[LMA]⇒ PDF Gratis Sirius Olaf Stapledon 9780140019995 Books

Sirius Olaf Stapledon 9780140019995 Books

Download As PDF : Sirius Olaf Stapledon 9780140019995 Books

Sirius Olaf Stapledon 9780140019995 Books

Let me first put it simply: this novel is wonderful.

"Sirius" is a thoroughly enjoyable novel in its own right - a delight to read just for its plot. I bet you'll be hooked by the end of the first page! But "Sirius" is also meant to encourage philosophical thought, which it does in a delicate, subtle, and very approachable way. As with all good books of this sort, "Sirius" raises many more questions than are answered.

Ostensibly, "Sirius" is a science fiction novel. I think you'll agree Sci-fi generally doesn't age well - this was written in 1944 - so you might be inclined to pre-emptively dismiss this as hopelessly outdated. Not so. "Sirius" maintains its relevancy by keeping science in the background. What science there is remains quite believable and plausible - only the briefest internal struggle is necessary to make it compatible with our modern knowledge. Essentially, the main character, Sirius, is a sentient quadrupedal dog created by a scientist, and who has acquired mostly human sensibilities through being raised by a human family alongside their own children. Sirius' development and upbringing closely parallels the scientist's youngest daughter, Plaxy, with whom he forms a close and unique life-long bond. Plaxy, while biologically entirely human, is fundamentally altered (yet not overtly) by her close upbringing and relationship with Sirius.

Most of the text deals with humanity - or more specifically, a non-human sentient's perspective and interactions with the society of Britain in the 1930-40s. "Sirius" manages to be engaging right from the start while also raising serious questions about humanity and its worth, delivered through an accounting of Sirius' daily life, adventures, and misadventures. The book accomplishes this without preaching - one gets a sense that the author has been careful not to trample upon the narrative for the sake of hammering home a point.

To go into greater detail, the central issue is Sirius' "otherness." His mood is at some times that of a pet dog, subservient to humans and humanity, then a savage wolf resenting his human oppressors, then a human trying to relate to others in a human way, and more than anything, a combination of all three aspects, in which state he cannot fit into any of society's niches. Sirius oscillates between all these states as he tries to determine who he is, who he is meant to be, who he wants to be, and how to be true to himself. Sometimes Sirius wishes to fit in with human society, other times that is of no importance to him, and when in his "wolf" mood he finds humanity repulsive, but always he is "other," a permanent outsider. Sirius is neither dog nor man and he suffers for it. Stapledon's presentation of Sirius' sentient yet non-human perspective on humanity is uniquely masterful and convincing, but its true value is in provoking the reader to think about humanity, oneself, and one's relationship with humanity.

p.s. If you like "Sirius," also find Stapledon's "Letters to the Future" for his perspective on spirituality; in particular his thoughts on eternal life are very cogent.


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Sirius Olaf Stapledon 9780140019995 Books Reviews

In many ways prophetic. Excellent overview of the human condition through the eyes of a dog. Several touching and searing moments.
This book arrived in great condition, exactly as pictured. Wonderfully engaging story. I started reading it after I heard an interview with the musician Bonnie Prince Billy stating it was an influence for one of his records.
This was an interesting read. Stapledon plays with themes of community and humanity in this story in a unique way. Themes of technology and science vs. religion and spiritual beliefs throughout, coupled with the inner struggle with ones nature and how that shapes their place in the world, and the loneliness that accompanies isolation. For anyone interested in a deep, thoughtful read, I would highly suggest this book.
Olaf Stapledon, is undoubtedly best known for his amazing novels "Star Maker" and "Last and First Men", but if that is all you have read from him then you have missed out on his writings which are in a more traditional style. "Sirius A Fantasy of Love and Discord", published in 1944, is an excellent book as well, though not on the same scale as those earlier works. It is the story of a "super sheepdog" (Sirius), who was biologically engineered with hormones, and raised along with the daughter (Plaxy) of the scientist (Thomas Trelone). It is a tragic story, in which Sirius struggles between the worlds of his human family and his canine instinct. A unique bond is formed between Plaxy and Sirius that shapes both of their lives.

