Olaf Stapledon: Complete Novels (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Philosophical Science Fiction, Cosmic Future Histories, Evolutionary Parables, and Metaphysical Space ExplorationBy Olaf Stapledon
Length67h 43m
About this audiobook
Olaf Stapledon: Complete Novels gathers the full imaginative range of one of speculative fiction's most philosophically ambitious writers, from the cosmic future history of Last and First Men and the metaphysical grandeur of Star Maker to the evolutionary parables Odd John and Sirius. Stapledon's prose is austere, prophetic, and essayistic, less concerned with conventional plot than with vast patterns of consciousness, species, history, and destiny. In literary context, these works stand between H. G. Wells's scientific romances and the later achievements of Arthur C. Clarke, C. S. Lewis, and modern science fiction at its most visionary. Stapledon, born in 1886, was a philosopher, educator, and pacifist whose intellectual formation deeply shaped his fiction. His wartime ambulance service, academic work in ethics, and interest in social progress gave his novels their characteristic fusion of scientific speculation and moral inquiry. He wrote not merely to entertain, but to enlarge the reader's sense of humanity's place in a vast, often indifferent cosmos. This collection is essential for readers seeking science fiction as literature of ideas. It will reward those interested in cosmic imagination, philosophical fiction, evolutionary thought, and the origins of modern speculative writing.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreScience Fiction, General Fiction
Length67 hrs 43 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 12, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
46CHAPTER XIII JOHN SEEKS HIS KIND
2Last and First Men
47CHAPTER XIV ENGINEERING PROBLEMS
3Preface
48CHAPTER XV JACQUELINE
4Introduction By One of the Last Men
49CHAPTER XVI ADLAN
5THE CHRONICLE
50CHAPTER XVII NG-GUNKO AND LO
Show all chaptersShow less
6II Europe’s Downfall
51CHAPTER XVIII THE SKID’S FIRST VOYAGE
7III America and China
52CHAPTER XIX THE COLONY IS FOUNDED
8IV An Americanized Planet
53CHAPTER XX THE COLONY IN BEING
9V The Fall of the First Men
54CHAPTER XXI THE BEGINNING OF THE END
10VI Transition
55CHAPTER XXII THE END
11VII The Rise of the Second Men
56Star Maker
12VIII The Martians
57PREFACE
13IX Earth and Mars
58I THE EARTH
14X The Third Men in the Wilderness
59II INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL
15XI Man Remakes Himself
60III THE OTHER EARTH
16XII The Last Terrestrials
61IV I TRAVEL AGAIN
17XIII Humanity on Venus
62V WORLDS INNUMERABLE
18XIV Neptune
63VI INTIMATIONS OF THE STAR MAKER
19XV The Last Men
64VII MORE WORLDS
20XVI The Last of Man
65VIII CONCERNING THE EXPLORERS
21Last Men in London
66IX THE COMMUNITY OF WORLDS
22PREFACE
67X A VISION OF THE GALAXY
23INTRODUCTION THE FUTURE’S CONCERN WITH THE PAST
68XI STARS AND VERMIN
24CHAPTER I THE WORLD OF THE LAST MEN
69XII A STUNTED COSMICAL SPIRIT
25CHAPTER II EXPLORING THE PAST
70XIII THE BEGINNING AND THE END
26CHAPTER III THE CHILD PAUL
71XIV THE MYTH OF CREATION
27CHAPTER IV PAUL COMES OF AGE
72XV THE MAKER AND HIS WORKS
28CHAPTER V ORIGINS OF THE EUROPEAN WAR
73XVI EPILOGUE: BACK TO EARTH
29CHAPTER VI THE WAR
74A NOTE ON MAGNITUDE
30CHAPTER VII AFTER THE WAR
75Darkness and the Light
31CHAPTER VIII THE MODERN WORLD
76PREFACE
32CHAPTER IX ON EARTH AND ON NEPTUNE
77Part I - CRISIS
33Odd John
78Part II - DARKNESS
34CHAPTER I JOHN AND THE AUTHOR
79Part III - THE LIGHT (pt. 1)
35CHAPTER II THE FIRST PHASE
80Part III - THE LIGHT (pt. 2)
36CHAPTER III ENFANT TERRIBLE
81Sirius (pt. 1)
37CHAPTER IV JOHN AND HIS ELDERS
82Sirius (pt. 2)
38CHAPTER V THOUGHT AND ACTION
83Sirius (pt. 3)
39CHAPTER VI MANY INVENTIONS
84Sirius (pt. 4)
40CHAPTER VII FINANCIAL VENTURES
85Death into Life (pt. 1)
41CHAPTER VIII SCANDALOUS ADOLESCENCE
86Death into Life (pt. 2)
42CHAPTER IX METHODS OF A YOUNG ANTHROPOLOGIST
87Death into Life (pt. 3)
43CHAPTER X THE WORLD’S PLIGHT
88The Flames
44CHAPTER XI STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
89INTRODUCTORY NOTE (pt. 1)
45CHAPTER XII JOHN IN THE WILDERNESS
90INTRODUCTORY NOTE (pt. 2)
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