Customer Reviews

Last and First Men and Last Men in London

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow! Stapledon is an excellent sci fi writer and an excellent philosopher of the human condition.

There are no ordinary characters in this story. The protagonist is humanity, and this is humanity's autobiography. Or perhaps the story is better understood as a family saga, with each succeeding race of humanity as a new character, from the First Men (that's us) through the Last Men in the way far future.

Again and again, over a vast span of time, humanity waxes and wanes, flourishes and is nearly extinguished, sinks to barbarism and rediscovers a religion of selfless love. Humanity takes on new forms and moves to new planets. In the moments when humanity is capable of philosophical and spiritual reflection, it is plagued by recurring issues--in particular, by the tension between two of its greatest spiritual attainments: (1) a deep love for and identification with all life and the passionate desire for all life to continue and to be free of suffering, and (2) a dispassionate aesthetic appreciation of fate, a mystical awe at the beauty of the drama of the cosmos, including individual and racial suffering and extinction.

The story is engaging, and I was awed by how clearly articulated and how deeply explored is this basic paradox of spirituality. Like two of my favorite authors, Nancy Mairs and Annie Dillard, Stapledon takes a clear and unflinching look at the pain and angst of life in this universe and manages to find hope and beauty. Just two small gripes: it gets a little too pedantic at the very end, and the editor should have deleted about 90% of the occurrences of the word "extravagant." If you like science fiction with deep ideas, or if you like spiritual or philosophical reflection and think you can at least tolerate the sci fi genre, I highly recommend this book.

I also highly recommend Stapledon's "Sirius."

After 20 years of reading about Last and First Men I have found it at last. If your idea of a novel is a book about people's relationships, it may not be for you. That particular element of novels bores me to death and this is more my idea of a compelling read. The history of mankind from 1930 to a few billion years hence is pre-written by a philosopher and fantasist possessed of a great and unquiet mind, inhuman but not inhumane as someone has well put it. On no account skip the opening chapters, whatever anyone tells you. The fact that S got the world's history 1930-2003 completely wrong is not the point -- the rest of it will almost certainly prove to be all wrong too, if we think like that. What these first chapters do is to get us into the author's weird exalted and passionless mindset. He is not so much on another planet as in an alternative universe. It is entirely to the book's advantage that he has no grasp of Realpolitik and even that he has no detectable sense of humour -- when I was beginning to feel the latter as a lack I came to the only bit where he ascribes humour to any of his characters, a race of monkeys depicted in general unsympathetically and not least for their possession of this deplorable characteristic. That put me in my place I can tell you. From start to finish I got no sense of either pity or cruelty as he chronicles the the periodic near-annihilations that overtake the various successive human races, and while his account of the systematic extermination of the intelligent life on Venus filled me with a wrenching sense of tragedy that I did not feel for any of the mankinds the author himself seemed as unmoved as ever. If Wuthering Heights was written by an eagle, who or what wrote Last and First Men? Of other human proclivities I can report that sex is methodically accorded its place in a thorough and businesslike manner reminiscent of Peter Simple's great sexologist Professor Heinz Kiosk (assisted by Dr Melisande Fischbein). Of anything I would recognise as love or affection or friendship I can find not a trace.

Non hic mortalem uexantia sidera sortem
Aeternosue tulit sollicitare deos.

-- 'here he has not gone so far as to trouble the eternal gods or the stars that blight our human lot.' That comes in Star Maker. Here the 18th and last men are trapped in our solar system when final doom reaches out from the stars. Next -- Star Maker, which makes this book seem parochial.

Olaf Stapleton has made a novel, not just of science fiction, but of philosophy and the future of mankind. From the first man to the last, we follow mankind, how it develops, the problems it faces, not only in their changing environments, but also their social problems and the problems within mankind's mind. Sometimes Mr. Stapleton only hints at the details and problems as he takes us across history in leaps of thousands and, sometimes, millions of years. I take a point away for his use of 'telepathic' powers within the story and the fact that he seems to think that man needs millions of years to change cultures or even invent such things as rocket flight! But rememeber that this man's works effected later generations of thinkers, sci-fi writers and scientists.

