Foundation and Empire

It's really rare that I like a second book more than the first, but I found Foundation and Empire much more gripping than Foundation itself. Probably, it has to do with the fact that I get two longer stories instead of 5 short ones. I had more more time to attach myself to characters. I loved Riose as a villain in the first chapter and Bayta as a hero in the second. Part of what kept me from adoring the first book was a lack of any real woman character. I understand that books are a piece of the time they are written in, and I wouldn't have held it against Asimov for not including any, but the presence of Bayta really shows how well he mapped out the evolution of human society. The Mule is a powerful force too, and the ending is pushing me right into the third book.