Last and First Men, abridged edition
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A dazzling work of science fiction to which Dune, the Foundation trilogy, and 2001: A Space Odyssey owe a major debt.
Narrated telepathically by one of the Last Men, Olaf Stapledon’s epic history of the future caused a literary sensation when it first appeared in 1930. Over the course of two billion years, it seems, ever more alien versions of humankind will rise and fall — developing every sort of utopian and dystopian civilization only to descend into savagery again and again, until eventually the Earth’s resources are depleted.
This abridged edition takes us from the fall of the First Men to the initial efforts of the Fifth Men, the “last Terrestrials,” to colonize other planets!
Olaf Stapledon
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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