The Grapes of Wrath (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

Maybe we can start again, in the new rich land – in California, where the fruit grows. We’ll start over.
But you can’t start. Only a baby can start. You and me – why, we’re all that’s been. The anger of the moment, the thousand pictures, that’s us. 

Wow. Novels like Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, are one of the reasons that I have set out to read the Pulitzer Prize winners. The novel is haunting and beautiful, tugging at the heart strings. It won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel and was made into a film the same year.

Briefly, the story is set in the Depression, around the time of the Dust Bowl. Tom Joad returns home from prison after serving four years for killing a man. He meets Casy, who has given up his life as a preacher. Joad finds his family home in Oklahoma has been destroyed by the bank, which has foreclosed on the land and is using tractors to force a few last crops of cotton before the soil loses its life. Inspired by hand bills showing an idyllic scene, the Joad family sell most of their possessions and start off for California. As they make their way by truck, they soon find that thousands of other families are doing the same thing. Once in California, they become migrant workers, despised and feared by the wealthy land owners.

On one level, the novel is depressing as all hell. Steinbeck does an excellent job of conveying the powerlessness of the families. On the other hand, this is a magnificent novel. Steinbeck conveys the strength of the families and the migrant communities. He does a wonderful job comparing the warmth of original farmers and the disassociation of the banks and the wealthy land owners. This is also a timeless novel; I saw parallels between what the people were experiencing then and what many people have experienced in the latest recession. Once again, this is a classic that even adults out of school can appreciate and savor.

The Yearling (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

…Flag had eased a loneliness that harassed him in the very heart of his family.

The Yearling, by Majorie Kinnan Rawlings, is a mega-classic. It was the winner of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was made into a 1946 award winning film. It is a novel that generations of children and adults have read and remembered.

Briefly, the novel is set in the Florida backwoods at the end of the 1800’s. Jody’s parents work hard to make a living farming. At the beginning of the novel we see Jody in his full, preteen innocence. Jody asks for “somethin’ to pet and play with,” something to love. After his father kills a doe, Jody adopts the orphaned fawn. They are as close as any boy and dog could be. As the story progresses, we see Jody learning about the harshness of nature and man: illnesses, attacks, floods, deaths. By the end of the novel, Jody has become a young-adult.

Times have changed. Despite being in the Children’s section of my local public library, The Yearling feels like a young adult book to me, especially with its graphic scenes of violence. Even as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was well written and had beautiful descriptions. I would encourage any adult who has not read The Yearling before to pick it up.

Gone with the Wind (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

An Idealized Love. A Family Estate. Slavery. A Promise. War. Poverty. Reconstruction. Survival. The Victors. The Vanquished. Money. Opportunity. 

I started reading Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind with a feeling of dread. This winner of the 1937 Pulitzer for the Novel is over a thousand pages of almost solid description and little dialogue; this is a long, long novel. On top of that were the expectations. It is considered one of America’s most beloved novels and was made into one of America’s most beloved movies. I had never even seen the movie. After over four weeks of nightly reading, I can say that this is also one of my favorite novels.

Briefly, the story begins with a sixteen-year old Scarlett, who is the oldest daughter of cotton plantation owners in Georgia. She teases her many male admirers but is in love with Ashley. Her first crisis is when he announces his engagement to Melanie, his cousin. Out of spite, Scarlett decides to marry Charles, Melanie’s brother. The only person who knows the truth is Rhett, who had earlier overheard Scarlett confess her love for Ashley. Thus, the die is cast for the rest of the novel. After the death of Charles, Melanie becomes Scarlett’s closest ally. Scarlett and Rhett bicker through most of the novel. Scarlett continues to pine for Ashley. All their lives are shaped by the Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction. The story ends when Scarlett is twenty-eight.

Scarlett is a fascinating character. Sometimes I loathed her; sometimes I loved her. I often admired her. At times I felt sorry for her. She is a character that many women have used as a role-model.

I admire Margaret Mitchell’s writing. The plotline has a succession of dramatic rises and falls, keeping the reader’s interest, and ends in a final resolution. I suppose a modern editor might have suggested breaking the novel down into smaller books. The major characters are complex. Mitchell shows multiple sides of their personalities as the plot progresses.

