Foundation and Earth vs Foundation and Empire: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Psychohistory, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Life on other planets, Science Fiction, Fiction

Cover of Foundation and Earth

Foundation and Earth Isaac Asimov · 1986 ★★★★☆ 4.1 522 pages · ≈ 9 h 40 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of Foundation and Empire

Foundation and Empire Isaac Asimov · 1945 ★★★★☆ 4.2 224 pages · ≈ 4 h 09 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
Foundation and Empire is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 9 for Foundation and Earth.
Foundation and Earth is the easier read (Moderate), Foundation and Empire more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side