Foundation and Empire

Led by its founding father, the great  psycho-historian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its  superior science and technology, the Foundation  survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring  warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the  Empire--still the mightiest force in the Galaxy, even in its  death throes. When an ambitious general determined  to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast  Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for  the small planet of scholars and scientists lies  in the prophecies of Hari Seldon. But not even  Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the  extraordinary creature called the Mule-a mutant  intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle  fleets. . .a power that could turn the  strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.