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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.
Olaf Stapledon (1886-1950) was the author of many novels and nonfiction books, among them Last and First Men, Star Maker, and Odd John. Stapledon is considered one of the fathers of visionary science fiction, heir to H. G. Wells, and a major influence upon writers such as science fiction authors Arthur C. Clarke, Winston Churchill, and Nobel laureate Doris Lessing, as well as many American science fiction authors and scientists, including physicist Freeman Dyson. C. S. Lewis notably thought Stapledon “cracking good,” but was shaken by and reacted strongly to Stapledon’s dark vision. Stapledon’s novels are known for their sprawling scope, imaginative breadth, and philosophical depth, exploring themes of evolution, human consciousness, and the destiny of mankind across cosmic timescales.
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