Scan barcode
A review by miserable_biscuit
Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future by Olaf Stapledon
4.0
Last and First Men is a science fiction novel that chronicles human history from the First Men to the Last Men, encompassing 2 billion years. The scope of the book is breathtaking. Spreading its gaze far into the future, it involves speculative fiction, social commentary, and philosophical ideas.
Apocalyptic fiction has always been a favourite of mine—books like The Road, Earth Abides, On the Beach and The Stand. This book, however, is in a league entirely of its own. A while back, I read an articled called The Comforts of the Apocalypse that hailed Last and First Men as the most realistic in the genre of apocalyptic fiction. (It was this article, incidentally, that led me to Last and First Men in the first place.) The author contended that most apocalypse writers have created their works on the idea that people of this current age believe, which is that our problems are the most serious of all time and will probably end in our destruction. Stapledon, the author wrote, was the only one besides George Orwell in 1984 to realise that even the most all-encompassing dystopia or apocalypse need not be the end of humanity. Devastating catastrophes on the scale of nuclear armageddon happen numerous times in the book. It is this refusal to believe that the worries of our time are the worries that will end all humanity that lends a huge amount of credibility to Stapledon’s book.
There was a poetic beauty to the book that I’ve yet to see in other books of science fiction. It is also full of philosophical thoughts on the nature of existence, and the acceptance of reality.
Last and First Men is an incredible imaginative achievement. No other book of speculative fiction has affected me so deeply. Stapledon broached the subject of humanity’s future with both the dispassionate aloofness of a scientist and the skill of an artist. It is his excellent blend of the two that makes this a masterpiece.
There were, however, things about the book that irked me. Stapledon seemed to get very bogged down in minute examinations of the subsequent human cultures in the middle of the book. The book wouldn’t have suffered if a large portion of this was extracted.
Also, Stapledon’s attitude regarding gender and sexuality seemed dated. There is no mention of any sexual orientation other than heterosexual in any of his numerous digressions on the sexuality of subsequent human species, and women seem to take a background role to men. The only time that a woman was important to the story was as a sexual or maternal symbol.
Despite this, I loved reading Last and First Men. It has had a great influence on me, and I’m glad I read it. The subject matter, the beauty of its prose, and its incredible scope all come together to make this one of my favourite books.
Apocalyptic fiction has always been a favourite of mine—books like The Road, Earth Abides, On the Beach and The Stand. This book, however, is in a league entirely of its own. A while back, I read an articled called The Comforts of the Apocalypse that hailed Last and First Men as the most realistic in the genre of apocalyptic fiction. (It was this article, incidentally, that led me to Last and First Men in the first place.) The author contended that most apocalypse writers have created their works on the idea that people of this current age believe, which is that our problems are the most serious of all time and will probably end in our destruction. Stapledon, the author wrote, was the only one besides George Orwell in 1984 to realise that even the most all-encompassing dystopia or apocalypse need not be the end of humanity. Devastating catastrophes on the scale of nuclear armageddon happen numerous times in the book. It is this refusal to believe that the worries of our time are the worries that will end all humanity that lends a huge amount of credibility to Stapledon’s book.
There was a poetic beauty to the book that I’ve yet to see in other books of science fiction. It is also full of philosophical thoughts on the nature of existence, and the acceptance of reality.
Last and First Men is an incredible imaginative achievement. No other book of speculative fiction has affected me so deeply. Stapledon broached the subject of humanity’s future with both the dispassionate aloofness of a scientist and the skill of an artist. It is his excellent blend of the two that makes this a masterpiece.
There were, however, things about the book that irked me. Stapledon seemed to get very bogged down in minute examinations of the subsequent human cultures in the middle of the book. The book wouldn’t have suffered if a large portion of this was extracted.
Also, Stapledon’s attitude regarding gender and sexuality seemed dated. There is no mention of any sexual orientation other than heterosexual in any of his numerous digressions on the sexuality of subsequent human species, and women seem to take a background role to men. The only time that a woman was important to the story was as a sexual or maternal symbol.
Despite this, I loved reading Last and First Men. It has had a great influence on me, and I’m glad I read it. The subject matter, the beauty of its prose, and its incredible scope all come together to make this one of my favourite books.