Foundation and Empire vs Foundation's Edge: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Psychohistory, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Life on other planets, Science Fiction, Fiction
Foundation and Empire
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Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet…
Foundation's Edge
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After the defeat of the Mule by the Second Foundation, Terminus enjoys a period of prosperity and stability which is publicly attributed to the Seldon Plan, but which some feel is the work of the Second Foundation. A…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Foundation and Empire is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 8 for Foundation's Edge.
- Foundation and Empire has the widest readership — 233120 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Foundation and Empire | Foundation's Edge | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (233120) | 4.2 (101379) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (1247) | 4.1 (613) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (15) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (988) | 4.5 (582) |
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Reception
| Foundation and Empire | Foundation's Edge | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 233120 | 101379 |
| Editions | 82 | 60 |
| Citations | — | 13 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 78784 | 44261 |
| Reading it now | 8162 | 2863 |
| Written reviews | 6745 | 2782 |
| Wikipedia attention | 5570 | 4351 |
| Pages | 224 | 451 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Foundation and Empire or Foundation's Edge?
Foundation and Empire has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Foundation and Empire 4.2/5, Foundation's Edge 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Foundation and Empire or Foundation's Edge?
Foundation and Empire is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Foundation and Empire (224 pages, ≈ 4 h 09 m); Foundation's Edge (451 pages, ≈ 8 h 21 m).
Which is harder to read: Foundation and Empire or Foundation's Edge?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Foundation and Empire: Challenging; Foundation's Edge: Moderate.