Customer Reviews

Psychohistorical Crisis

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you were a fan of Isaac Asimov's original Foundation trilogy but were bitterly disappointed (as I was) with his 1980s extension of the series, then Donald Kingsbury's Psychohistorical Crisis may be for you! Fans of complex future histories such as that of H. Beam Piper may also want to slug their way through the book, but be warned: Although rewarding in many ways, the book is quite dense and does take some effort to get through.

Kingsbury works from the original Foundation Trilogy, veiling the scenario somewhat (Trantor becomes Splendid Wisdom; the Mule becomes Cloun-the-Stubborn), and updates the technology to that which modern readers can appreciate (Cloun used mind control tech to upset the Foundation plan, and the Second Foundation - here called the Pscholars - improved on it to counter him, resulting in supercomputers implanted in peoples' heads, called 'fams'). He then figures that the Foundation plan was carried through to the founding of a Second Empire, and 1600 years later this Empire is under control of the Pscholars.

The hook into the story is that Pscholar Eron Osa has committed a crime so horrible that his fam is destroyed - not good, considering that most of his memories and skills were on the fan. Kingsbury then shows us how Osa got to this point, how he was unwittingly used by the Oversee, a group trying to rebel against the Pscholars, and how he was mentores by Hahukum Konn, a brilliant but eccentric Pscholar. And we eventually learn what's really going on, and what's really threatening the stability of the Empire.

Kingsbury goes all out to paint the history of his galaxy, and to a great extent the novel is an exploration of history and our perceptions of it. This element is wildly successful, although not perhaps for everyone. Also successful is his exploration of how one might organize a rebellion against overlords who can predict the future (or, at least, the future of large numbers of people), and some of the details of how Psychohistory might world, and its limitations.

The book does ultimately have the disappointment that it ends rather abruptly, bringing some closure to Eron Osa's story, but leaving open the question of how the crisis of the book's title will resolve itself. The book is also not very character-heavy (and is strangely almost devoid of strong female characters, for reasons hard to fathom). Still, this is a delightful book for fans of futuristing world- (or galaxy-) building, and it's hard to fault it for being tremendously ambitious, even if it doesn't fully achieve its ambitions.

And, best of all, it leaves Asimov's later novels in its dust.

Hi,

I have often browsed book reviews online but have never written one. Until now.

Psychohistorical Crisis is a work of surpassing brilliance but it is not for everyone.

If you're looking for a quick read, look elsewhere: Donald Kingsbury has decided to immerse you in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" universe and show you what a galaxy with 100,000 years of history might be like. Any science fiction writer can waves his hands and say "thousands of years," but Kingsbury can make you feel those years.

If you're looking for epic space battles, look elsewhere: A character in Asimov's original Foundation trilogy says that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. This is a galaxy ruled by mathematicians.

If you're looking for extensive character development, look elsewhere: To write this novel, Kingsbury did not merely imitate Asimov's style but absorbed it, warts and all. This homage to the Foundation universe is more true to the original than the prequels authorized by the Asimov estate or even the Asimov's own sequels.

If you didn't like the Foundation trilogy, look elsewhere: This book is the true inheritor of the Foundation trilogy, though the serial numbers have been filed off. If you haven't read the Foundation trilogy, that's the place to start. Then read Pebble in the Sky.

If you have read a Kingsbury book before and didn't like it, look elsewhere: Somehow, Kingsbury has written a book that is true to his own style and themes while being true to those of the original Foundation.

Psychohistorical Crisis is a novel of ideas in the tradition of classic science fiction, but is itself an extremely modern book that takes an unflinching and sometimes unflattering look at the ideas implicit in the original Foundation. Each work is very much of its time.

I'd love to talk about the themes of Psychohistorical Crisis, but wouldn't it be better for you to read the book for yourself?

Psychohistorical Crisis is the true Second Foundation.

Anyway,

KenK

Donald Kinsgsbury has hugely expanded his 1995 novella "Historical Crisis" into a long novel. I quite enjoyed "Historical Crisis", though I found it a bit melodramatic, and a bit too rapid. The novel is still a bit melodramatic (in an enjoyable fashion) and also much slower than "Historical Crisis", perhaps at times a bit too slow.

The book is set from 14790 GE to 14810 GE. This is about 2700 years after the death of the "Founder" and the near simultaneous establishment of the equivalent of the "First Foundation" on a planet called Faraway. It's about 1600 years after the formal establishment of the Pax Pscholaris, the "Second Empire" under the rule of the Pscychohistorians called Pscholars. As may be clear, Kingsbury's universe is an update and rethinking of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Universe, with psi powers replaced by high tech, and with a slightly more sophisticated look at the background math. (Kingsbury, to be sure, is a pr Indeed, he is very interested in treating Psychohistory with some seriousness, and in asking how well the secret society of Pscholars can really keep psychohistory secret, and how ultimately stable their rule will be.

