CliffsNotes on Asimov's Foundation Trilogy and Other Works by L David Allen (1977, E-book)

The foundation trilogy won the hugo award beating out lord of the rings for the best trilogy. This work is in a nutshell the rise and fall of the roman empire in a glatic sense. It has a great story line and plot twists that will make this hard to put down. A must read for any sci-fi fan i consider this is greatest work. Here is a synopsis
The premise of the series is that Hari Seldon has spent his life developing a branch of mathematics known as psychohistory, a concept devised by Asimov and his editor John W. Campbell. Using the law of mass action, it can predict the future, but only on a large scale; it is useless for anything smaller than a planet or an empire. Using these techniques, Seldon foresees the fall of the Galactic Empire, which encompasses the entire Milky Way, and a dark age lasting thirty thousand years before a second great empire arises. To shorten the period of barbarism, he decides to create the Foundation, a small secluded haven of technology on the planet Terminus, to preserve knowledge of the physical sciences after the collapse. If done properly, only a thousand years would be required before the next empire is established.