'Devilishly clever and compulsive' Daily Mail 'Science Fiction at its best' Spectator In Galaxies Like Grains of Sand , Brian W. Aldiss tells the tale of mankind's future over the course of forty million years. Each of these nine connected short stories highlights a different millennia in which man has adapted to new environments and hardships. It is one of the most powerful and ambitious forays into the far future since Olaf Stapledon's classic Last and First Men. 'One cannot help being struck by the variety of concepts, the mastery of style, the sureness of the dialogue, the depth of characterization, the fertility of ideas, and the urbanity of the wit . here is a major talent at work' Science Fiction Writers.