Foundation

Isaac Asimov was one of the foremost science fiction authors until his death in 1992. Among his many achievements is the fact that he has written and edited over 500 different books, and having an asteroid named after him (the 5020 Asimov). But what may be the most amazing is winning the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series in 1966 for his Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation).

Foundation, the first book in this series, has five parts, four of which had been previously published in the magazine Astounding Science-Fiction. This novel is about the psychohistorian Hari Seldon and his quest to save the Galaxy from 30,000 years of chaos.

The novel opens with a young mathematician named Gaal Dornick as he is flying to the planet Trantor to meet Seldon. Hari "Raven" Seldon was looked upon by some to be a very intelligent and extraordinary man by most as a trouble-maker. He invented the branch of mathematics known as psychohistory. With psychohistory, one could predict the likely outcome of events in the future. Seldon discovered that the Galactic Empire would indeed fall within the next 300 years, and then would follow 30,000 years of chaos in the galaxy before the Empire rose again. But if Seldon and his followers and their descendants could create a society known as the Foundation, the 30,000 years would be reduced to a mere millenium.

And so follows the chronicle of the Foundation on the planet Terminus, at the very edge of the Galaxy. At first, the Foundation's only goal, as given them by the long-dead Seldon, was to make the Encyclopedia Galactica, a conglomeration of all the information known to mankind. They were governed by a committee whose only care was for the Encyclopedia. But, as with the rest of the Galaxy, many changes were stirring within the Foundation.

Asimov's story of how one man sought to save the Universe 29,000 years of misfortune is a success. Although it is very brief--only 255 pages--it successfully chronicles several years in the life of the Foundation, its struggles and failures, its successes and discoveries, and its role in the eventual deterioration of the Galactic Empire. This is a very good beginning to a highly-spoken-of series.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Novels-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227312127&sr=8-2

Grade: 8.5

What a Guy

Some authors write their autobiographies so that we can read a good, inspirational story. Others write stories about their lives so that we can see how they overcame challenges in their lives to rise to greatness. Still other people are just very interesting to read about. But try as I might, I cannot for the life of me figure out why Gary Soto wrote an autobiography.

Living Up the Street tells about the circumstances involving the childhood of Gary Soto, a writer from Fresno, California. From the very beginning, the story is not interesting. The first chapter, titled "Being Mean," tells of how Soto and his brother Rick greet their new neighbors by getting in a fight with them. When Gary and Rick lose, they find a stray cat, and put it and their own cat in a bag to hit their neighbors with. Oh boy, that sure makes me want to be like you, Soto.

And the time when he talks about breaking into his friend's recently married sister's house to steal her radio, food, and lamp, and then return it before she gets home just because he did not have enough money to escape to San Francico with it, that sure makes me feel good inside.

Oh, I almost forgot about the highly inspirational part where Soto talks about hanging out with his friend Jackie on the weekend. They sure are good citizens, knocking over trash cans and breaking into stores to steal their mannequins so that they can fight with them. Gosh, Soto, you're like George Washington, such an asset to society.

Living Up the Street is a very terrible autobiography. The events written about are so base as to be slightly offensive. Does Soto actually think that readers will learn something from his book, that they will want to be more like him after reading it? Because no one will. This book is not worth the ink and paper that was used to make it. I am sorry, Soto, but we just do not care.

Grade: 2.5

Miss Marple, Detective Extraordinnaire

There is something about murder mysteries that seems to make the individual want to read more and more. Murder, which is frowned upon in modern society, has continued to captivate readers everywhere for many, many years.

One of the most renowned names in murder was the author and playwright Agatha Christie. Her novels are some of the most well-known in mystery fiction, including And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. Her play The Mousetrap is the longest-running play in history. And there have also been T.V. shows made on her characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

Miss Marple is the detective in The Tuesday Club Murders (also known as The Thirteen Problems), an anthology where Miss Marple solves many mysteries without leaving her armchair. The thirteen stories in the book all feature Miss Jane Marple, detective extraordinnaire, as she solves both criminal problems for Scotland Yard and miniscule, everyday problems for herself and her friends. My picks for the best stories in it are "The Blood-Stained Pavement", "The Blue Geranium", and "The Companion"

The narrator for "The Blood-Stained Pavement" is Joyce Lemprière. Joyce was on vacation in Cornwall, England, when she noticed a husband and wife next to her. They were Denis and Margery. Pretty soon, a woman drove up. Denis recognized her as his old friend, Carol. They go off swimming together. That afternoon, Joyce sees blood on the driveway near her rented house. Denis and Margery return without Carol. They go back to look for her, the blood is not there anymore, and Margery is found dead a week later. This sounds like a case for Miss Marple.

"The Blue Geranium" is about Mr. George Pritchard. His wife was a semi-invalid who was very prone to complaints, and had many nurses at different times to take care of her. One day a fortune-teller comes to the Pritchards' house. She tells Mrs. Pritchard to beware blue flowers. A number of days later, the Pritchards get a note that says that a blue primrose is a warning, a blue hollyhock is danger, and a blue geranium is death, and to beware the full moon. On the next full moon, one of the primroses on the wallpaper in Mrs. Pritchard's room turns blue. Four weeks later, on the next full moon, a hollyhock turns blue. Four weeks later, on the third full moon, a geranium turns blue, and Mrs. Pritchard is discovered to be dead.

"The Companion" another very interesting conundrum. Dr. Lloyd tells Miss Marple of a story that he encountered while living in the Canary Islands. He sees two women traveling together. They are not special at all; they are the most unimportant-looking people one could see. But the next day, while they were swimming, one of them started to drown. The other one tried to save her, but to no avail. He questions the would-be heroine and some witnesses. A few months later, a suicide note written by the survivor of the women is found and the woman drowned herself, although the body was not found. Of course, Miss Marple must discover the answer to this mystery.

The Tuesday Club Murders is an excellent example of Christie's writing skill. The thirteen stories in this book all seem very strange and confusing, but Marple solves them with the utmost ease using her incredible brain and past experiences. While it cannot be compared to novels of hers such as And Then There Were None, it is very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesday-Club-Murders-Christie-Collection/dp/1579126901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225581086&sr=8-1

Grade: 8