An Underrated Book
When people hear or think of science fiction books, they often think of Stephen King novels, Edgar Allen Poe works or the classics like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Bram Stoker’s Dracula. While these aren’t bad choices, there is a wide selection of books that aren’t known or doesn’t have much press. One of these is Olaf Stapledon’s Last and First Men. The book explores a number of species throughout, give or take, two billion years. Our species is the most primitive of the bunch. It is an evolutionary look at species that could take a turn for the worse or the better, depending on how you look at the species’ situation politically, socially, and religiously. Last and First Men is seen as a very scientific book, blended with bits of science fiction. While the book doesn’t explore the religious beliefs of Stapledon, it does provide an in-depth look into religion in an evolved species, or, lack thereof. This book is not to be confused with the Time Machine. The concepts are similar, but Stapledon is more complex in the diversity of humanity. There are many parallels in the book and you must pay close attention to the book’s language. This is a great book to consider putting on your book shelf.
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