For me, one of the first rewards of reading Gone with the Wind was that I finally understood some of the allusions to it that I had seen in the popular media. A classic Carol Burnett skit shows Carol wearing a curtain with the rod still in it. Now I know the scene from Gone with the Wind that it comes from.

If you haven’t read Gone with the Wind, I would encourage you to do so. To make life easier, you can find an audio or digital version. The novel is a key part of the American literature.

Darker than You Think (Classic Fantasy Novel)

A Box. A Cat. Dogs. Wolves. Genetics. Silver. Dreams. Psychoanalysis.

I can almost see the fog roll out of the pages of Darker than You Think by Jack Williamson. Originally published in 1948, it is vintage horror, combining fantasy, mystery, and just enough science to make it credible. The age of the novel adds to the enjoyment, making it easier for the reader to imagine eerie scenes.

Briefly, Will Barbee is a reporter, who was once a student of the anthropologist Dr. Mondrick. In the opening scene, Barbee is at an airport, waiting for Mondrick’s plane to touch down. There Barbee meets another reporter, a mysterious red head named April Bell. After Mondrick's plane lands, he begins to announce a startling discovery that will change the world — the contents of a mysterious box are his proof — but, he collapses and dies before he can complete the announcement. His colleagues whisk the box away and risk their lives protecting it. Barbee suspects that April is responsible for Mondrick’s death, but he feels more fascination than fear toward her. Soon, he begins to have strange dreams in which he is transformed and is accompanied by a white, female wolf. When some of the details of the dreams are confirmed in his waking life, he searches for the truth. What is inside the mysterious box, and what does it have to do with him? 

I am not a fan of horror, but I thoroughly enjoyed Darker than You Think. It is fast paced, has interesting characters, and, although I suspected what would happen in the end, kept me guessing. I also have a tremendous respect for Williamson, who helped blaze a trail for modern horror writers.

Mission of Gravity (Classic Science Fiction Novel)

Experiencing Gravity. Flying. Exploring. Throwing. Trading. Overcoming Physical Obstacles. Strategizing. Communicating. Retrieving Something Valuable. 

Imagine a world where an intelligent species does not have words for such concepts as “flying” or “throwing.” In 1953 Hal Clement gave us the classic science fiction story Mission of Gravity, set in a world with intense gravity. Clement’s ability to create a convincing world is what makes this a classic. Never mind that in later years some of the scientific details would be disproved. According to Worlds Without End, the novel is on at least six major science fiction lists.

Briefly, Mission of Gravity takes place on Mesklin, a world shaped like a flattened sphere. The gravity at the equator is a number of times stronger than Earth and at the poles hundreds of times stronger. The Mesklinites, who look similar to large caterpillars, are an intelligent species. One of them, Barlennan, forms a relationship with Lackland, a human exploring the planet. When a rocket containing valuable scientific information is lost in a high gravity region, Lackland must enlist the help of Barlennan and his group to retrieve the information. As the gravity grows stronger, Lackland must part company with the group and help via radio (television?) contact. We soon learn that cute Barlennan is actually a shrewd trader and strategist.

Once again, I am reminded that current generations of science fiction authors stand on the shoulders of earlier generations. Mission of Gravity has good world-building and a relatively interesting plot. The novel represents major progress from standard 1950’s science fiction. By modern-day standards, this book might be considered quaint and, at points, a bit overly focused on mechanical details. At a few points, the humans, who are watching from space, take out their slide-rulers to make calculations. This novel is well worth reading.

Time Travelers (Classic SF Novels)

Time Traveling. Cold War. Space Exploration. Aliens. Advanced Technology. Traders. Artifacts. 

Time Travelers by Andre Norton is a fun romp into classic science fiction. This omnibus consists of two relatively short novels -- The Time Traders copyrighted 1958 and Galactic Derelict copyrighted 1959 -- which share the same set of characters. The book has the feel of a 1960’s television program and reminds me a bit of the more recent Stargate series. Both books have a bit of the theme of the misfit finding his niche.

