The Mule - Asimov (1946)

Isaac Asimov wrote the Foundation trilogy in the late 40's. He was inspired by Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' to write a history of a galactic empire set from the perspective of it's aftermath. This was done as a series of short stories and novellas that concentrated on 'the Foundation'.
Near the end of the Fall, one man used a mathematical science called 'psychohistory' to predict not only the actual fall, but also to chart a way to shorten the resulting dark age. He did this by choosing a planet on the edge of the galaxy and setting up a group called the Foundation. Their position would enable them to survive the collapse and form the basis for the next empire. They would face a series of crises in which they would always be on the right side of history. Each story deals with one of these events.
'The Mule' is the oldest Hugo winner (and the first on my list). It tells of a single man with a mutation that let him act in a way that the Plan couldn't predict. That made him a singular threat to the Foundation. Could he derail the forces of history itself?
The story unfolds (like most of Asimov's work) as a puzzle. Our view of the Mule is only from other, unreliable people. His powers are mysterious and shadowy. It works as a story but it's not my favorite type of work. I like the scope and the cleverness but the characters aren't all that compelling.
This was awarded as a 'retro-Hugo' award fifty years after it was first published. The entire trilogy was awarded a Hugo for best ever series in the mid sixties. Asimov himself thought that Lord of the Rings would win that award, but they chose his instead. I think this Hugo was more to award that award than for actual recognition of this particular story.
The whole series is worth reading but not any kind of must read for sci-fi fans. I first read it in my teen years and didn't think to go back to it for nearly twenty years. Make of that what you will.