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One moment a man sits on a suburban hill, gazing curiously at the
stars. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps
the most remarkable of all science fiction journeys has begun. Even
Stapledon's other great work, LAST AND FIRST MEN, pales in ambition
next to STAR MAKER, which presents nothing less than an entire
imagined history of life in the universe, encompassing billions of
years.
One of the most extraordinary, imaginative and ambitious novels of
the century: a history of the evolution of humankind over the next
2 billion years. Among all science fiction writers Olaf Stapledon
stands alone for the sheer scope and ambition of his work. First
published in 1930, Last and First Men is full of pioneering
speculations about evolution, terraforming, genetic engineering and
many other subjects.
John Wainwright is a freak, a human mutation with an extraordinary
intelligence which is both awesome and frightening to behold.
Ordinary humans are mere playthings to him. And Odd John has a plan
to create a new order on Earth, a new supernormal species. But the
world is not ready for such a change ...
This early work by Olaf Stapledon was originally published in 1914
and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory
biography. 'Latter-Day Psalms' is a collection of poetry. William
Olaf Stapledon was born on 10th May 1886 in Wallasey, on the Wirral
Peninsula near Liverpool, in England. He completed a Ph.D. in
philosophy at the University of Liverpool and his first published
work of prose A Modern Theory of Ethics (1929) was based on his
doctoral thesis. The following year, Stapledon published his first
work of fiction Last and First Men (1930), the success of which
enabled him to become a full-time writer. He had a great impact in
the field of science fiction, influencing notable authors such as
Arthur C. Clarke and Brian Aldiss.
This early work by Olaf Stapledon was originally published in 1916
and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory
biography. 'The Seed and the Flower' is a science fiction short
story. William Olaf Stapledon was born on 10th May 1886 in
Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula near Liverpool, in England. He
completed a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Liverpool and
his first published work of prose A Modern Theory of Ethics (1929)
was based on his doctoral thesis. The following year, Stapledon
published his first work of fiction Last and First Men (1930), the
success of which enabled him to become a full-time writer. He had a
great impact in the field of science fiction, influencing notable
authors such as Arthur C. Clarke and Brian Aldiss.
Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future is a "future
history" science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British
author Olaf Stapledon. A work of unprecedented scale in the genre,
it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards
across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of
which our own is the first and most primitive. Stapledon's
conception of history is based on the Hegelian Dialectic, following
a repetitive cycle with many varied civilizations rising from and
descending back into savagery over millions of years, but it is
also one of progress, as the later civilizations rise to far
greater heights than the first. The book anticipates the science of
genetic engineering, and is an early example of the fictional
supermind; a consciousness composed of many telepathically-linked
individuals. A controversial part of the book depicts humans, in
the far-off future, escaping the dying Earth and settling on Venus
- in the process totally exterminating its native inhabitants, an
intelligent marine species. Stapledon's book has been interpreted
by some as condoning such interplanetary genocide as a justified
act if necessary for racial survival, though a number of
Stapledon's partisans denied that such was his intention, arguing
instead that Stapledon was merely showing that although mankind had
advanced in a number of ways in the future, at bottom it still
possessed the same capacity for savagery as it has always had.
Star Maker is a science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, published
in 1937. Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the
essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship
between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of
progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Some
of the elements and themes in Star Maker prefigure later fiction
concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. Arthur C.
Clarke considered Star Maker to be one of the finest works of
science fiction ever written.
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