Briefly, in the first book we meet Ross, a misunderstood criminal who chooses to “volunteer” for an undisclosed project rather than submit to the more ominous sounding "rehabilitation." Ross soon discovers that the project involves traveling into the past to discover how the Russians are suddenly acquiring advanced technology. This leads him to a direct encounter with aliens. In the second book we meet Travis, an Apache who quit school because of racial prejudice. While in the desert, he accidentally stumbles on the latest time traveling project. His archeological background makes him a perfect candidate for time travel. But, the project ends up taking him and the team to distant planets.

The book isn’t particularly complex by modern standards, but it is entertaining. I could almost see the 1960’s special effects as I read the stories. Yet, the books left me pondering about the rise and fall of civilizations. As an aside, Norton was prophetic when she wrote in the book, in the late 1950’s, that the government stopped manned exploration of space after landing on the moon. Science fiction lovers like me owe a debt of gratitude to Andre Norton and her fellow writers who blazed a trail for modern science fiction

Early Del Rey (SF Book)

Mars. Dog People. Ape People. Wars. Brownies. Rockets. Rivals. Elves. Skulls. Plenum. Loops. Soldiers. Memories. Consciousness. Robots. Plagues. Apocalypse. Mutations. Teleportation. Time Travel. 

Early Del Rey by Lester Del Rey is an anthology of 24 short stories that have not be published in other books. The stories were originally published in pulp, science fiction magazines. Woven throughout the book is a description of Del Rey’s career from the time he sold his first story in 1938 to the time he became a full-time writer in 1950.

These are not Del Rey’s best works. There is something unrewarding about finishing a short story only to be told on the next page what was wrong with it. Yet, I found the book worthwhile for a number of reasons. It gave me a taste of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.  I was able to see how WWII affected the science fiction community. I learned more about the influence of John Campbell, one of the Godparents of modern science fiction. Lastly, most of the stories were actually enjoyable.

While I won’t recommend Early Del Rey, diehard science fiction fans might enjoy it.

The Good Earth (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

Out of the land we came and into it we must go — and if you will hold your land you can live… 

The Good Earth by Pearl Buck won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel and was made into a movie in 1937. It was even an Oprah Book Club selection. There is no doubt that this is a time-tested classic. It is well-written. It fascinates the reader with its glimpse of China at the beginning of the last century. At times, it speaks to the heart. At times, it repulses, especially when it shows the treatment of women in China.

Briefly, the novel follows the life of Wang Lung and his family from his wedding day to shortly before his death. His relationship with the earth threads its way through the plot. Some years the earth yields a bountiful crop. Other years there are deadly famines. But, until the very end, Wang Lung finds the earth a source of goodness.

The night after I finished reading The Good Earth, I actually dreamt about it, the story had that much power over me. Despite being set in China, the story transcends cultures. I am well acquainted with the love of American farmers for the land. As with a number of the early Pulitzer Prize winning novels, The Good Earth also describes what happens to the children of a self-made man. The novel is the first in a trilogy, which I hope to finish at a later time.

Lest Darkness Fall (Classic SF Novel)

Brandy. Sorcery. Accounting Systems. Copper Tubing. Printing Press. Reporters. Clock. Telegraph. Crossbow. Gunpowder. Politics. 

Lest Darkness Fall by David Drake is an early example of alternative history science fiction. This classic first appeared as a short story in 1939 and was first published as a novel in 1941. The story is still amusing and enjoyable to read.

Briefly, a present day — late 1930’s — archeologist is struck by lightening and sent back to 6th century Rome. There he introduces some modern inventions. But, his ultimate goal is to prevent the coming of the Dark Ages. One of his biggest obstacles is the politics of the era. Some things never change.

The novel was well worth the time I spent reading it.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning. 

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. This slim novel can easily be read in an evening. The novel engages the part of the brain that listens to poetry or spends time looking at a painting. It does not have the feel of a story where the reader wonders what will happen next.

Briefly, a bridge collapses in Lima, Peru in 1714 and the five people on it die. The novel looks at the lives of the people on the bridge and at the people associated with them. To a certain extent their lives are intertwined. The novel looks at the meaning of their deaths. It also looks at love in its many forms.

