Foundation and Empire is a novel written by
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov , was an American author and professor of biochemistry, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books...
that was published by
Gnome PressGnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. They were the first to publish Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, and brought Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity. They also published many...
in 1952. It is the second book published in the Foundation Series, and the fourth in the in-universe chronology. It takes place in two halves, originally published as separate novellas.
The first half of the book, titled "The General," tells how the
Galactic EmpireIn Isaac Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of millions of planets settled by humans across the whole Milky Way Galaxy.-Author's creation of the empire:...
, now well into its collapse, launches an attack against the
FoundationFoundation is the first book in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy . Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951...
.
Foundation and Empire is a novel written by
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov , was an American author and professor of biochemistry, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books...
that was published by
Gnome PressGnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. They were the first to publish Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, and brought Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity. They also published many...
in 1952. It is the second book published in the Foundation Series, and the fourth in the in-universe chronology. It takes place in two halves, originally published as separate novellas.
The General
The first half of the book, titled "The General," tells how the
Galactic EmpireIn Isaac Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation series of novels, the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of millions of planets settled by humans across the whole Milky Way Galaxy.-Author's creation of the empire:...
, now well into its collapse, launches an attack against the
FoundationFoundation is the first book in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy . Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951...
. They are led by General
Bel RioseIn Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, the fictional character Bel Riose was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as "the Last of the Imperials," and earned this title well. His tactical genius was compared with...
, a commander of supposedly unparalleled prowess. The Empire, though a mere shadow of its former self, still retains far more resources and personnel than the Foundation. Riose asks the Emperor for reinforcements, apparently more than he could possibly need, so he can guarantee victory over the Foundation. He also rejects the Foundation's offer of "You stop invading us and we'll pay you a generous amount of money." Devers, a native of the Foundation, intercepts a message that summarizes the General's doings, and escapes to
TrantorTrantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy...
, trying to see the emperor and show him the message. He fails and is nearly killed, but the emperor finds out anyway. In the end, the emperor decides that Riose is too dangerous and has him executed.
This was the psychohistorical defense: Under a weak emperor, an upstart general would have much greater opportunities for an internal overthrow than an external conquest on the edge of the Galaxy. A weak general, of course, is no threat to the foundation, even under a strong Emperor. The strong emperor himself, in a declining empire, cannot dare to leave the central planet to make war at the fringes of the empire, because he would be soon disposed of by the competition at the court at the central planet. So, the emperor cannot play general himself, because then someone will take over while he is off conquering the Foundation. The only time there would be an actual threat to the Foundation would be when there was both a strong emperor and a strong general; the general could not overthrow the emperor, so his attention would be diverted outwards. A strong Emperor, however, is one that allows no one else to become too powerful; a strong emperor would kill a competent, strong general before he even launched an attack. So, the strong emperor would eventually become fearful of the strong general's exploits, and being a capable emperor he would get rid of a general like Riose, as happens in the story. In all cases, the Foundation is invulnerable.
The characters of Emperor Cleon II and Bel Riose in this story are based around those of the historical Roman Emperor
Justinian IFlavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ; AD 483 – 13 or 14 November 565, known in English as Justinian I or Justinian the Great, was the second member of the Justinian Dynasty and Eastern Roman Emperor from 527 until his death...
and his general
BelisariusFlavius Belisarius was one of the greatest generals of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian I's ambitious project of reconquering much of the old Western Roman Empire, which had been lost just under a century previously.One of the defining features of Belisarius' career...
, the story of whom was familiar to Asimov from his recent reading of
Robert GravesGraves considered himself a poet first and foremost. His poems, together with his translations and innovative interpretations of the Greek Myths, his memoir of the First World war, Good-bye to All That, and his historical study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess, have never been out of...
's novel
Count BelisariusCount Belisarius is a historical novel by Robert Graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the Byzantine general Belisarius.Like Graves' better-known works I, Claudius and Claudius the God, the book was written by laying down as much detail as is historically known about Belisarius,...
.
"The General" was first published in the April 1945 issue of
Astounding Science Fiction under the title "Dead Hand".
The Mule
The second half of the book, titled "The Mule," takes place approximately one hundred years after the first half. The Empire has ceased to exist in name as well as in fact, Trantor having been sacked by a "barbarian fleet", and only a small rump state of 20 agricultural planets remain (dwarfed by most barbarian kingdoms). Following the death of the last strong Galactic emperor,
Cleon IIEmperor Cleon II is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He is the last strong monarch of the Galactic Empire, and reigned during the time when Bel Riose, the last great Imperial general, was engaging in a successful campaign against the early Foundation...
, the Empire entered into an even more rapid phase of decline and civil wars, never to have another revival like that which happened under Cleon II. The Foundation has become the dominant power in the Galaxy, controlling its regions through its trading network. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Foundation has become degenerate: the Mayor of Terminus is the ineffectual successor to a strongman who seized power and instituted hereditary rule.
In response to the internal corruption within the Foundation, roughly 30 outer planets belonging to the Foundation who have become wealthy on their own through extensive trade begin to plan a civil war. The Independent Traders are gearing up for a war to secede from the Foundation.
In addition to this internal corruption, an external threat arises in the form of a mysterious man who is known only as
the MuleThe Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. One of the greatest conquerors the galaxy has ever seen, he is a mentalic who has the ability to manipulate human emotions which he uses to forcibly convert people to his cause...
. The Mule (whose real name is never revealed) is a mutant, and possesses the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this ability to take over the independent systems bordering the Foundation, and has them wage a war against it.
