For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire had ruled supreme. Now it is dying a slow death from entropy and corruption. Only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future - a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare. Knowledge will decay and order will vanish. Interstellar wars will be endless; interstellar trade will come to a halt. Populations will suffer catastrophic declines and worlds will lose touch with the main body of the Galaxy." "So to preserve the accumulated wisdom of the ages and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire - both scientists and scholars - and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.". "But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice. They can either submit to the barbarians and live as slaves - or take a stand for freedom and risk total destruction.