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Last and First Men

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Last and First Men

By: Olaf Stapledon
Narrated by: Stephen Greif
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About this listen

One of the most extraordinary, imaginative and ambitious novels of the century: a history of the evolution of humankind over the next 2 billion years. Among all science fiction writers Olaf Stapledon stands alone for the sheer scope and ambition of his work. First published in 1930, Last and First Men is full of pioneering speculations about evolution, terraforming, genetic engineering and many other subjects.

©1930 Olaf Stapledon (P)2012 Audible Ltd Classics Science Fiction Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant
Although a long read and at times sparse in details a modern audience might crave this is an exquisite and original work of future history. A believe the parsity of details, far from being a true negative, only adds to the poetic and bittersweet theme this novel abounds in when humanity attains its peaks and surveys its nadirs.

Philosophy, Poetry and Speculative Biology.

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Breathtaking in span a book without characters. It is dated but worth it. A unique view on mankind.

One of the more unusual books I have read.

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Impressive scope and foresight for a book that was written in 1930,
but ultimately not interesting enough for my taste.
No story or characters, just a bunch of concepts and small events explaining the long story of humanity across 18 civilisations ...

impressive but not interesting

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Brilliant, a wonderful sci-fi narrative that explores the realms of the possible. Truely immersive and captivating. One of the great forebears of science fiction.

Wonderful Read

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The beginning - the bit that deals with the ‘first people’ (us) - is very dated and not very insightful. There are some beautiful ideas later on though. Weak narrative makes the book a bit of a slog, but it is rewarding nonetheless.

Skip the first people

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This is an excellent price of writing, but beware what it is. It is a not a story with any characters to follow, but a overview of the whole history of the human species. This can make it a bit of slog to get through. Particularly as some of the incarnations of civilization tend to become a bit repetitive towards the end.
Nevertheless, I think it is a classic with ideas and thoughts that any fan of science fiction would appreciate.
Readers / listeners should be conscious that the book was written in 1930, some of the ideas where very groundbreaking at the time and still stand as a lesson to this day, other elements and attitudes have dated though. However, to be fair to the author, he does amusingly mention that he'd expect future generations to consider the book outdated in the prologue.
Star Maker came later and was even more groundbreaking on terms of creative writing and extraordinary ideas, nevertheless this one is still also worth the effort.

Worth the effort,

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What a fantastic book and what an extraordinary mind Olaf possessed. Obviously our understanding of the universe has changed somewhat since this was written however this doesn't appear to date the book. I can't help but feel our civilisation has deteriorated considerably in the 94 years since this book was written, I can't imagine a modern writer being able to create such an insightful piece of work and that saddens me however this book does give hope that perhaps our decline will end one day and perhaps we might regain or even exceed our past brilliance.

Excellent and thought provoking

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I first read this book too many years ago; even then, its opening chapters, written before WWII, had dated badly. However, you should persevere, as the conclusion to the history of the First Men is surprisingly prescient. The description of the way the planet’s resources are relentlessly exploited, to the point of causing mass extinction, has a more than contemporary feel.

After this, the narrative’s scope, told from the perspective of 2 billion years in the future, switches from centuries, to millennia and greater steps of time. A large number of ideas, philosophies and future science are covered. Many of these you will recognise as the basis for a range of science fiction epics of the last century, genetic manipulation, giant brains grown and housed in concrete honeycombs not being the least.

The only downside is the slightly flat narration. Otherwise, highly recommended.

An essential for any fan of science fiction

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An interesting read, how a visionary man saw the distant future in 1930. Author combined his futuristic vision with some great spiritual and philosophical ideas, which makes this book very unique

Enjoyed the last quarter the most

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This is very slow and tiresome reading, and only has the occasional interesting idea mixed in with endless verbal diarrhoea. I would suggest reading the origin trilogy by Stephen baxter which is truly imaginative and looks at the long term.

Probably ahead of its time

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