If you liked this book, you might wish to try getting 'Star Maker' by the same author.

Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men was written in 1930 before the term science fiction had come into common usage. Stapledon was often amazed that his work had been categorized in this new genre, but such was the uniqueness of his vision combined with the sudden acceptance of this new literary scene when it had achieved enough mass that Last and First Men quickly became a SF classic. Arthur C. Clarke often cites this work as one of the most influential books of all time. It is hard not to see why. The creative thought on the page is nothing less than Stapledon describing the history of the universe from start to finish... and what an imagination he has. It is virtually unparalleled by anything else out there, highly original, all which make it popular and such a mentally exhaustive and deep read.

Last and First Men finds it hard to get a reception by modern SF audiences because of the style of the work. It lacks characters or even a focus outside of evolution and civilizations, but that is what makes it such a brainstorming bombshell. Instead of the usual character driven accounts, Last and First Men is written as a history lesson of the universe from the view of humans who evolve through over eighteen forms, through several civilizations, on several worlds, in a universe that also changes with them. This is hard science fiction, but science fiction that should be read.

If you are a seasoned SF reader who needs a personality orientated story and doesn't have time for history, then this book is not for you. For those who don't mind an account of a series of events, as a historical narrative, spanning densely through some 300 pages, then it would be a shame to avoid this classic epic. The best time to read this work is when you have some grounding in the development of civilizations, how they compete and some knowledge of biological evolution. If these things can hold your interesting then go for Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men as soon as you can. This work has a tendency to impress scientists, historians, cosmologists more than seasoned fiction readers. It is virtually a fiction passing as a non-fiction presentation. It will make you think outside of the box.

Stapleton's tale encompasses Balkan Europe, Europe's downfall, America and China, an Americanized planet, the fall of the first men, transition periods, the rise of the second men, the Martian attacks, earth and mars, the third men in the wilderness, man remaking himself, the last terrestrials, humanity on Venus, Neptune, the last men and the last of man. One of the most memorable scenes is of humans who have evolved into rodents because of environmental catastrophes but have retained human hands, later evolving back into humans again. Others include winged civilizations committing mass suicide by flying into a Volcano or the development of a huge brain to understand the world and the cosmos and everything in it.

Stapleton's account is profoundly imaginative. He expands your awareness of existence and this is what counts. You come away feeling so small in such a vast development of everything and yet this is the kind of thinking that helped launch writers such as Clarke onto the picture. The best advice on reading this is to wait for the right time, when your brain needs to just launch itself across the full dynamics of the cosmos and everything in it. Only then can you truly appreciate the vision that is on the page.

Last and First Men is not so much a story as a history of mankind from 1914 to about a billion years in the future, a board overview of about 17 species of Humans over that time period. It doesn't have indiviual characters as mankind itself as the protagonist.

This is not a book for people who want a traditional story. This is a book for people who like to read books about history, who like accounts over long timeframes, who like Truley Epic stories. The kind of people who buy computer games with thick plots, or who want to know more about the background history and politics of a fantasy world. Stapleton traces the rise and fall of a number of civilizations, the reasons, the dark ages between them, with the evolution of the various men. He puts a lot of thought into how each civilization works and what leads to it's fall, usually some fatal flaw that is never compensated for, all withen some kind of philsophical/spiritual context. As Stapleton himself says, he is constructing a "Myth".

Admittly, it has it's flaws. The first 50 pages or so seem rather strange in the context of the history of the 20th century since 1930, when Stapleton published this book. There are no Atomic/Nuclear Weapons(though there is something that may be called a fusion weapon ), coal-powered airplanes are described at one point, the Nazis don't exist and mentions of the "League of Nations" in 2300 AD just seems bizarre. A number of Human species are completely glossed over, so out of the 17, we really only learn about half that many. Stapleton is a Philospher and it shows, going on diatribes at times that occasionally gets a little thick for the normal reader.