The novel was over so quickly that I didn’t have much time to think about it. I am left with feelings and memories of snippets of different scenes. While I don’t have a concrete definition of literature, I know that I would put this novel in that category. It was well worth a few hours of my time.

Arrowsmith (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

Medicine. Scientific Research. Public Health. Bubonic Plague. Commercialism. Salesmanship. Success. Men of Measured Merriment. Politics. 

Arrowsmith, written by Sinclair Lewis, won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was made into a film in 1931. I found the novel a nice change of pace from some of the previous Pulitzer winners that focused on domestic drama.

Briefly, Lewis describes Martin Arrowsmith’s journey into the world of medicine. The story opens with a young Martin working for a doctor. The storyline continues with Martin going to medical school, taking various jobs, becoming a minor hero, and fighting to do what he loves. Lewis shows how various people in Martin’s life support or undermine his love of research. Lewis also shows the politics and social aspects of medicine.

While Arrowsmith is set in an earlier time, a modern audience can easily relate to it. The novel speaks to the idea of doing something we love and to having a calling. In some ways the novel is a love story. Lewis shows Martin’s love for research, his love for various women and his admiration and fondness for various men. My guess is that many modern medical novelists were inspired by this story.

The War of the Worlds (Classic SF Novel)

Mars. Alien Invasion. Falling Stars. Cylinders. Tentacles. Heat Ray Guns.

H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds was published in 1898. The story continued to terrify audiences in its radio and 1953 and 2005 movie adaptations. It is science fiction with a touch of horror. It is the first story most of us think about when we hear “alien invasion.” 

Briefly, the novel has two storylines. The dominate storyline centers on the experiences of the narrator. A minor storyline centers on his brother, who escapes London. The story begins with flashes on Mars. It moves on to falling stars that turn out to be large cylinders. Layer by layer H.G. Wells makes the aliens more terrifying and the humans more helpless to stop them. Near the end of the story the narrator is trapped in a building for two weeks, where he ends up having direct contact with the aliens.

If I had known nothing about the plot, I would have had nightmares after I finished the book. I still found myself frightened. For anyone who has any interest in science fiction, this is a must read.

The Invisible Man (Classic SF Novella)

It was worse than anything. Mrs. Hall, standing open-mouthed and horror-struck, shrieked at what she saw, and made for the door of the house. Every one began to move. They were prepared for scars, disfigurements, tangible horrors, but nothing!

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells was first published in 1897. This classic story has been made into numerous movies and inspired even more. For me it has the feel of a short story. The plot isn’t very dynamic. The characters aren’t particularly sympathetic. What makes the story so fascinating is the way Wells slowly unwraps the main character: first, there is a mysterious man; then we find out he is invisible; slowly we discover his name; we learn how he came to be invisible; finally, we learn his fate.

This isn’t my favorite Wells novella, but I still found it enjoyable. Part of the reason for the story’s success is its ability to connect with our childhood fear of the bogeyman.

The Island of Dr. Moreau (Classic SF Novella)

A Rescue at Sea. Experiments. Vivisection. Animal Nature.

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells was first published in 1896. The story is part science fiction and part horror. Like The Time Machine, it is a timeless classic. I can see the influence of The Island of Dr. Moreau in China Mieville’s descriptions of the Remade from his novel Perdido Street Station.

Briefly, Edward Prendick is rescued at sea by Montgomery and finds himself on a strange island. He hears screams coming from the locked laboratory of Dr. Moreau. To evade the screams, Prendick explores the island. There he finds strange men who look like animals. His first thought is that Moreau is somehow turning men into animals and that his own life is in jeopardy. Moreau assures him that this is not true. When Montgomery and Moreau are both killed, Prendick finds himself alone with these strange creatures.

While I am normally not a fan of horror, I found the story fascinating. Wells’ world building is admirable. This could quite easily be a modern story. I am reminded of the recent discussion in the news of frankenfish.

The Time Machine (Classic SF Novella)

It is a law of nature that we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble.

Time Travel. The Fate of Mankind. The Fate of the Earth. Prophesy. 

