Ce roman d'Issac Asimov est le tout dernier qu'il ait écrit. Publié une année après sa mort, il fait le lien entre Prélude à Fondation, paru cinq ans plut tôt, et Fondation, le premier roman du cycle, paru en 1951. Sur le fond, l'auteur remplit parfaitement son objectif, disséminant dans les quarante dernières années de la vie d'Hari Seldon des événements préparant ce qu'il adviendra dans Fondation. Sur la forme, la temporalité n'est pas toujours très claire, à l'inverse de ce qui se passe dans tous les autres romans de l'auteur. Le décès de l'auteur l'aura sans doute empêché de fignoler son dernier roman. On peut bien lui pardonner. ( )

This was the last Foundation novel Asimov wrote, and indeed it was published in 1993 posthumously by his widow, Janet Jeppson Asimov. Chronologically, it is the second of the prequel Foundation novels that he wrote in the last few years of his life, detailing the life of Hari Seldon and his attempts to develop psychohistory and establish his Foundations to mitigate the collapse of the Galactic Empire. It covers some 40 or more years of Seldon's life including his rather unlikely decade as First Minister of the Empire, and his increasingly frustrated attempts to keep his project going. As such it had for me at least an aura of sadness throughout, exacerbated by the sad demises of several of Seldon's loved ones. I couldn't help feeling that many of Seldon's attitudes as he aged mirrored those of the author. One aspect that irritates me slightly is the harping on about growing old at ages we don't normally regard as such ("Seldon's eyes twinkled in a face now lined by age, his sixty years given away as much by his wrinkles as much as by his white hair")! ( )

The 9th in what can be seen as the "extended" 15 book Foundation Series. This book fills in the gaps of Hard Seldon's story between "Prelude to Foundation" and in and around the first book of the Foundation trilogy. ( )

This was mediocre. Many of the events are implausible, but maybe there are still psychic robots running around in the background making everything work out fantastically for our trouble-seeking hero? Meh.

It's the last book he wrote and I guess it's autobiographical, which is more depressing than anything. "I'm so old and all my friends are gone or dead." I started re-reading Foundation after this, and the writing is so much better. ( )

His last book and a fitting end to his master work. I did not know this book existed until I saw it mentioned recently. Glad to finish off the series. Classic Asimov which means classic science fiction. ( )