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Spaceways, v. 4, issue 6, whole no. 29, 1942

Page 14

14     SPACEWAYS
A NEW BOOK BY STAPLEDON
reviewed by 
DONALD A. WOLLHEIM

I have recently had the opportunity of reading a new book of science-fiction sent to a friend by a British fan. It is the latest of the great novels of Olaf Stapledon and is entitled "Darkness and the Light". The publishers are Methuen and we note they are still at their old stand in London, blitz or no blitz.
We were especially surprised and pleased to see this work for we had been given to understand that Professor Stapledon had done with the works of fiction and was confining himself (after the publication of "The Star Maker") strictly to philosophic works. But it would appear that the war has wrought another miracle and caused him to conceive yet another of his cyclopean novels. It is a timely work, a work clearly inspired by the current war and the deep cosmic issues that underlie it.
"Darkness and Light" is a sort of branches-of-time story; a strictly future-history piece without any heroes or characters. Stapledon expounds yet again on the same theme he dwelt upon in "The Star Maker" (and to a certain extent in his earlier works): the theme that there comes a time in the evolution of a planetary race when it must unite all lands, put aside internal war and become fully mature in a social, cultural and planetary sense. He expounded on this over and over again in the histories of the various worlds of the cosmos and the various races of mankind of "Last and First Men". In this book, Stapledon examines the future of man under two alternative conditions. They are the future of humanity after a world-wide dictatorial anti-democratic victory and the future of humanity after a world-wide pro-democratic anti-imperialist victory.
To do this, Stapledon imagines himself taken in hand by extra- planetary intelligences and conducted on a tour of the future. He notes that there is an odd parallel. At one and the same time, his vision registers two separate futures taking place. He sees that there are two possible and real paths for humanity and he watches the events unfold in each. One he terms the victory of Darkness, the other the victory of The Light.
Stapledon makes this book into an allegory and admits in a preface that he does not wish to be taken as a prophet in any manner. In order to avoid political prophecy he evades the near future. The Third Reich is apparently overthrown, a Fourth Reich occurs. Europe is conquered by Germany, then freed and reconquered by a decadent Russian pseudo-Soviet Empire. America is a sort of economic Utopia but then falls to the Russian regime. China advances after conquering Japan, becomes a rabid and powerful imperialist force and soon the entire world has been divided between two great dictatorial regimes--Russia and China. All the world save one small end--that is the plateau of Tibet.
Here the two stories branch off. The time is somewhere a century or two hence. The Tibetans develop a brilliant scientific humanitarian revolutionary democratic culture and become imbued with the desire for propagating a world-wide democratic revolution. Missionaries set out from Tibet and begin to stir up the masses of the Russian and Chinese regimes.
Here the break comes. In one version, the Tibetans are outwitted, ruthlessly combatted, and the two empires combine to assault Tibet and annihilate it. In the war great devastation is wrought and germ warfare undermines the structure of most of the world. China wins the war, taking Tibet and also smashing the weaker Russian regime by completely efficient and cold-blooded butchery tactics. A world-wide Chinese Empire is set up.
This empire is never to be overthrown. By the most scientifically complete system of enslavement possible, every avenue of rebellion is destroyed. Even-
(continued on page 16)

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14 SPACEWAYS A NEW BOOK BY STAPLEDON reviewed by DONALD A. WOLLHEIM I have recently had the opportunity of reading a new book of science-fiction sent to a friend by a British fan. It is the latest of the great novels of Olaf Stapledon and is entitled "Darkness and the Light". The publishers are Methuen and we note they are still at their old stand in London, blitz or no blitz. We were especially surprised and pleased to see this work for we had been given to understand that Professor Stapledon had done with the works of fiction and was confining himself (after the publication of "The Star Maker") strictly to philosophic works. But it would appear that the war has wrought another miracle and caused him to conceive yet another of his cyclopean novels. It is a timely work, a work clearly inspired by the current war and the deep cosmic issues that underlie it. "Darkness and Light" is a sort of branches-of-time story; a strictly future-history piece without any heroes or characters. Stapledon expounds yet again on the same theme he dwelt upon in "The Star Maker" (and to a certain extent in his earlier works): the theme that there comes a time in the evolution of a planetary race when it must unite all lands, put aside internal war and become fully mature in a social, cultural and planetary sense. He expounded on this over and over again in the histories of the various worlds of the cosmos and the various races of mankind of "Last and First Men". In this book, Stapledon examines the future of man under two alternative conditions. They are the future of humanity after a world-wide dictatorial anti-democratic victory and the future of humanity after a world-wide pro-democratic anti-imperialist victory. To do this, Stapledon imagines himself taken in hand by extra- planetary intelligences and conducted on a tour of the future. He notes that there is an odd parallel. At one and the same time, his vision registers two separate futures taking place. He sees that there are two possible and real paths for humanity and he watches the events unfold in each. One he terms the victory of Darkness, the other the victory of The Light. Stapledon makes this book into an allegory and admits in a preface that he does not wish to be taken as a prophet in any manner. In order to avoid political prophecy he evades the near future. The Third Reich is apparently overthrown, a Fourth Reich occurs. Europe is conquered by Germany, then freed and reconquered by a decadent Russian pseudo-Soviet Empire. America is a sort of economic Utopia but then falls to the Russian regime. China advances after conquering Japan, becomes a rabid and powerful imperialist force and soon the entire world has been divided between two great dictatorial regimes--Russia and China. All the world save one small end--that is the plateau of Tibet. Here the two stories branch off. The time is somewhere a century or two hence. The Tibetans develop a brilliant scientific humanitarian revolutionary democratic culture and become imbued with the desire for propagating a world-wide democratic revolution. Missionaries set out from Tibet and begin to stir up the masses of the Russian and Chinese regimes. Here the break comes. In one version, the Tibetans are outwitted, ruthlessly combatted, and the two empires combine to assault Tibet and annihilate it. In the war great devastation is wrought and germ warfare undermines the structure of most of the world. China wins the war, taking Tibet and also smashing the weaker Russian regime by completely efficient and cold-blooded butchery tactics. A world-wide Chinese Empire is set up. This empire is never to be overthrown. By the most scientifically complete system of enslavement possible, every avenue of rebellion is destroyed. Even- (continued on page 16)