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was published in1895. This novella is the ancestor of so much of the science fiction that we read today. —Would Connie Willis have written Blackout and All Clear if there had been no The Time Machine? Would Walter M. Miller have written A Canticle for Leibowitz? — While the novella introduces time travel, most of the story is devoted to describing a haunting dystopia. H. G. Wells challenged the people of his generation to think in a new way. The story might have even more relevance to those of us in the current era.

Briefly, a Victorian Era inventor creates a time machine in which he travels to the year 802,701. There he discovers that humanity has evolved into two separate species, neither of which is particularly intelligent. One is the frail but beautiful Eloi. The other is the unattractive, underground living Morlocks. When the time traveler’s time machine is stolen, he must find it or be stranded forever. Along the way, he becomes friends with Weena, an Eloi. He also uncovers the true relationship of the Eloi to the Morlocks.

This is the type of story that is hard to forget. The time traveler raises questions of why the two species evolved. More than a century later, one could argue that our dependence upon technology has the potential to propel us to a fate similar to that of the Eloi or Morlocks.

One of Ours (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

Claude sat down again almost lost to himself in the feeling of being completely understood, of being no longer a stranger…Claude sat alone for half an hour or more, tasting a new kind of happiness, a new kind of sadness. Ruin and new birth; the shudder of ugly things in the past, the trembling image of beautiful ones on the horizon; finding and losing; that was life, he saw.

One of Ours by Willa Cather won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It is the story of a Claude, a young man from Nebraska, becoming his own person. I found the story melodic. Reading the novel felt like listening to music. Most of the story had a slow, but forward moving cadence.

Briefly, Claude is a sensitive young man, coming into adulthood before WWI. His parents send him away to a denomination college, instead of the state college he wants to attend. Just when he starts to enjoy school, his father puts him in charge of the family farm. He marries a woman who has no feelings of affection for him. Finally, he enlists in the Army, where he feels he is “somebody.”

I found reading One of Ours very peaceful, yet not the least bit plodding. Yes, there were gory scenes near the end of the novel, but the overall feeling was calm. The details and descriptions made the story worthwhile for me. There were many beautiful scenes of both Nebraska and Europe. The description of Claude taking the train on his wedding night has just the right details to create a feeling for Claude’s marriage. The two descriptions of Claude with cats help create other moods. Scene by scene Cather shows how Claude’s family slowly understands the extent of what is happening in Europe. Cather describes both the horrors of war and the beauty of Europe.

I, Robot (Classic Science Fiction Book)

“And that is all,” said Dr. Calvin, rising. “I saw it from the beginning, when the poor robots couldn’t speak, to the end, when they stand between mankind and destruction...”

I, Robot consists of nine short stories (with some transitions to tie the stories together) about robots that were written by Isaac Asimov and published between 1940 and 1950. Each story deals with one or more of the Three Laws of Robotics in some way. The book reminds me of the boxes of small puzzles I often see sold at Christmas time. Each story is a small puzzle about robot behavior that the characters must solve. Most of the stories include the main characters of Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan, who are robot engineers, or Dr. Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist. The complexity of robots within the book progresses from a very primitive robot that can’t speak in the first story to robotic machines that basically oversee the management of Earth in the last story.

While I found I, Robot enjoyable but not necessarily great science fiction, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read Asimov’s major books. The stories provide background into the later Foundation Series and Robot Trilogy. When I was reading the Foundation Series, I was jarred when robots first appeared; they seemed so out of context. In retrospect, I wish that I had begun reading with I. Robot and then read the Foundation and Robot books in order of their publication date. Some things would have made more sense.

Alice Adams (Pulitzer Winning Novel)

Parents and Children. Social Climbing. Integrity. Pretense. Paternalism.

Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington won the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. I found the novel naïve and sweet, the product of a more innocent time. It has a bit of humor, a bit of morality, and a simple storyline. In 1935 Alice Adams was made into a romantic film that starred Katharine Hepburn.