While his vassals prosecute the war, the Mule travels under the guise of a refugee
clownClowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, red-nose, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion. The types of their acts varies greatly...
named "Magnifico Giganticus," with Foundation citizens Toran and Bayta Darell to different worlds of the Foundation. He uses his abilities to undermine the Foundation's war effort by spreading despair and destroying morale. In the end, the Foundation falls without much of a fight at all. As the Mule was advancing, the Foundation leadership complacently assumed that Seldon predicted his attack, and that even though the Mule was inexorably winning, the scheduled hologram crisis message appearance of Hari Seldon would tell them how to win (just as Bel Riose had seemed impossible to defeat, yet was "defeated" by Seldon's predictions). However, when Seldon's crisis tape plays they are shocked to discover that the crisis Seldon predicted was a civil war between the Foundation and the Independent Traders, and makes no mention of the Mule whatsoever. Several representatives of the Independent Traders in attendance explain that they were
going to start a civil war of secession, but stopped when the Mule started his invasion: Seldon didn't predict the Mule. When the Mule's ships soon afterwards appear over Terminus, the Foundation surrenders with little fight. The Trader worlds, however, fight a losing war of attrition.
Still under the guise of a refugee clown, the Mule travels with the Darells, along with
psychologistA psychologist is someone who studies the human mind and behavior. Research psychologists study human perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships...
Ebling MisEbling Mis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Specifically, he is one of the main characters from the latter half of the novel Foundation and Empire. Mis is the Foundation's greatest psychologist and a very prominent scientist...
, to the Great Library of
TrantorTrantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy...
. The Darells and Mis seek to contact the
Second FoundationSecond Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology. It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press....
, 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 that he can use the First Foundation's technology to destroy it.
While at the Great
LibraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
, the Mule surreptitiously stimulates Ebling Mis's 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 kills 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 him. In Second Foundation, however, it is hinted that Bayta may have been influenced by the Second Foundation's mentalists in Trantor into action. Defeated, the Mule leaves the Darells on Trantor to reign over the Foundation and the rest of his new empire. Bayta tells the Mule that while the First Foundation was made to master physical sciences, the Second Foundation was centered on the science of psychology and mentalics; in a sense, Seldon
did predict the Mule, or at least, anticipated that something unexpected like the Mule might happen, and set up the Second Foundation as a direct countermeasure to a hypothetical individual with mental or telepathic powers like the Mule. The Mule admits that had he found out where the Second Foundation was from Mis, he would have destroyed it before they could develop a counter-strategy, but now he doesn't know where it is, and enough time has been bought for the Second Foundation to develop a counter-strategy to the Mule. Now that the Mule has conquered the Foundation he stands as the most powerful force in the galaxy, and the Second Foundation is the only threat to his eventual rule over the entire galaxy. The Mule promises that he will find the Second Foundation, while Bayta asserts that he will not have enough time before the Second Foundation reacts.
"The Mule" was first published in the November and December 1945 issues of
Astounding Science Fiction.
Characters
- Bel Riose
In Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, the fictional character Bel Riose was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as "the Last of the Imperials," and earned this title well. His tactical genius was compared with...
, the last strong general who attempted to capture the Foundation.
- Ducem Barr, Siwennian patrician and hostage of Riose.
- Lathan Devers, trader sent to spy on Riose.
- Cleon II
Emperor Cleon II is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He is the last strong monarch of the Galactic Empire, and reigned during the time when Bel Riose, the last great Imperial general, was engaging in a successful campaign against the early Foundation...
, the last strong emperor before the sack of TrantorTrantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Empire series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in the 1940s when the Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy...
.
- Brodrig, Cleon II's Privy Secretary.
- The Mule
The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. One of the greatest conquerors the galaxy has ever seen, he is a mentalic who has the ability to manipulate human emotions which he uses to forcibly convert people to his cause...
, mutant who captures the Foundation and attempts to establish a Second Empire.
- Toran and Bayta Darell, the Mule's companions.
- Captain Han Pritcher
Han Pritcher is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is an important character in the second part of Foundation and Empire and the first part of Second Foundation.- Fictional history :...
, intelligence agent for the Foundation, and first to recognise the power of the Mule.
- Mayor
"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
Indbur III, mayor of the Foundation during the Mule's conquest.
- Ebling Mis
Ebling Mis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Specifically, he is one of the main characters from the latter half of the novel Foundation and Empire. Mis is the Foundation's greatest psychologist and a very prominent scientist...
, psychologist who discovered the location of the Second Foundation.
- Dagobert IX
Emperor Dagobert IX is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire. He is one of the last, if not the last emperor of the Galactic Empire....
, one of the last emperors on Neotrantor
Sequels
- This novel is very closely tied into Second Foundation
Second Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology. It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press....
, which tells the rest of the Mule's story.
- Foundation's Edge
Foundation's Edge is a novel by Isaac Asimov, the fourth book in the Foundation Series. It was written thirty years after the Foundation trilogy, in 1982, due to pressure by fans on Asimov to write another, and, according to Asimov himself, the amount of the payment offered by the publisher...
reveals that the Mule was a rogue member of the planet/society Gaia.
- The demise of the Empire's remnant on Trantor is told in "Trantor Falls" by Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
in Foundation's FriendsFoundation's Friends, Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov is a 1989 festschrift honoring science fiction author Isaac Asimov, in the form of an anthology of short stories set in Asimov's universes, particularly the Robot/Empire/Foundation universe. The anthology was edited by Martin H...
, a tribute collection.