Olaf Stapledon

Last and First Men, And, Starmaker, by Olaf Stapledon (pbk) Two Sci-fi Novels

John Balek

Last and First Men
Last and First Men is a history of the future. This is a really interesting topic for a book. I am someone who loves futurism and and how people of the past viewed the future. Unfortunately I enjoyed this book more so in concept than in execution. 

I did enjoy a lot of sections of this book but I was also faced with many dull and dry sections that really lost me. It seems like Stapledon had a lot of great ideas going into this book but didn't really have a good way to fully flesh them out. The quality of ideas and how they are conveyed are very inconsistent; some are really interesting and I get why some people love this book but others feel lacking. 

The first 100 pages or so were an interesting mix of intrigue and confusion. I liked certain elements of his futurism. Reading about countries of our modern work was like reading the recap of someone's game of Risk or Civilization. Stapledon is able to predict many elements of our modern world but just as often he is wildly off track. 

When it comes to great futurism there are three essential elements: Philosophy, Science, and Anthropology. It's clear that Stapledon has a great grasp on philosophy but he is greatly lacking in the other two. Part of this is him being a product of his time but considering he is a highly educated man you would think he would be more balanced in his education.

After a while, the book becomes more fantasy than anything as we get farther away from the world we recognize. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is a weird jump as the book starts being rather factual, or wanting to present itself as such.

Another issue that detracted from my reading experience was Stapledon's lack of understanding other cultures. It is a very minor point of the book but he seems to only know about racial stereotypes when it comes to non-European cultures. Considering he is trying to write about the history of humanity you would think he would have more of an understanding and interest in other cultures. I've read worse things in books from this time period but considering the subject of the book it really detracts from what could have been achieved. 

The only other Sci-Fi book I've read from this time period is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Last and First Men was published two years prior but I think BNW is a far more interesting and timeless book (and I don't think it's perfect by any means).

The ending of First and Last Men is a chance for Stapledon to express his philosophical ideology, ad nauseam which I felt wasn't deserved after his inconsistent narrative. If he was able to craft a more compelling narrative I might have felt differently but by this time I was ready to be done.

Star Maker
I enjoy Star Maker more than Last and First Men but I thought it still suffered from many of the same issues. It was inconsistent in the quality of its ideas and dry at times. It was a better structured story, keeping on track and more engaging but I still suffered from periods of boredom. Many of Stapledon's comments on society and the world of his current time are very obvious. They don't feel that well veiled in the narrative of the world he creates. 

I should say that my interest in big ideas, such as the make up of the universe, has never been too strong. If you are more interested in this subject I can see you finding a lot of enjoyment in this book but for me I lost grasp of the world he was trying to convey and loss interest after that. 

I can definitely see how this is a great and influential book in Science Fiction. Unfortunately, I appreciate it more for its concept than its execution.

Last and First Men, And, Starmaker, by Olaf Stapledon (pbk) Two Sci-fi Novels

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