Quote:
Originally Posted by porphy
No upgrade here yet... 
In the meantime I'm enjoying the arrival of the first Swedish edition from 1935 of Olaf Stapledon Last and First Men. The pages are still uncut.  |
An excellent novel! I read that as a teen way back, well, better not say how long ago that was! You know he wrote that prior to what is called the Golden Age of science fiction, when it seemed like so many of the outstanding works were still influenced by an underlying sense of gloom, stemming first from the turn of the century and then from the wonders of all the emerging technology turning into the creation of terrible weapons and mass deaths of WWI. And then science itself moving past "wonders" and through advanced physics and cosmology revealing a vision of the universe suggesting that no matter what technology and humankind might do and create, that life, the planets, and ultimately the stars and galaxies would all end in the heat death of the universe. We were cosmically screwed. Aliens (HG Wells, "The Invasion From Mars" were aggressive, powerful and malevolent. Earth, home...our only refuge, even if only temporarily.
Stapledon certainly created a breathtaking, sweeping vision. But he was part of that pre-Atomic Age era of SF. I recall Astounding magazine and editor John Campbell in the very very late thirties beginning of the 40's changing the nature of SF towards a more optimistic basis. Humans could not only survive, but by adapting and embracing the changing universe, even evolving to higher consciousness - could eventually master whatever challenges arose. Aliens became more complex characters, and might be allies rather than invaders. Heinlein, Asimov, Van Vogt, and the rest in that era established a more optimistic view of the future. I guess it remains to be seen who was right.
Whew! Sorry - Stapledon brought back fond memories. Meanwhile, just finished SB Pro revised Steinbach Ambush scenario. The graphics, the sound files, intense arty strikes - well worth the wait. Just scratching the surface of the upgrade so far though. I haven't found a scenario in which the new UAV implementation is available, or the many of the vehicle advances. But it runs as smoothly as the beta. A great job from the people at eSim. I haven't heard about any serious bugs or issues yet, either.