"Sirius" can stand alone, or be considered part of Stapledon's vast future universe as outlined in his other works. The story is simply on a much smaller scale, and so would not in and of itself be a noteworthy event in books like "Last and First Men" or "Star Maker". Thomas Trelone is Stapledon's Frankenstein, though certainly he does not suffer from the same character flaws as Shelly's famous predecessor. At the same time, Trelone admits that he failed to consider all of the consequences of his experiment, which led to a very lonely and torn character in Sirius. Sirius cannot fit in with humans for many reasons, though Sirius himself focuses on the lack of hands. Sirius also doesn't fit with other canines, as he finds them too simple and only interesting when a female is in heat.

This book was tied for 9th on the Arkham Survey in 1949 as one of the `Basic SF Titles', which was a higher rank than "Star Maker" (tied for 13th) received. Perhaps the main reason this book is no longer as highly regarded as Stapledon's other books is due to the fact that it is a more traditional style of writing. Innovation counts for a lot with the fans of this genre, and over the course of time more traditional works can be forgotten. However, this book should not be forgotten nor should Stapledon's "Odd John", because though they are told in a more traditional manner, they still are uniquely Stapledon, and as such they are both worth reading.
Let me first put it simply this novel is wonderful.

"Sirius" is a thoroughly enjoyable novel in its own right - a delight to read just for its plot. I bet you'll be hooked by the end of the first page! But "Sirius" is also meant to encourage philosophical thought, which it does in a delicate, subtle, and very approachable way. As with all good books of this sort, "Sirius" raises many more questions than are answered.

Ostensibly, "Sirius" is a science fiction novel. I think you'll agree Sci-fi generally doesn't age well - this was written in 1944 - so you might be inclined to pre-emptively dismiss this as hopelessly outdated. Not so. "Sirius" maintains its relevancy by keeping science in the background. What science there is remains quite believable and plausible - only the briefest internal struggle is necessary to make it compatible with our modern knowledge. Essentially, the main character, Sirius, is a sentient quadrupedal dog created by a scientist, and who has acquired mostly human sensibilities through being raised by a human family alongside their own children. Sirius' development and upbringing closely parallels the scientist's youngest daughter, Plaxy, with whom he forms a close and unique life-long bond. Plaxy, while biologically entirely human, is fundamentally altered (yet not overtly) by her close upbringing and relationship with Sirius.

Most of the text deals with humanity - or more specifically, a non-human sentient's perspective and interactions with the society of Britain in the 1930-40s. "Sirius" manages to be engaging right from the start while also raising serious questions about humanity and its worth, delivered through an accounting of Sirius' daily life, adventures, and misadventures. The book accomplishes this without preaching - one gets a sense that the author has been careful not to trample upon the narrative for the sake of hammering home a point.

To go into greater detail, the central issue is Sirius' "otherness." His mood is at some times that of a pet dog, subservient to humans and humanity, then a savage wolf resenting his human oppressors, then a human trying to relate to others in a human way, and more than anything, a combination of all three aspects, in which state he cannot fit into any of society's niches. Sirius oscillates between all these states as he tries to determine who he is, who he is meant to be, who he wants to be, and how to be true to himself. Sometimes Sirius wishes to fit in with human society, other times that is of no importance to him, and when in his "wolf" mood he finds humanity repulsive, but always he is "other," a permanent outsider. Sirius is neither dog nor man and he suffers for it. Stapledon's presentation of Sirius' sentient yet non-human perspective on humanity is uniquely masterful and convincing, but its true value is in provoking the reader to think about humanity, oneself, and one's relationship with humanity.

p.s. If you like "Sirius," also find Stapledon's "Letters to the Future" for his perspective on spirituality; in particular his thoughts on eternal life are very cogent.