This bold exploration of the cosmos ventures into intelligent star clusters and mingles among alien races for a memorable vision of infinity. Cited as a key influence by science-fiction masters such as Doris Lessing, this classic has left its mark not only in modern literature but also in the fields of social anthropology and philosophy.

Star Maker is a science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, published in 1937. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, Last and First Men (1930), a history of the human species over two billion years. Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations....

This novel's title character is a dog named Sirius with human-like intelligence. The humans in his life go to great lengths to prevent Sirius from becoming a circus-type wonderdog, and instead, they seek to develop Sirius's character much like a family would create and foster that of a human child.

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.

William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) — known as Olaf Stapledon — was a British philosopher and author of several influential works of science fiction.Stapledon's writings directly influenced Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, Stanisław Lem, John Gloag, Naomi Mitchison, C. S. Lewis, Vernor Vinge, John Maynard Smith, and indirectly influenced many others, contributing many ideas to the world of science fiction. The "supermind" composed of many individ...

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.

Last and First Men is a science fiction novel written by Olaf Stapledon and published in 1930. The book explores the future history of humanity over a period of two billion years, charting the rise and fall of eighteen different civilizations.The book is written in a highly imaginative and poetic style, which can make it challenging for some readers. However, it remains a significant work of science fiction, and it has influenced many other authors...

Sirius is Thomas Trelone’s great experiment - a huge, handsome dog with the brain and intelligence of a human being. Raised and educated in Trelone’s own family alongside Plaxy, his youngest daughter, Sirius is a truly remarkable and gifted creature. His relationship with the Trelones, particularly with Plaxy, is deep and close, and his inquiring mind ranges across the spectrum of human knowledge and experience. But Sirius isn’t human and the conflicts and inner turmoil that torture him ca...

'A prodigious novel ... Stapledon's literary imagination was boundless' Jorge Luis BorgesA lasting influence on successive generations of science fiction writers and on the physicist Freeman Dyson, this poetic, philosophical tale of one man's unexpected voyage through the universe is imbued with a sense of mystery and vast cosmic loneliness.'The most wonderful novel I have ever read ... Star Maker remains light years ahead' Brian Aldiss'Pro...

A Modern Theory of Ethics by Olaf Stapledon

Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon is a seminal science fiction novel that covers the story of humanity over two billion years. The unique scale and ambition of the book are matched only by Stapledon himself in his other works.

This novel explores the theme of the superman in the character of John Wainwright, whose super-normal human mentality inevitably leads to conflict with normal human society and threatens the destruction of the utopian colony founded by John and other superhumans.