The key extra tech is something called the "familiar", or "fam" -- sort of a PDA with extra memory and processing which links directly to the brain. You adjust to it from the age of 3, and your personal adjustment theoretically makes it impossible for anyone else to exercise control over you through it. Pretty much everybody in rich societies has one, and indeed it is all but impossible to get around Splendid Wisdom (Kingsbury's version of Asimov's Trantor) without it.

The story begins with the trial of a young psychohistorian named Eron Osa. He is condemned to death, and summarily executed -- by having his fam destroyed. His body, with its near useless "wet" brain, is allowed to live. He cannot even understand his crime -- all the data about it was in his fam. Soon he is desperately trying to relearn normal living skills, as he also begins to receive strange messages.

The story soon is following four points of view, 20 years in the past. We follow Eron Osa as a 12 year old boy on the planet Agander, as he yearns to become a psychohistorian. We follow Eron's tutor, Murek Kapor, who is in secret Hiranimus Scogil, the member of a secret group trying to develop psychohistory independently and to counteract the Pscholars' efforts. We follow Admiral Hahukum Konn, the second most powerful Pscholar, and an enthusiast for ancient weapons systems, as he searches for a worthy student to learn his eccentric interpretation of Psychohistory. And we follow the elderly Hyperlord Kikaju Jama, an antiques dealer who is interested in upsetting the static social order, especially after he discovers a strange device that shows the stars of the Galaxy, and that hints at a secret planet hidden by the Pscholars. We also follow a fifth thread, as events in the "present" lead toward a climax.

The four threads converge after years for the action of the climax, which is exciting, even though full of math, and which reveals Kingsbury doing some interesting thinking about stability versus vigor in a society. It's really quite fun, and the world Kingsbury creates is fascinating. I quite liked Kingsbury's names: the Frightfulperson Otaria of the Calmer Sea being a particular example. The actual given names, such as Eron Osa, are nods to Asimov's rather unharmonious naming habits. The book is long, and sometimes rather slow, but on the whole it is a good read. It is considerably more interesting than the new books in the actual Foundation universe which were authorized after Asimov's death.

Psychohistorical Crisis, by Donald Kingsbury

A few years ago, the Asimov estate authorized three Foundation novels, by Gregory Benford, Greg Bear and David Brin. I stopped reading that series after the first, when I realized Benford rehashed and imported large portions of two novellas of his to make up the bulk of that book.

Psychohistorical Crisis is a different kettle of fish. Not an authorized sequel or officially set in the Asimov universe, it nevertheless is understood to take place in a world very much like that. Names are changed. Earth is Rith, Trantor is Splendid Wisdom. But the universe is here. The time is the Second Empire, the one set up after the Interrgenum by the psychohistorians. We get a look at the galaxy under their rule.

Although jumping a few viewpoints and characters and time frames, the story focuses around a psychohistorian, Eron Osa, and the consequences of his crime that he cannot remember. But there is much more at work. We see his life history, and many points of major characters connected to him. As psychohistory is a fusion of history and mathematics, there are helpings of both in this book.

Dense is a good way to describe the book. It moves patiently and slowly, and I get the feeling the book itself has been cut, since some viewpoint characters have oddly truncated end-games. But the journey there is immersive, and Kingsbury makes you feel the age of the Empire. And his central thesis about psychohistory is fascinating.

Its not light reading by any means, but nevertheless its recommended. A caveat: reading or being familiar with Asimov's Foundation universe will make the experience richer and worthwhile. I wouldn't read this book without having at least sampled the original ur-text.

There may be fans of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series who think that its integration with his Robot novels was a crowning achievement. I am not one of those fans, and apparently neither is Donald Kingsbury, the author of Psychohistorical Crisis. Over a thousand years after the end of Asimov's original trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation), Kingsbury resumes the story during a crisis period of the Second Empire. The preservation of civilization once again depends on human ingenuity and insight (aided by the mathematics of psychohistory), not on manipulation by robotic protectors. I found Psychohistorical Crisis to be much more satisfying as a continuation of the original Foundation series than any of Asimov's later novels. It gets four stars due to the rushed ending. I only wish Kingsbury had taken more time, and maybe a hundred more pages, to finish.

As has been mentioned, Psychohistorical Crisis is a re-imagining of Asimov's Foundation series. Specifically, Kingsbury concentrates on how the science of Psychohistory could be used by the ruling elite to maintain law and order throughout the galaxy. But what happens if an opposing force was also able to use the same science to countermand the ruling parties policies?

This question is the basic premise for the events that unfold throughout the book. The story takes place over a span of a few decades and details how the opposition attempts to place a mole in the ruling party to try and sabotage the current policies of government. The story jumps back and forth in time, but this isn't as distracting as it seems since each period has its own distince events unfolding throughout.

The most interesting part of this story is the discussions the characters engage in concerning psychohistory, its mathemetics, and how it is used to govern trillions of people throughout the galaxy. Kingsbury has obviously put a lot of thought into what a science of psychohistory woould be and how mathematics would be used. Far from being dry reading, these discussions are actually quite though provoking.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book, detailing the actions of the characters, just wasn't as interesting. The characters are generally well thought out, but I never cared too much one way or the other for any of them. And the climax, which happens right at the very end of the book, wasn't that dramatic at all. It felt like a let down after the build up.

