Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Star Maker (Early Classics of Science Fiction) by Olaf Stapledon, Patrick A. McCarthy, Freeman Dyson ISBN: 0-8195-6693-4 Publisher: Wesleyan University Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.43 (14 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Across the Universe
Comment: "Who are we?", "Why are we here?" and "What's it all for?" are questions most of us have probably asked at some point, whether we're going through times of doubt, uncertainty or philosophical musing. Destiny and fate are fuzzy topics that make for deep intellectual discussion, providing much stimulation and irritation for those who like to ponder such matters. "Star Maker" attempts to answer the above questions by taking the reader on an epic voyage spanning the cosmos.
The human protagonist becomes a disembodied psychic presence travelling across the immense gulf of space and time, visiting numerous worlds, some of which, like Earth, spawn conflicting cultures and religions. We see evolving star systems and witness the birth and death of countless species before meeting the creator of it all, the enigmatic Star Maker.
On our own miniscule speck of a planet (where the book begins) we go about our daily business, struggling to make sense of a senseless existence, living in a world that seems to punish the innocent and reward the wicked. As we soon discover, it's like this throughout the universe. We witness acts of barbarism and atrocity, noble races are wiped out, unwilling (even if able) to defend themselves against less civilised, but no less talented aggressors. Other worlds are simply destroyed by freak twists of fate. All this is of complete indifference to the Star Maker. (How many of us feel grief when we accidentally step on a bug?)
On meeting the Star Maker we find that our cosmos is merely one of a series of artistic experiments churned out over the aeons, as the Star Maker strives to create something that meets his satisfaction. Like any artist on an endless quest for perfection, he has to go through several failures in his "immature" phase. Our cosmos is produced in his "mature" phase. Yet it still fails to satisfy him, and even stranger, more incomprehensible creations are brought into being.
I suspect John Wyndham got his inspiration for "Chocky" from reading this book, the way the narrator becomes an observer who can inhabit the minds of various hosts. I know Wyndham had read "Odd John". In "Star Maker" there's a lot to take in, even the narrator had trouble understanding a lot of it. 100 billion years of birth and death, hope and despair, good and evil are covered in 253 pages. I read "Last and First Men" two years ago. Even though "Star Maker" is an interesting book which I finished more quickly, I still prefer the former.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Book For Any Time
Comment: Star Maker, by Olaf Stapledon, is an incredible achievement. It was first published in 1937. It is not a conventional novel, so if that is what you are looking for, you should look elsewhere. It is more of a philosophical journey than a conventional story. The nameless narrator takes a journey through the universe and through time, starting on a hill near his home, and ultimately finding the creator of the universe, i.e. the Star Maker. He witnesses the entire life of the universe, and joins with many other minds from other civilizations throughout the galaxy. It is tempting to use phrases like "for its time" when describing this book, but it is a remarkable work for any time. I am sure that some of descriptions of civilizations and their scientific achievements would change if it were written today. However, the statement that the book makes would likely remain the same.
This book was tied for 13th on the Arkham Survey in 1949 as one of the 'Basic SF Titles'. It also was tied for 30th on the 1975 Locus All-Time poll for Novels; and 32nd on the 1998 Locus All-Time Poll for Novels written prior to 1990. This particular edition includes a Foreword by Brian W. Aldiss, and also includes A Note on Magnitude, Time Lines, and a Glossary all created by Olaf Stapledon. This is the 21st of the SF Masterworks paperbacks released by Victor Gollancz Books. If this is an indication of the quality of work they have done throughout the series, then it is a very worthwhile series to own.
Rating: 5
Summary: A classic in more than one way...
Comment: 'Star Maker' by Olaf Stapledon is more about philosophy than about science fiction, but it has enough of both to make all kinds of fans happy. The author covers the history of, well, almost everything. He travels through space and time, back and forth, to explore everything from intelligent stars to the alien civilizations that rise ands fall, from simple plant-men to massive utopias. Always, he is also looking for the Star Maker, God, the Great Creator.
He even links this book to his first novel, 'Last And First Man', by talking about some periods in mankind's history, like the war with Mars. This book is all about scale. Yet while I enjoyed this book it didn't feel as well planned, as detailed as 'Last And First Man'. But I'm not sure a book of 272 pages could be said to be lacking in details. Its scope is vast and giving too many details might of limited it, framed it into too small a canvas. Olaf is using wide strokes of his huge brush to build this story.
With a forword by Brain Aldiss and a interesting glossary, I would suggest this book for both sci-fi fans, people looking for God in what seems like a godless universe and also people who just enjoy philosophy.
 |
Title: Last and First Men (SF Masterworks) by Olaf Stapledon, William Olaf Stapledon ISBN: 185798806X Pub. Date: 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: Neuromancer (Remembering Tomorrow) by William Gibson ISBN: 0441569595 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke, Ballantine Books ISBN: 0345347951 Publisher: Del Rey Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1987 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division and the Assault on Hitler's Europe by MCKAY JENKINS ISBN: 037550771X Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: Quicksilver : Volume One of The Baroque Cycle (Stephenson, Neal. Baroque Cycle, V. 1.) by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0380977427 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
