
9. Wild Minds (1999 Hugo nominee)
10. The Raggle Taggle Gypsy-O (2001 World Fantasy and Locus nominee)
11. Microcosmic Dog (1999 locus and SF Age nominee)
12. In Concert (1993 Locus nominee)
13. Radiant Doors (1999 Hugo and Nebula nominee)
14. Ice Age
15. Walking Out (1996 Hugo nominee)
16. The Changeling’s Tale (1995 Locus, Asimov’s and World Fantasy nominee)
17. Midnight Express
18. The Wisdom of Old Earth (1998 Locus nominee)
19. Radio Waves (1996 World Fantasy winner, Sturgeon and Locus nominee)

See what other people are saying about this book at Amazon.com, or search for a used copy on eBay, and be sure to check out all my other reviews of Michael Swanwick’s short stories too.