The first book in the Galactic Empire series, the spectacular precursor to the classic Foundation series, by one of history’s most influential writers of science fiction, Isaac Asimov His name was Biron Farrill and he was a student at the University of Earth. A native of one of the helpless Nebular Kingdoms, he saw his home world conquered and controlled by the planet Tyrann—a ruthless, barbaric Empire that was building a dynasty of cruelty and domination among the stars. Farrill’s own father had been executed for trying to resist the Tyrann dictatorship and now someone was trying to kill Biron. But why? His only hope for survival lay in fleeing Earth and joining the rebellion that was rumored to be forming somewhere in the Kingdoms. But once he cast his lot with the freedom fighters, he would find himself guarding against treachery on every side and facing the most difficult choice of all: to betray either the woman he loved or the revolution that was the last hope for the future.
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"I enjoy Asimov books. My only regret is not reading them in order. When I finished this one, it clearly continues into the next book, but I haven't read the preceding books yet. Having just finished the Stieg Larsson series, I'm not yet ready to commit to another series but plan to at some point. "
— Jen (4 out of 5 stars)
" This book starts slow and I almost quit reading it. But I soldiered on and by the 3rd or 4th chapter it picked up and I could recognize it as a quintessential Asimov novel. Oddly enough, the end of the book was a bit too short and to the point. I felt like the last few chapters could have been fleshed out a bit more. "
— Ben, 2/18/2014" Never read a review of this book. You'll spoil it. You can only read it once. "
— Wolf, 2/15/2014" This must be the most disappointing book by Asimov I've ever read. As imaginative and brilliant as he might have been, Asimov just wasn't that great at writing romance. But I think I'll forgive him, since I read that even he didn't like the book very much. "
— Sharon, 2/12/2014" Not one of Asimov's best probably accounting for the comparive rarity of this novel and it's counterparts in the Empire Series. "
— Caleb, 2/6/2014" I'm starting to get the feel for Asimov's writing style. His stories seem to fit to a predefined story arc. I guessed very early on what the "document from earth" was and I knew that, come the end, the hero would reveal hidden knowledge that he had worked out in his head, which would of course be true. "
— Cory, 1/15/2014" I like the plot a lot, although the ending is too simple. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and would read it again. "
— Pkiszk, 1/11/2014" I found this book a lot better written and thought out than the robot series. The characters had more flesh to them and the plot moved along logically. Great twist at the end. "
— Du, 1/5/2014" This is one of Asimovs first works, I believe, and it shows. I'm giving him a mulligan on this one. "
— Kevin, 12/31/2013" Asimov never fails. This is a great ride through the galaxy and he brings it "home" nicely. "
— Andrew, 11/29/2013Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was born in the Soviet Union and came to the United States in 1923. He earned his PhD in chemistry in 1948, and in 1958 became a full-time writer. His writings include the Foundation Trilogy; I, Robot; Tomorrow’s Children; and numerous works of nonfiction touching on a range of scientific topics. Among his accolades are six Hugo awards, a SFWA Grand Master Award, and high praise from such luminaries as Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, and Gene Roddenberry.