Sir patrick moore said "this novel Last and First Men is immensely thought-provoking and I've read it time and time again. Profound in the extreme - loved, lauded and recommended by the best SF writers. Last and first men: a story of the near and Far Future is a science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon.

Stapledon's conception of history is 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 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. Epic science fiction classic! "No book before or since has ever had such an impact on my imagination.

Arthur c clarke - a work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across 2 billion years and 18 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 up to now fictional supermind; a consciousness composed of many telepathically-linked individuals.

Star Maker

This is the first scholarly edition of a book that influenced such writers as C. S. The story details the mental journey of an unnamed narrator who is transported not only to other worlds but also other galaxies and parallel universes, until he eventually becomes part of the "cosmic mind. First published in 1937, olaf stapledon's descriptions of alien life are a political commentary on human life in the turbulent inter-war years.

Clarke and which Jorge Luis Borges called "a prodigious novel. ". The book challenges preconceived notions of intelligence and awareness, and ultimately argues for a broadened perspective that would free us from culturally ingrained thought and our inevitable anthropomorphism. Lewis and Arthur C. Widely regarded as one of the true classics of science fiction, Star Maker is a poetic and deeply philosophical work.

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Star Maker

This snowballing process is paralleled by the expansion of the book's scale, describing more and more planets in less and less detail. The disembodied travelers encounter many ideas that are interesting from both science-fictional and philosophical points of view. These include the first known instance of what is now called the dyson sphere; a reference to a scenario closely predicting the later zoo hypothesis or Star Trek's Prime Directive; many imaginative descriptions of species, civilizations and methods of warfare; descriptions of the Multiverse; and the idea that the stars and even pre-galactic nebulae are intelligent beings, operating on vast time scales.

A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Star maker is a science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, published in 1937. The book describes a history of life in the universe, Last and First Men 1930, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, a history of the human species over two billion years.

Star maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. He discovers that his own cosmos is only one of a vast number, and by no means the most significant. A symbiotic species, each individual composed of two species, both non-humanoid, is discussed in detail.

Normally detached from the galaxy's turmoil, they intervene in a deus ex machina to end the threat of a civilization dedicated to the idea of total insanity trying to force its mentality onto one stellar civilization after another. This element makes the novel one of Stapledon's efforts to write "an essay in myth making".

Odd John and Sirius

If anything, we have moved closer to the stage when conflict between superior and sapient man is imminent. Stapledon uses his powers — intellectual, imaginative, and observant — to detail the conflict in its very "human" form. Odd john and Sirius are something else besides explorations of superbeings.

Sirius, deals with quite another being — an alien intelligence, who is not only superior to his own kind, a dog with superhuman mentality, although the logical successor to Odd John, artificially produced, but rejected by those with whom he has most in common. In the list of modern science fiction personalities, the late British philosopher and novelist W.

What is more, he has to decide what to do with his gifts. Stapledon is capable of a great deal of humor and tongue-in-cheek description. Olaf Stapledon is prominent. Last and first men and starmaker are generally considered to be the finest future histories ever written, the gage by which all earlier and later works are measured.

Odd john and sirius are no less accurate in dealing with the problem in another guise. The central question is: if and when a superior being is introduced into a culture, one day, how will either survive? Stapledon’s answers are by no means romantic fantasies; they are the pathetic, realistic conclusions which we, may be forced to accept.

Odd john is the definitive fictionalization of the mutated superman. After a strange birth and childhood, John is suddenly compelled to accept the fact that he is different.

Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future

The classic future history of human intelligence from one of the fathers of science fiction. In his epic last and first men olaf stapledon decribes the evolution of mankind through the ages, descending to the depths of near-extinction at the next, reaching the very heights of civilization at one point, but always developing new thoughts, surviving onslaughts from other planets and overcoming the waning of solar energy, new abilities and new means of survival.

. The enormous scope of this great classic makes it one of the finest future histories ever written, a true master work of science fiction.

Last Men in London

Since its purpose is not the characterization of individual human beings, no effort has been made to endow its few persons with distinctive personalities. There is no plot, except the theme of man's struggle in this awkward age to master himself and to come to terms with the universe. Though this is a work of fiction, it does not pretend to be a novel.

. It has no hero but man.

Evolution

The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. Evolution leaves the reader with a haunting portrayal of the distant future.

Times literary Supplement “A breath of fresh air. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. The miracle of evolution is that it makes the triumph of life, which is its story, sound like the real story.

The washington Post Book World. Why should humanity escape this fate?Praise for Evolution“Spectacular. The new york times book review“strong imagination, a capacity for awe, and the ability to think rigorously about vast and final things abound in the work of Stephen Baxter. It shows the sweep and grandeur of life in its unrelenting course.

Against the Fall of Night

Alaine of Lyndar. This cryptic message takes Alvin on a quest to discover humanity’s true past—and its future. But according to the oldest histories kept by the city fathers, there is no outside world—it was destroyed by the Invaders millions of years ago. Give my greetings to the Keeper of the Records.

One day, alvin finds a rock with an inscription seemingly meant for him: “There is a better way. Living in the ten-billion-year-old city of Diaspar, Alvin is the last child born of humanity, and he is intensely curious about the outside world. The renowned science fiction author’s landmark novel of the last human born on a far future world—and his quest for the truth about existence.

Clarke is one of the truly prophetic figures of the space age. The new Yorker. Originally published in the november 1948 issue of startling Stories, Against the Fall of Night is a rich and intensely poetic vision of a distant future that’s sure to delight fans of Clarke and science fiction as a genre.

Darkness and the Light

Stapledon projects two separate futures for humanity, depending not on the outcome of World War II but on the failure or success of a future "Tibetan Renaissance" to influence the temper and ideology of the militaristic empires that threaten it.

This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook

Our last chance to save the world as we know it. It has facts to arm you, pages to fill in and pages to rip out, stories to empower you, alongside instructions on how to rebel - from organising a roadblock to facing arrest. Act now before it's too late. This is a book of truth and action. Now or never, we need to be radical.

. Now you can become part of the movement - and together, we can make history. It's time. This is our last chance to do anything about the global climate and ecological emergency. Extinction rebellion are inspiring a whole generation to take action on climate breakdown. By the time you finish this book you will have become an Extinction Rebellion activist.

And we need to rebel. Extinction rebellion is a global activist movement of ordinary people, demanding action from Governments. We need to rise up.

Sirius

Raised and educated in trelone's own family alongside Plaxy, his youngest daughter, Sirius is a truly remarkable and gifted creature. His relationship with the trelones, is deep and close, particularly with Plaxy, and his inquiring mind ranges across the spectrum of human knowledge and experience. Sirius is thomas trelone's great experiment - a huge, handsome dog with the brain and intelligence of a human being.

. But sirius isn't human and the conflicts and inner turmoil that torture him cannot be resolved.