This is Olaf Stapledon's last book, published post-humously after his sudden death in 1950. The manuscript was tidied up by his wife and published in 1954. She comments that it is not quite complete but there were no clues as to what other passages he had in mind, other than there were some planned. The opening of the eyes refers to his own, in that in the last few years of his life he had "Seen God's plan" and this put him at peace with life and himself.