More book reviews - three very different examples of classic science fiction

[philmophlegm]

'Last and First Men', Olaf Stapledon

Proper classic (and very highbrow) SF from 1930. Stapledon was philosopher who studied at Balliol and taught at Liverpool, which should commend him to both kargicq and louisedennis. 'Last and First Men' isn't really a novel, but an account of the future evolution of mankind through eighteen different species, from our own (starting with rivalry between America and China, which seems a pretty decent prediction from 1930) all the way to the last men and their extinction by supernova. Must have been really ambitious in 1930, and it pulls it off. Very readable even today. Highly recommended.



'The Stainless Steel Rat', Harry Harrison

Famous example of 1960s space opera. Thought it would be exactly the sort of book I love. Was ultimately a little disappointed - good, but not perhaps that memorable, and the reason I think is that the title character wasn't quite as ruthlessly anti-heroic as I thought he might be. I was hoping for Avon and got Tarrant.



'The Puppet Masters', Robert Heinlein

Hugely influential Earth-invasion-by-alien-parasites, without which there would probably be no Bodysnatchers or X-Files or those Star Trek episodes where the alien conspiracy attempts to take over Star Fleet. Obviously an allegory for communist infiltration of the United States (and released shortly before McCarthyism reached its height). Regardless of influence and allegory, an excellent thriller in its own right.

Comments

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I was hoping for Avon and got Tarrant.

Ooo, damning.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

... I seem to remember TSSR as vaguely likeable and readable but basically a bit thin. Can't remember anything more about him, although aren't there loads of him?

[andrewducker]

Yup. They're basically YA novels (by today's nomenclature), so nothing in there that might traumatise a 14-year-old, and not very long.

There seem to be 12, and I think I read 8 of them (up to the ones published in the late 80s)

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Isn't Olaf Pooley from Inferno Olaf Stapledon's godson or at least named after him? Or did I make that up?

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Ooh, dunno. Which one is Pooley?

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Stahlman(n). He's the oldest surviving male performer from Doctor Who, apparently.

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

Not actually a supernova -- if you read Star-Maker by the same author, you'll find out that it was something cooler and far more horrifying :)

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Ooh, intriguing. Star-maker is one on of my to-read shelves...

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

I picked up Last & First Men expecting it to be very dry, but it was fascinating. Have you read Stephen Baxter's Evolution, which does the same thing from tree shrews to future humanity? That made a 9 hour train journey much less boring!

My first encounter with the Stainless Steel rat was the comic strip adaption of it in 2000AD. I devoured the books after that (at least the few that had been written at that point), but as I grew up I found the sequels less and less satisfying. I suspect there is an optimum age to read them.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I've not read any Stephen Baxter at all (possibly expecting _him_ to be dry!). I'll look out for Evolution.