Some of us are looking at the stars...

Stapledon was a huge influence on generations of sci-fi writers who came after him. For his fans, the book was also a guide on how to be human in this world, or any other.

There’s been much debate among Star Wars fans about which of the original trilogy, the early 2000s prequels, or the recent sequels could be considered the best film. There have been vigorously debated rankings but the consensus amongst fans and regular movie-goers alike tends to mostly put the standalone prequel film, Rogue One, on top. Andor, the recent addition to the Star Wars spinoff series, is itself a prequel to Rogue One. For those who like their space operas full of starry visuals and emotional heft, you can’t go wrong with watching Andor.

It was also impossible while watching Andor, to not be reminded of Olaf Stapledon’s seminal work of science fiction, Star Maker. Towards the end of that book, published in 1937, Stapledon reflects on the coming storm of the Second World War and the fight against fascist ideologies:

“How to face such an age? How to muster courage, being capable of only homely virtues? How to do this, yet preserve the mind’s integrity, never to let the struggle destroy in one’s own heart what one tried to serve in the world, the spirit’s integrity.”

Stapledon suggests “two lights for guidance”: the first being the spirit of community and the second, the cold light of the stars. The latter, according to him, is “the symbol of hypercosmical reality, with its crystal ecstasy”. The human struggle, he contends, gains significance in the light of these stars, making it vital to contribute to the struggle. For anyone who’s seen Andor or Rogue One, that’s the essence of the budding rebellion in a nutshell.

Stapledon, who was born in Cheshire in 1866 and went to Oxford University, was a huge influence on generations of sci-fi writers who came after him. Reading Star Maker you can’t help but marvel at the fact that this book dates from the early decades of the 20th century. It feels so contemporary in spirit. For Stapledon’s fans who included Brian Aldiss, Doris Lessing, and Arthur C Clarke, the book was also a guide on how to be human in this universe, in fantastic realms here or elsewhere.

Star Maker starts off with one unnamed man, the narrator, walking up a hill in his hometown at night and looking down on his house and his neighbourhood where his community goes about their lives. Dissatisfied and in an emotional crisis, he looks upwards at the skies and begins a journey to other worlds and galaxies. The book was clearly a warning to what lay ahead for the world at the time that Stapledon was writing it. Sadly, as with most works that concern the human inclination to violence and greed, it continues to serve its purpose — its themes never feel dated.

Borges described Stapledon’s literary imagination as boundless and you have to agree with him. Star Maker alone includes descriptions of genetic engineering and hive minds that were futuristic concepts when the book was first published. But beyond the groundbreaking science fiction ideas, it’s Stapledon’s steadfast belief that community is at the core of sustaining progressive civilisations that endures.

The author is a writer and communications professional. When she’s not reading, writing or watching cat videos, she can be found on Instagram @saudha_k where she posts about reading, writing, and cats.

That One Book is a fortnightly column that does exactly what it says — takes up one great classic and tells you why it is (still) great.