Science Fiction and Fantasy Classics
Here are some books that have withstood the test of time and critical fashions. I pay attention to publishers devoting time and energy to bringing back books or authors in an organized way. For instance, MIT Press is doing such an admirable job with Stanislaw Lem that it inspired a separate page devoted to him. The new Dune films are reviving a sf landmark series. I will add others in time.
Last Men in London
Last Men in London
In his previous science-fiction novel, Last and First Men, Olaf Stapledon envisioned 2 billion years of history, in which modern humans represented the first and most primitive of 18 increasingly advanced species. In this companion piece, a being from the remote future travels back to the 20th century to inhabit the consciousness of an Englishman named Paul. From inside his subject's mind, the superintelligent mega-human observes Paul's childhood, his experiences during World War I, and his postwar life as a teacher. The narrative provides a compelling commentary on modern life, the horrors of warfare, and the disintegrating state of Western society.
British philosopher William Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950) introduced several innovative concepts to the science-fiction genre, and his books influenced Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, C. S. Lewis, John Maynard Smith, and many others. In this science-fictional self-portrait, he offers a captivating combination of memory, imagination, and social criticism.