This is a chronicle of the next 40 million years, written by the Nebula-award-winner. He also wrote the "Helliconia" trilogy and, with David Wingrove, he wrote "Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction", which won the Hugo Award as best work of non-fiction.
Galaxies Like Grains of Sand
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About the Author
Brian Aldiss, born in 1925, is one of the most prolific authors of both general and science fiction. In a writing career stretching from 1955 to the present he has published over seventy books. He has also been an influential compiler of science fiction anthologies. A Science Fiction Omnibus is available as a Penguin Modern Classic.Faber have reissued six of his best science fiction titles: Earthworks, Cryptozoic!, Barefoot in the Head, Galaxies like Grains of Sand, The Dark Light Years and The Shape of Further Things.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The War Millennia
To begin with – though it is certainly no beginning – the first fragment is of a strange past world, where the clouds of nationalism have gathered and broken into a storm of war. Over the forgotten continents – Asia, America, Africa – missile of destruction fly. The beleaguered people of that day have not fully comprehended the nature of the struggle in which they are engulfed.
Those simple blacks, whites and greys which constitute the political situation are grasped readily enough with a little application. But behind these issues lie factors scarcely understood in the council chambers of Peking, London, Cairo or Washington – factors which stem form the long and savage past of the race; factors of instinct and frustrated instinct; factors of fear and lust and dawning conscience; factors inseparable from the adolescence of a species, which loom behind all man’s affairs like an insurmountable mountain chain.
So men fought each other instead of wrestling with themselves. The bravest sought to evade the currents of hatred by turning outward to the nearest planets in the solar system the cowardly, by sleeping away their lives in vast hives called dreameries, where the comforts of fantasy could discount the depredations of war. Neither course ultimately offered refuge, when the earthquake comes, it topples both tower and hovel…
It is fitting that the first fragment should start with a man sitting helplessly in a chair, while bombs fall. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Repo Eelis P
Format:Paperback
A compendium of eight novellas, first published 1960 as a book, depicts several aeons of war, robots, mutants and megalopoliis, civilizations rise and collapse, humans come and go. Technology used may get out-of date, but human spirit maintains its strive. A worthy item from the grave of a half of century.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A series of rather tenuously linked stories that purport to take place over a series of millennia where the galaxy ages and crumbles while man stays the same. Perhaps better as separate stories, the linking narration comes acros as an excuse to call this a novel
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of those books you never forget
28 Aug 2000
By Daniele Mezzetti
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read this book as a teenager, and then many other times. It's a story of mankind spanning millions of years. This book is one-of-a-kind, for the gigantic scale on which is projected, the bold imagination, the long silences between flashes of history that let yor mind fascinated for the untold but imagined. And there is a subtle sadness for those million lives, their joys and despairs... but always life flourishes in unexpected ways. Reading this book is like looking at the sky in a clear night and wondering at the immense universe.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes
1 Oct 2008
By M
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is easily one of the best sci-fi novel, or just book, that I have ever read. This book is old and I had to obtain my copy via eBay, but it was worth it. The eight interconnected stories come to a surprising conclusion, and overall is very thought-provoking. I liked how each chapter focused on a different part in human history. While I do feel that this book could have used some more detail (the book is fairly slim compared to other books such as say, Dune) it is still a wonderful and thought-provoking read, with some juicy nugget of philosophy or thought in each section. My favorites were the 'Mutant' and the 'Ultimate' Millennia chapters.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gigantic scale combined with small human moments...
29 Nov 2000
By "phyed-rautha"
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A series of short stories, each dealing with a specific era in the human development and future histoy. Alldis is known in his intelligent and philosofic works and this one is not only keeping those high standarts , but stands out as a wonderfull, imaginative story of our race , millions of years into the future. super recommended. enjoy.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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