Isaac Asimov

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying, and only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future - to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years.

The First Foundation must prepare for war against the remnants of the Empire as the Imperial fleet advances on their planet, Terminus. Hari Seldon predicted this war; he even prepared his Foundation for it. But he couldn't foresee the birth of the mutant Mule. In possession of a power which reduces fearsome opposition to devoted slaves, the Mule poses a terrible threat to Seldon's Foundation.

The three Laws of Robotics ensure that humans remain superior and the robots are kept in their rightful place. But an insane telepathic robot results from a production error, and logically deduces its superiority to non-rational humanity.

How could robots be used in a time of war? Could a robot be raised like a child? Could we allow them to have children of their own? Is there any human profession that could never be performed by a robotic replacement? With characteristic wit, foresight and imagination, Asimov's stories uncover the practical and ethical issues humanity will encounter in a robotic future.

The First Foundation has been defeated, crushed by the formidable mental powers of the Mule. But whispers of the mysterious Second Foundation, the only hope of defeating the Mule, are beginning to spread....Surviving members fear the secret powers of the Second Foundation, vowing to find and destroy it. However, finding it will lead to the opposite end of the Galaxy, where the fate of Seldon's two Foundations awaits.