Morys Ireland's diary

I thought I could do with a break from reading text books written by people who, in all fairness, are experts in their field, but who are also experts at boring the hell out of students so I decided to buy 'Star Maker' as something to read over Christmas after I'd seen it on a documentary about the history of science fiction. Even if you're not into science fiction at all 'Star Maker' by Olaf Stapledon is a fantastic read full of wonderfully crafted language and imagination.

Given that this book was written in 1937 the technology and concepts that Stapledon comes up with are phenomenal and easily compare with the ideas of modern sci-fi. The book is a lot more philosophical than anything and deals with issues like the purpose of mankind and whether or not there is a 'creator' out there somewhere. 

The narrative follows a man who one evening takes a walk upon a hill over his town. While watching the stars in the open sky he is somehow dissociated from his body and begins on a remarkable journey through the cosmos, travelling to other worlds and both backwards and forwards in time. He witnesses the creation of the universe, the beginning of life, the end of the human race and the end of all time as we know it. Stapledon describes the social and political structures of the other worlds and the nature of their inhabitants in amazing detail and constantly compares then to Earth, making the book as much a discourse on human nature as a science fiction adventure.

I ended up reading the book in a day because I couldn't put it down! It's a thought provoking masterpiece and since it's only a few quid on amazon it's well worth it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Maker-Millennium-SF-Masterworks/dp/1857988078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199483925&sr=8-1