The Mule is desperate to find the Second Foundation. His Empire stretches far into known space. Peace reins within his borders. None outside his domain dares challenge his strength. Only one things threatens his realm, the Second Foundation. It’s out there somewhere, waiting to reassert control over the galaxy. To that end, he tasks two of his servants to find them. Han Pritcher and Bail Channis. Will they be able to find the Second Foundation, or will they suffer the Mule’s wrath.

Arkady Darell knows that her father is up to something. A plot to discover who has been meddling in the affairs of the new Empire. The Prime suspect? The Second Foundation. Some may think her young and precocious, but she’ll show them. She’ll find the Second Foundation and end the threat to the new Empire. All she has to do now is stow away on a ship. Easy as falling out a window.

The final book in Issac Aszmov’s Foundation trilogy. The search for the Second Foundation continues and everyone has their reasons for wanting them out of the way. Will it survive, or will the Sheldon plan continue unimpeded. Twists and turns abound in the final installment of this classic collection.

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The Empire has fallen. Hari Sheldon’s Foundation has survived. They’ve convinced the local warlords that it is easier to work with them than against them. That may have worked for the near space neighbors, but now the Foundation’s influence has bumped up against the Empire’s remnants. Generals and Admirals control different sections of space and all of them want power. They know that knowledge is power and the Foundation has the knowledge. Are Lathan Devers and Ducem Barr up to the challenge?

But lurking in near space is a being called ‘The Mule.’ He has a strange power to control the people he meets. Did Hari Sheldon’s plan account for mutants? What are his goals? Why has no one seen him? Toran and Bayta Darell seek the answers by travelling to Trantor, the capital of the old Empire. Perhaps they will get the answers they need from the Second Foundation. A collection of social scientists Hari Sheldon created to gently guide the galaxy. If only they can find them. All the while, The Mule follows their every move in his mad quest to control the galaxy.

The sequel to Issac Azimov’s Foundation continues the epic struggles of a galaxy trying to put itself back together. A choice between a thousand years of anarchy or thirty thousand years of death and destruction. A classic scifi series that is a must for readers of space opera.

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The greatest trove of ancient lore, the Ringworld, is gone. The huge fleets of all the major races must struggle to justify their existence and the lives lost. A prize exists, just a bit further in space. The Puppeteer fleet of worlds. Everyone knows the Puppeteers are cowards,  plundering their planets will be easy.

But the fleet of worlds is more than just the Puppeteers and they have a centuries of experience at manipulation. To some in their government, defense of the fleet it is an opportunity to grab power. Larry Niven covers new territory: a scifi political thriller. Terrans, Kzin, Puppeteers, and others will clash in a tale that will keep you guessing until the end. Who will prevail in The Fate of Worlds

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Hari Sheldon has uncovered a dangerous secret. The might Empire that has united the galaxy and brought peace for thousands of years is coming to an end. Obviously, the Empire wants Hari to keep his mouth shut. He will, but for a price, they must give him a planet on the edge of everything. Here he will conduct a social experiment. A Foundation. Nothing can stop the Empire from falling, but maybe, just maybe, they might be able to turn 30,000 years of anarchy into only a thousand.

That plan comes falls apart when the Foundation’s neighbors come calling. The Empire losing its grip on the outlying systems. To those governments, the knowledgeable and undefended Foundation, is too tempting a prize to pass up. After all, what can a bunch of scientists do against a might space navy.

Issac Azimov spins an interesting tale of a future where a false sense of security could lead to destruction. One genius has all the answers, or does he. What can he really know about a future long after he’s dead? An excellent story and a must read for science fiction fans everywhere.

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A Life in Shadows is a collection of short stories set in the Good Intentions universe. As the name suggests, a lot of the stories revolve around our favorite lesbian witches Onyx and Molly. It offers an intriguing look at Molly’s mentor, and what happened when she died. In another story, Molly has an uncle who’s a cop. We met him briefly in Natural Consequences. When he has a really bad day, Molly and Onyx step in to help him out… with disastrous results. One story explores what would happen if a demon’s soul got trapped in a good person. How would it affect them? Would the angels help? The last story brings us back to Alex. Lorelei has uncovered a den of demons. She can’t go to Rachel with the information, so she enlists Alex to investigate further. It’s a simple recon mission. What could go wrong?

Elliott Kay brings us back to his urban fantasy world of angels, demons, and sex. This is a fun set of stories with lots of action. One down side is that we have another situation, where Lorelei unintentionally gets Alex into hot water. This is a reoccurring theme in all of the books in the Good Intention series, and I’d like to see Elliott get away from this. Otherwise, it’s the wonderful characters we know and love, getting into trouble and finding a way out again. Lots of adventure and page turning excitement.

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So, you saw ‘I Robot’ the movie, and now you want to read the book. The book is always better than the movie, right? This is no exception, to that rule, but you’ll have a surprise none the less. They aren’t the same story.

I Robot is a collection of short stories. None of them have anything to do with Will Smith, murdered company executives, or a cop everyone thinks is crazy. Instead, we follow a reporter interviewing a robot psychologist. Each short story is anecdote told by her. Sometimes she relates things that happened to her. Sometimes she relates stories that happened to her collogues. In each case, the three laws of robotics are applied. 1. A robot may not harm, or by inaction allow to be harmed a human being. 2. A robot must follow the orders of a human being except where it would violate the first law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence, except where it would violate the first and second law. As the reader, we must figure out what happened and why. How can the a robot obey the three laws, and yet still kill a human being?

A wonderful read. It’s easy to see why this is a science fiction classic.

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