In this work, Olaf Stapledon undertakes a magnificent interstellar journey. The Traveller, a man who begins his journey from a hill on planet Earth, evolves into an immaterial being that roams through space and time at incredible speed, encounters astonishing worlds and strange alien lifeforms, experiences unexpected events, and reaches the depths of creation in a desperate quest to discover the truth of all things and to explain the origin of the universe.
Star Maker is Stapledon’s greatest work.
Olaf Stapledon was born in 1866 near Liverpool, in Cheshire, where he spent most of his life. Coming from a wealthy, educated, and progressive family, his parents provided him with a strong education and instilled in him a sense of independence and intellectual freedom.
He studied at Balliol College, Oxford, and at the University of Liverpool, where he earned a PhD in Philosophy. He went on to teach philosophy, literature, psychology, and history at the University of Liverpool.
Stapledon remained a pacifist and idealist socialist until his death in 1950. He described his own work as imaginative literature with a philosophical foundation. Until around 1940, he had virtually no contact with science fiction, apart from the works of H. G. Wells. Recognition of his writing came later, but he eventually came to be regarded as one of the leading figures in the field and influenced many writers, including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and James Blish, among others. He has been described as “the most titanic imagination ever to write science fiction.”
Among his works published by our press are two of his most significant books: “Star Maker” and “Odd John.”
It approaches the stature of a classic masterpiece, distinguished by its imagination and satire. The author offers a different—a magical—perspective on the birth and the end of the universe.