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?
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)