Overall, for a stimulating discussion of psychohistory and for his well done re-imaginging of the Foundation series, I give it 3 stars.

As a teenager, I avidly read Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and many of the younger writers. I thought there was no nobler calling than being an explorer of possible worlds. Then I grew up. Nothing wrong with SF: I also went to school, then I grew up.

So of course can anyone attempt a fresh visit to the world of the sacrosanct Foundation trilogy without disappointing? The Good Doctor Asimov himself failed in a way. Isn't Donald Kingsbury's attempt doomed? Yes, and no. "Yes" for the same reason that the Good Doctor failed: because the Foundation trilogy was written in the 40s and 50s, too long ago for a smooth continuation. But fortunately "No" because Kingsbury doesn't even try to reproduce the feel of the trilogy, he just tells it anew in his own style. He also expands on a few themes like the original trilogy's Visi-Sonor which in this book becomes the plot-critical, mind-expanding fam (personal-familiar).

Apart from that, Kingsbury creates his own characters, his own plot, and retells the critical aspects of the Foundation trilogy in his own words, e.g. when The Mule is referred to as Cloun-the-Stubborn or when Terminus is renamed Faraway. This literary device is justified since Psychohistorical Crisis takes place over 2000 years after the original trilogy. After all do we, two thousand years later, call Julius Caesar the more accurately pronounced Iulius Kezareh?

All in all, Kingsbury guides us on a fascinating tour of the later Foundation universe. Fun!

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

I am a long time science fiction fan and was very impressed by Psychohistorical Crisis. I believe the author creates an amazingly complex view of future civilization, very detailed with interesting characters and technical innovations. It is a mystery novel also, why was the fam of Eron Osa "executed"?, where is Zurnl? What is the relationship of Lord Hahukum to the Pscholars overall strategy for managing the Galaxy?, will the Smythosians succeed in challenging the Pscholars supremacy? Underlying the dense plot,(I'm much in disagreement with other reviewers here), is the mathematical theme, complicated at times, but logically intact and gives the whole a plausible quality, rare in science fiction. I was amused how astrology plays a role in the plot. I don't remember the Foundation trilogy well, I read it in junior high, but this work stands alone, a virtuoso effort. I plan to reread the Foundation. After reading "Crisis" I quickly got a copy of "Courtship Rite" and find it quite unique and imaginative. "Psychohistorical crisis", a great science ficition novel.

I was so fortunate to come across this fascinating book. Imagine that you find yourself appearing before a high court and being sentenced for some terrible crime -- except you can't remember who you are or what you did. And your brain enhancer/ memory keeper/ skills archive that's been with you since you learned to walk has been removed. What's going on?

The book combines the hard science of Ben Bova with a good yarn of Orson Scott Card. Written by a mathematician, this book continues in the universe established by Asimov years ago in a thoroughly engaging possible future taking place multiple thousand years from now. If you like Asimov, you'll love this book. If you've never read Asimov or hate him, guess what? You'll still love this book. Be patient in learning this new world. There's a lot of history to master and a few names to remember, but the journey is well worth the effort.

Cheers to the author!

This book is a FAR FUTURE look at how things have turned out in the Foundation Universe. It is not sanctioned by Asimov's estate (I have no idea why). This is a shame because this author has the courtesy to actually explore the future of Foundation (as compared to some authors (hint hint nudge nudge) who chose to "Explore Hari Seldon" as a character, something that the Good Doctor did quite comprehensively in Forward the Foundation and Prelude to Foundation and which is quite unnecessary, especially coming from outsiders. As Asimov himself said, Seldon was his alter ego and Bear, Benford and Brin (authors I ctually admire for their other work) really wasted a good opportunity to do something special with this amazing universe :(.

I know that all Foundation fans are really dying to know what happens after Foundation and Earth. What mode of governance wins (the Second Foundation, Terminus or Gaia?).

The premise of "Psychohistorical Crisis" is that the Second Foundation has won (doesn't say how). In any case, that won me over instantly (I was rooting for it after all ;-).

Since it is unofficial, Kingsbury has used different names for everything (planets, kingdoms, people) and so on. You might think that this is awful. However, after all that time, one would expect some distortion in terms of slightly different legends, names, etc. The genius of Kingsbury lies in the fact that he has constructed this universe to the logical evolution of Asimov's universe after several centuries!!! So, if you remember ANY of the original series, you cannot help but understand instantly what places and people he is referring to.
As a dedicated Asimov fan, I recommend this book to anyone who was dissatisfied with the "official" second Foundation trilogy and wants the REAL thing.

The reason I call Kingsbury a genius is that in his story, he has really addressed the concepts behind psychohistory (it's really a psychohistory novel, rather than a Foundation novel).

The REASONS for the name changes are part of his thesis!!! In some sense, the names have merely evolved after the fashion of a centuries-long game of 'Chinese Whispers'!!! (Any more and this would be a spoiler).