Solaris

Stanislaw Lem

Jan 2012 · PREMIER DIGITAL PUBLISHING

About this ebook

New 2011 English Translation._x000D_ _x000D_ 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._x000D_ _x000D_ 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._x000D_ _x000D_ 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.

Ratings and reviews

This is the recently translated English version of the original Polish work. Any sympathy towards the characters is neutralised due to their annoying nature, and any suspense built is overwhelmed by the description of the ocean and numerous theories about it. Worth reading if you don't like definite conclusions and want to feel like you are suspended mid-air eternally.

This is probably my favorite book of all time. I was extremely disappointed by the movie. The prose is beautiful and thought provoking. I have read it twice now.

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.