Briefly, the story opens with Alice’s father recovering from an unknown illness. Alice goes to a dance given by Mildred, a young woman of a higher social class. Alice has learned to put on pretenses to compensate for her perceived deficiencies—in this day and age, we would say that she has low self-esteem. Alice’s well-meaning mother insists that Alice’s brother, Walter, accompany her. Walter, it turns out, is drawn to people of questionable reputation. At the party, Alice meets Arthur Russell, a distant cousin and alleged fiancé of Mildred. Much to Alice’s surprise, Russell takes an interest in Alice and begins visiting her on a regular basis. Alice tries to hide her lower social status from him. In the meantime, Alice’s mother convinces Alice’s father to leave the company he has been with all his adult life, striking out on his own and opening a glue factory. The problem is that the formula he will be using was created for his employer many years ago. The Adams clan eventually experiences a “rain of misfortune.” By the end of the story, both Alice and her father have grown in integrity.

I found the book pleasant. Those who like to watch classic movies will probably find it much more appealing. I did find one scene in the book especially memorable. Alice is trying to find a way to be more attractive for the dance, despite her family’s lack of money. So, she picks 300 violets, which she will carry and will pin to her dress. Tarkington goes on to describe the wonderful fragrance.

The Naked Sun (Classic SF Book)

A Murder. A Fetologist. Robots. Robotics. Obscenities. Seeing vs. Viewing. Sociology. Galactic Conquest.

The Naked Sun, the second book in Isaac Asimov’s Robot Series, is another Science Fiction/Mystery hybrid. Asimov uses the Laws of Robotics and the sociology of Solaria, the planet where a murder takes place, as clues to help point to the who, how, and why of the murder. The book has a bit of the feel of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. It also takes an interesting look at how a culture evolves.

Briefly, Earth detective Elijah Baley is once again called on to solve a murder, this time on the Outer World of Solaria, a planet that has not had a murder in recent times. Lije is to be the first Earthman to go to an Outer World in centuries. The government on Earth wants him to bring back any information—weaknesses—that might help it gain an advantage over the Outer Worlds. R. Daneel Olivaw, a robot, is once again sent as Lije’s partner. The government of Aurora, who sent Daneel, appears to have its own political agenda. Solaria is a sparsely populated planet, filled with robots. The human inhabitants live most of their lives without having any contact with another human being. In order to solve the murder, Lije must understand the culture as well as overcome his own prejudices and fears. As the story unfolds, Lije learns that there may be more at stake than what he was first led to believe.

Like The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun has a simple storyline compared with today’s standards. The story is still enjoyable. One of the things that I found especially interesting is what people find obscene or repulsive. On Solaria having direct contact with another human being is obscene but having direct contact with the soil is not. Lije is repulsed by nature and by the idea of keeping time based on where the sun is in the sky. What disappointed me about the book was the relative lack of camaraderie between Lije and Daneel, which seemed to be blossoming in the earlier book.

Odd John (Classic SF)

Homo sapiens. Homo superior. 

In Odd John, Olaf Stapledon explores what might happen if Homo sapiens began to evolve into a new species. The result is fascinating, and, at times, disturbing. While Odd John was first published in 1935, between the release of Last and First Men and Star Maker, the novel has a stronger plot line and more character development. It tells the story of John, a Supernormal.

Briefly, John is born prematurely after eleven months in the womb. His parents immediately know that he is unusual, and his mother calls him Odd John. He looks unusual, physically develops slowly, and is incredibly intelligent. He realizes that he is different from those around him. He thinks of Homo sapiens as cattle, not quite human. Those who he cares about he thinks of as beloved pets. He nicknames the narrator of the story, a family friend, Fido. John teaches himself about Homo sapiens and the world around him. He is able to manipulate people to get what he wants, especially information. He also develops a certain amount of psychic ability. To deal with the loneliness he often feels, he seeks out others of his kind. The story ends with John’s death.

Although Odd John is not as brilliant as Last and First Men and Star Maker, I found it easier to read. Stapledon does a nice job of balancing some sympathy for John with some revulsion for his actions. Other than some cosmetic details, the story is timeless and has some ponderable ideas. It provides some ideas of how humans might evolve. It also looks at the everyday world from an outsider point of view. Stapledon continues to expand my view of reality.