His Master's Voice

Stanislaw Lem

Mar 1984 · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

About this ebook

A pulsating stream of neutrino radiation from a source with the power of a sun has been detected on earth and a team of scientists assembled to study and decode the mysterious message. As the scientists wranle among themselves, clashing and conspiring while jockeying for favor and position, Lem produces a witty and inventive satire of “men of science” and their thinking. In the race to discover whether the message is a technological gift or the formula for the ultimate weapon, the author grapples with the issue of scientific responsibility in a compelling sci-fi thriller.

Ratings and reviews

This is one of Lem's denser works, so know what you're getting into and don't try if you aren't feeling up to it, but if you go in willing to concentrate and think, HMV is totally worth it. Also, worth reading together with Fiasco, as they represent two related but interestingly differing takes on the same theme.

About the author

Stanislaw Lem is the most widely translated and best known science fiction author writing outside of the English language. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he is a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker, and he is the author of numerous works, including Solaris.