The reading collection A world between the pages
The Last Evolution by John W. Campbell Jr.
In a far future shaped by thinking machines, an outside threat tests the partnership between humanity and its creations. John W. Campbell Jr.’s complete 1932 story imagines intelligence evolving beyond the limits of its makers.
Chapters 1
Language English
First published 1932
Source credits Original English story first published in Amazing Stories, August 1932; transcribed from the March 1961 reprint. Project Gutenberg #27462 transcription updated 4 January 2021.
Written by John W. Campbell Jr. (1910–1971), first published in 1932. Digital text produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Cotor introduction prepared for this reading edition. New cover artwork generated for Cotor, 2026.
Project Gutenberg lists this original English story as public domain in the United States because research did not locate a U.S. copyright renewal. Copyright outside the United States must be assessed separately; this is not a worldwide public-domain claim. No Leo Morey illustrations or modern translation are included. The separately labelled Cotor introduction is new editorial material. The new AI-generated cover is original Cotor artwork, separate from the historical source.
Project Gutenberg (opens in a new tab) 6,744 words in this reading copy
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