I liked this book and found it facinating, though I also am interested in the whole of human history, including the hypotheicals of the future. Not everyone will, due to the lack of characters, but hopefully people will give it a chance.

Last and First Men is probably the ultimate book of human evolution. First published in 1930, Olaf Stapledon writes a "history" of mankind's future over a period of two billion years.

The book starts with an introduction by one of the Last Men. He has projected his mind two billion years into the past and taken control of the mind of one of the First Men, represented as Olaf Stapledon.

Through the writer we get an account of mankind's progress, with his triumphs and achievements, his highs and lows. We alternately go through phases of enlightenment and barbarism, as the book describes eighteen different species of Man. The First Men (homo sapiens) are the most primitive.

This book is written rather like a textbook. There are no actual characters, as you would find in a novel. Because the story goes over two billion years, it's a book you can read at a slow, relaxed pace. It took me over a month to read. This is not a book you can rush through. Sometimes you have to read carefully, to understand what the "possessed" writer is describing.

Last and First Men makes you feel very small and insignicant. The first few chapters are badly dated, which Gregory Benford advises the reader to skip, but after the collapse of the First Men, the book begins to take off. It's like an incredibly long journey: full of twists and turns, unexpected diversions and unfamiliar scenery.

This book has been an inspiration to such authors as Arthur C. Clarke and Kim Stanley Robinson.

Last and First Men is a science fiction novel that tells the epic story of Humans from the early 1900s to billions of years in the future and everything in between.

The book was written in the 1930s, so be prepared for some 'Oh, come on!' moments. But, also be prepared for some really good science fiction that would hold its weight today. To enjoy this book for what its worth, you must understand the limits of scientific knowledge at the time. This will help ease the pain of his most mis-targeted predictions and fully appreciate his keen insight and imagination.

I personally did not like the writing style. There are no real characters and it borders on having the feeling of reading a history book. You will probably not get any real emotional connection with the story or root for the humans or anything like that. He speaks of the periods of time in large swaths that further tone down any climactic events that unfold. A typical example would be like: "and so humanity went through several million years in this social structure with many ups and downs and near extinctions". There was way too much of that type of glazing over for my taste. Granted he is covering a lot of time, but he could have written the story better.

I was quite impressed with his imagination and insightful predications about science and culture given when he wrote the book. For instance, the issue of energy depletion is a major theme in several parts of the book. He invents a rather imaginative Martian organism that has a biology and mindset completely different from our own and he backs it up with some believable scientific explanations. He envisions several stages of wild genetic engineering and this is where the book shines. He also tackles some heavy moral issues especially involving war and species dominance. However, he has some gaping oversights, unlikely events, and misguided science throughout. For instance, throughout these *billions* of years including some rather advanced human societies, humans never leave the solar system. I personally find that unlikely assuming we survive that long.

This book was a good attempt at a great idea; quite unique in the sci-fi realm. A bit hard to read but full of stuff to make you think.

This one is something else again. My first copy cost five pence, second-hand; I was in my mid-teens and hadn't the faintest idea what I was getting into. Stapledon - who he? I read it from cover to cover that same evening, and the world changed. This book single-handedly spoiled my tolerance for about ninety-five per cent of science fiction. After watching humanity evolve through seventeen different species, three or four planets and aeons of time, I found that lasers and phasers and maidens from Mars just didn't cut it any more. The change of perspective was dizzying; the wealth of invention would dwarf an entire library of Isaac Asimov. The first few chapters may have been dated by events (the book's "future" starts in the 1930s, when it was written), but they still provide an interesting highlight on some of the author's attitudes. Once the narrative progresses beyond the first World State, though, it leaps from triumph to triumph, ever faster and more vertiginous, from the Martian invasion to the Great Brains to the Flying Men and their luminous suicide, from Earth to Venus and finally to Neptune, where the last species of humanity awaits its extinction with dignity. Stapledon wrote several other books of equal stature, including Sirius, Odd John, Last Men in London and the sublime Star Maker. Find them and grab them. In this age of Global Village parochialism and mindless heroics, we need perspectives like Stapledon's to keep our eyes open.

