: Solaris
Author: Stanislaw Lem
Fascinating book. It reads like a scientific paper and I expected it to be difficult, but I just breezed through it. Somehow it keeps you interested. The plot is wild: a scientist (Kris Kelvin) arrives on a floating space station on planet Solaris, which has demonstrated many unexplained phenomena for nearly a century. The active theory is that the ocean is alive. However, no one has ever been able to communicate with it: it’s like its thinking process is so different from ours it can’t even recognize us as beings. Shortly after arriving on the station, Kelvin meets his wife who’s been dead for ten years. She’s not a ghost but a real physical person: apparently she’s been generated from his memories by the alien intelligence for unknown reasons. Unfortunately, she’s isn’t a perfect replica: the flaws in her creation are glaring to Kelvin. He can’t love her like she’s his wife, yet she reminds him so strongly of her he finds it difficult to hate her. That’s just creepy and weird, but it gets worse. The woman cannot be out of his sight or she goes insane — presumably she must stay near him or she ceases to exist. There are two other scientists on the station, but they keep to themselves: they each have their own ghosts to contend with. Everyone acts bizarre and the narrative and logic of these people was sometimes difficult to follow: you wonder if they’re sane. Still, this is a fascinating read about the nature of intelligence. Don’t expect easy answers (or answers at all — this book is mostly questions). Defintely a science fiction classic. I’ve never read any Stanislaw Lem before, but I’m definitely going to get some of his others. Great stuff. I’m looking forward to the new movie coming out.
Topic: [/book] |
