Anyone read the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov? I highly recommend it. Classic sci-fi at it's best.
Fifty thousand years in the future (and an age apart from the robot stories) the Galactic Empire flourishes. Every inhabited world in the galaxy is united in a grand hegemony. In this age of prosperity, Psychohistorian Hari Seldon predicts it's downfall. By studying the social factors of large groups of people he has determined that the empire will crumble and a thirty thousand year dark age lies ahead.
In an attempt to save civilisation, the Foundation is established - a small community of scholars, scientists and technicians on the fringes of the galaxy. Curiously enough, there are no psychohistorians. As the empire starts to show its weakness and the outer planets break away and regress into feudalism, the Foundation becomes an island of atomic power in a sea of hungry, deprived barbarians.
Salvor Hardin, the galaxy's most skilled manipulator and magnificent bastard, is faced with the task of keeping the foundation alive. And that's just the first part.
Also, atomic power is awesome. I know this was written in the fifties, but seriously... We SPLIT ATOMS and use it for energy. We change ELEMENTS. Tell me that isn't cool.
