Solaris
1961 • 179 pages
Ratings114
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings114
Average rating3.7
The cult-classic by Stanislaw Lem that spawned the movie is now available for your Kindle! Until now the only English edition was a 1970 version, which was translated from French and which Lem himself described as a "poor translation." This wonderful new English translation (by Bill Johnston) of Lem's classic Solaris is a must-have for fans of Lem's classic novel.
Telling of humanity's encounter with an alien intelligence on the planet Solaris, the 1961 novel is a cult classic, exploring the ultimate futility of attempting to communicate with extra-terrestrial life.
When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories. The Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates these incarnate memories, though its purpose in doing so is unknown, forcing the scientists to shift the focus of their quest and wonder if they can truly understand the universe without first understanding what lies within their hearts.
Reviews with the most likes.
Acel moment cand citesti mai mult Solaris decat Caragiale inainte de bac =((
I had been familiar with the movie Solaris for years and thought it was reasonably interesting. Then one day I had to visit Lviv in Ukraine for work (the hometown of the author, but at the time it belonged to Poland) and decided to give the book a try. Man, absolutely incredible. He describes an encounter with an alien culture the exact way I always thought it should be - incomprehensible.
But while he does it majestically well, this is not even my favourite part of the book. What is really enticing (and just too close to home) is the fact that no “specialist” could come to an agreement whether the “alien” was even conscious or not. Again, exactly how I always suspected it would be.
A must read to any science fiction fan.
An absolutely incredible look into the human mind and the attempt to grasp things beyond human understanding.
This is the first book I've read in one sitting since 2018. It's that compelling.
One of the best things about this book is I decided to read it instead of continuing to plod through Delany's Through the Valley of the Next of Spiders, so my love of Solaris might be influenced by my relief at not having to work so hard to attempt to enjoy a different book.
Having said that–what a wonderful book. Not without its flaws, but a fascinating take on what it means to be real, how we exist in relation to others, and how love can sometimes really fuck us up–all within a sci-fi wrapper that has such interesting facets as an entire planet that is basically some kind of brain, and a centuries-long attempt to communicate with an alien consciousness.
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1,583 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