Prior to the publication of "Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future" in 1930, Olaf Stapledon had already published a couple of short stories, poems, including a book of poetry, a non-fiction book "A Modern Theory of Ethics: A Study of the Relations of Ethics and Psychology", and numerous essays. However, this was his first book of fiction, and remains, if not his most famous work, than one of his two most famous works. While clearly Stapledon's fictional work falls into the category of science fiction, in many ways it is unique and while it is easy to find authors who were influenced by Stapledon, it is much more difficult to find an author who has significant influence on Stapledon's work.

The journey into the far future moves faster and faster as it continues. A fair amount of time is spent on the First Men and our future both near and far. This speeds up as Stapledon takes us through the Second through Fifth Men and faster still until he reaches the Last Men. He covers many concepts such as genetic engineering, terraforming, alien invasion, biological warfare, and so on.

The narrative of "Last and First Men" is driven by ideas, and not by characters, and in many ways this is true of all of his fictional work, though certainly novels like "Odd John" and "Sirius" have characters and take on the appearance of a standard novel. The novel has tremendous scope, the narrative being given from billions of years in the future by a member of the last race of men, i.e. the Last Men who are aware that they will destroyed and thus be the last of men. They story covers the cyclical nature of the history of the First Men, i.e. us, and the cyclical nature of many of the races of Men who follow. It also discusses the psychology and the philosophy of the races as well as some of the physical and physiological changes.

The cyclical nature of many of the things he discusses tends to make parts of the novel a bit repetitive, and so I believe that it detracts a bit from the overall effect of the novel. That being said, it is still an extraordinary novel and unlike anything else you will likely ever read, with the possible exception of Stapledon's "Star Maker" which has a similar scope as well as an unusual narrative, but also has a different feel. Stapledon did not finish with the idea of the Last Men with the publication of this novel, as he returned to the idea in his radio play "Far Future Calling" in 1931 where he amazingly puts the novel in dramatic form, but which sadly was never performed. He also returned to the idea for his second novel "Last Men in London" in 1932, which focuses on a look back at the 20th Century from the perspective of one of the Last Men.

This book was rated 3rd on the Arkham Survey in 1949 as one of the `Basic SF Titles'. It also was tied for 30th on the 1975 Locus All-Time poll for Novels; 43rd on the 1987 Locus All-Time pool of SF Novels, and tied for 43rd on the 1998 Locus All-Time Poll for Novels written prior to 1990. This SF Masterworks edition includes a Foreword by Gregory Benford and an Afterword by Doris Lessing. This is the 11th of the SF Masterworks paperback series released by Victor Gollancz Books.

This book is something that has to be taken on its own terms to be enjoyed. It is supposed to be the history of the human race, written as it faces extinction two billions years from now, and sent back in time. Stapledon believed that evolution happened in spurts separated by long periods of stability, so he divides future humanity into the "First Men", "Second Men", etc.

Being written on such a scale, it has no characters worth mentioning and scarcely any dialog (this is deliberate on Stapledon's part; his other novels ODD JOHN and SIRIUS have wonderful characters). Since he was writing in the early 1930s, he didn't anticipate Asimov's "Foundation" device of setting short stories at crucial points of future history.

The story pioneered dozens of science-fiction ideas. An energy crisis, a nuclear holocaust (written before atom bombs were even invented!), genetic engineering, aritificial intelligence ("Great Brains"), 18 different species, imaginative descriptions of Venus, Mars, and Neptune.

The big flaw: an utterly wrongheaded attempt to guess how the twentieth century would turn out from the perspective of 1930. Unlike Orwell, he didn't confine himself to "in 1984 there will be a dictatorship and never mind how it arose". But if the reader can get through that, he will find him or herself reading one of the masterpieces of imagination.