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Star Maker

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Star Maker

By: Olaf Stapledon
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
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About this listen

One moment a man sits on a suburban hill, gazing curiously at the stars. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps the most remarkable of all science fiction journeys has begun. Even Stapledon's other great work, Last and First Men pales in ambition next to Star Maker which presents nothing less than an entire imagined history of life in the universe, encompassing billions of years.

©2012 Olaf Stapledon (P)2012 Audible Ltd Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction

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Most relevant
If this isn't science fiction, I don't know what I'd call it. However it's not like any other sci-if that I've read/listened to. Speculative fiction may be better, as it truly is. It has an element of spirituality to it as well. It's my first Olaf Stapledon, so I don't know if it's typical of his writing. It didn't always hold my attention, but my concentration is not the best.
Andrew Wincott may have some responsibility for my feelings about attention, or it could be that he did his best with what he had. I shall spend more time researching Stapledon's novels before risking another one. As such, there is nothing wrong with Star Maker, it just wasn't what I'd expected, even from its' descriptions. I couldn't really begin to relate this novel in a cover blurb. I got it because I'd come across a recommendation elsewhere as it being an early example of the genre. It has little in the way of what I think of as plot development, but that may suit other people. If you fancy this, I hope it suits you; it wasn't really my cup of sci-fi coffee.

Not what I'd expected.

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Where does Star Maker rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was my first audiobook.

What other book might you compare Star Maker to, and why?

All books are unique, but this book is more unique than all.

What about Andrew Wincott’s performance did you like?

Excellent clarity, expression completely in sync with the content of the narrative.
I'm starting to see now why quality of narration is so important. Although this is my first, I would imagine that it doesn't get much better than this guy.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't watch it, listen to the audiobook. The quality of the book is the imagination it compels.

Any additional comments?

Don't read it either, listen to the audiobook. It's an excellent book, but I bailed less than half way through. Listening to the audiobook is way more enjoyable.

Excellent narration

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A must read for any and all science fiction fans. bla bla minimum 15 words are needed

Excellent sci-fi classic

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Long winded and dense. The book did not hold my attention and the message seemed overly moral. Probably ground breaking in its time but now somewhat dated.

Interesting but...

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An Ideas story of huge imagination and beautifully read by Andrew Wincott. I will immediately listen again to absorb better the tracks of thought.

Wonderful book, but maybe not everyone’s cup of tea

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I found the language a bit dry but it's a fascinating idea,
by the end I was struggling though: it comes over as a little pretentious in places.

simply because of the style, I found that I had to listen to this one over a long period of time: weeks rather than days. It's such heavy going and contains such formal and dry language that I found my attention drifting during some of the more in depth passages, some of which come across more like lectures than passages from fiction.

Even with the long reading / listening time, it's worth the effort ultimately, if you're a science fiction fan that is. I discovered the embryo of many other stories hidden within this epic. If you've read a lot of sci fi, I suspect you'll identify at least a dozen concepts here that form the basis of some very famous books.

As a catalyst for contemplation of existence it's masterful, and while certain scientific aspects have since been disproved, when you consider the year it was written, I think the science has stood up well. The majority of the ideas discussed are still valid, which makes one wonder how much of the 'fiction' could be accurate too... just imagining the scales of space and time involved makes my stomach lurch; I can't help wondering what the minds of its readers were thinking back when it was released, when science wasn't as prevalent or accessible as it is now. It must have been frightening!

If you prefer Lovecraft or Poe's writing style to Steven King, Neil Gaiman's, you'll love this. Even if you don't like the overly formal and unnecessarily complicated language, the ideas this story contains are well worth the effort.

interesting theory and superbly thought out

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I know it’s fictional but it gradually morphed into a historical textbook and I became bored enough to fall asleep a couple of times but I only found out because my coffee was cold

Textbook or novel?

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A powerful cosmic vision of a multitude of living forms and minds in an ever expanding multidimensional universe. That this could have been conceived in the 1930's is mind boggling. it is infused with the author's humanity and literary flair although the style won't suit everyone - it is an exhaustive decription of an endlessly unfolding dream/trip/experience that has you wondering - could this be real?

Breathtaking

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This is the greatest book I have ever read. Sure, its not an easy read - even in audiobook format - but the immense size of the undertaking is incredible. It's like one of those images that zooms out from a grain of sand, up and up, until it is all the way to the end of spacetime and beyond. The philosophy in this book is simply outstanding, deep, thoughtful and insightful. The last few chapters... well, they are worth the price of entry alone.

Simply Divine

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this story should be on everyone's to read/listen list. Beautifully narrated, and a deeply profound experience. I'll revisit this story, and ponder upon its conclusion for the rest of my existence~☆

deeply profound experience~☆

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