Yalomins

Yalomins are a fictional species featured in the science fiction novel "The Last Stand of the Yalomins" by K.J. Parker. They are depicted as an ancient and technologically advanced race facing a slow decline. The Yalomins are characterized by their sophisticated understanding of engineering and their mastery of complex machinery, which they have developed over millennia. Their civilization is portrayed as being in a state of entropy, with their population dwindling and their once-great achievements fading.

The core of the Yalomins' narrative revolves around their struggle to survive and preserve their legacy. They are a species that values knowledge and history, and their efforts are focused on finding a way to overcome their inevitable end. The novel explores their philosophical outlook on existence, mortality, and the meaning of a civilization's final moments. While the specifics of their biology are not extensively detailed, they are presented as beings capable of complex thought and emotion, deeply invested in the fate of their kind. Their decline is not due to external conquest but an internal, biological stagnation, making their plight a more poignant exploration of entropy and the passage of time.