Foundation and Empire
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Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov in 1952. It is the second book in the Foundation Series. It takes place in two halves, originally published as separate novellas.
The General
The first half of the book, titled The General, is all about how the Galactic Empire, now well into its collapse, launches an attack against the Foundation. They are led by General Bel Riose. The Empire, despite its decay, far outclasses the Foundation. Lathan Devers, a Foundation agent, goes on a mission to Trantor to attempt to see the Emperor. He fails and is nearly killed. However, the Emperor does recall and execute Riose, for being too successful and therefore too much of a threat. The war ends with the General's death.
The characters of Emperor Cleon II and Bel Riose in this story are based around those of the historical Roman Emperor Justinian I and his general Belisarius, the story of whom was familiar to Asimov from his recent reading of Robert Graves's novel Count Belisarius.
The Mule
The second half of the book, titled The Mule, is about the rise of a mysterious man called the Mule. The Mule has the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this ability to take over one of the sovereignties bordering the Foundation, and has them wage a war against the Foundation.
While his sovereignty is waging the war, the Mule travels under the guise of a refugee clown with Foundation citizens Toran and Bayta Darrell to different worlds of the Foundation. He uses his abilities to undermine the Foundation's war effort by destroying morale. In the end, the Foundation falls without much of a fight.
Still under the guise of a refugee clown, he travels with the Darrells, along with psychologist Ebling Mis, to the Great Library of Trantor. The Darrells and Mis seek to contact the Second Foundation, which they believe will be able to defeat the Mule. The Mule, on the other hand, wishes to know the location of the Second Foundation so he can use the First Foundation's technology to destroy it.
While at the Great Library, the Mule surreptitiously stimulates Ebling Mis' mind, allowing him to make powerful insights. Unfortunately for Mis, the Mule's actions cause his health to deteriorate very quickly. As Mis lies dying, he tells Toran, Bayta, and the Mule that he knows where the Second Foundation is. Just before he reveals the Second Foundation's location, however, Bayta shoots him. (Bayta had shortly before realized that the renegade clown was actually the Mule and killed Mis to prevent him from revealing the Second Foundation's whereabouts to the Mule.) Defeated, the Mule leaves the Darrells to go reign over the Foundation and the rest of his new empire.
The Sequels
This novel is very closely tied into Second Foundation, which tells the rest of the Mule's story.
We learn in Foundation's Edge that the Mule was a rogue member of the planet/society Gaia.
| Preceded by: | Series: | Followed by: |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Foundation Series | Second Foundation |