In the wet vs Last and First Men: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: English Science fiction, Science Fiction

In the wet Nevil Shute · 1953 ★★★★☆ 3.9 368 pages · ≈ 6 h 49 m · Moderate

Originally published in 1953, In the Wet is Nevil Shute's speculative glance into the future of the British Empire. An elderly clergyman stationed in the Australian bush is called to the bedside of a dying derelict. In…

British and irish fiction

Find on Amazon More like this →

Last and First Men Olaf Stapledon · 1930 ★★★★☆ 3.8 Challenging

“... For love of France was the undoing of the French. They prized the truly admirable spirit of France so extravagantly, that they regarded all other nations as barbarians.”

One of the most succinct and accurate renderings of mankind's present state of mind and future progression. It documents the future of man from the start of WW2 and continues until the Sun engulfs the earth, and beyond.…

1 film adaptation

Human beings Prophecies Long Now Manual for Civilization English literature

Find on Amazon More like this →

Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Last and First Men has the widest readership — 7206 ratings behind its score.
Last and First Men reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 45 times.
Last and First Men runs the darker storyline; In the wet stays the lighter read.

In the wet: Check price →Last and First Men: Check price →

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.

How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? Last and First Men 7206 ratings vs 1466 for In the wet New to the genre? In the wet Moderate vs Challenging for Last and First Men In the mood for something dark? Last and First Men a darker storyline than In the wet Want something lighter? In the wet an easier tone than Last and First Men Want the literary heavyweight? Last and First Men cited 45 times vs 8 for In the wet

Scores by source

	In the wet	Last and First Men
Goodreads	3.9 (1466)	3.8 (7206)
Hardcover	4.0 (2)	3.7 (39)
Apple Books	4.5 (8)	4.0 (11)
	Check price →	Check price →

Reception

	In the wet	Last and First Men
Ratings	1466	7206
Editions	49	72
Citations	8	45
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	703	16739
Reading it now	124	789
Written reviews	173	681
Wikipedia attention	393	5402
Pages	368	—
	Check price →	Check price →

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: In the wet or Last and First Men?

In the wet has the higher combined reader rating across sources (In the wet 3.9/5, Last and First Men 3.8/5).

Which is harder to read: In the wet or Last and First Men?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — In the wet: Moderate; Last and First Men: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

In the wet: no film adaptation on record; Last and First Men: 4 film adaptations.