Solaris

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Summary: Solaris - The Comparisons
Review: I read this book after I read the Michael Crichton novel "Sphere." There are some similarities, but nothing astronomical. "Solaris" is a novel written in Russian and later translated into English in the 1970's, so you should keep in mind that bits and pieces are lost in translation (especially dialogue, which is slightly awkward at times).

I personally liked "Sphere" better. With "Sphere," you got the real sense of isolation and drama. You didn't know if the sphere itself was malevolent. With the Solaristic ocean, you know the ocean's position towards the human visitors. The theory of a living, sentient ocean is astonishingly crisp and fresh, even in the science-fiction tapped minds of the 21st Century. A living ocean is something scientifically plausible, but never really thought of. That's why it is very original. The machinations made by the ocean are not evil, they are the ocean's reaction to humanity.

The first 50 or so pages of this relatively short (204 page) novel are gripping and suspense filled, you are brought into the story quite forcefully. But, as the novel progresses, there is sort of a numbness that sets in. The author, Lem, becomes too comfortable in his position, and lets go of the suspense that drew you into the novel in the first place.

This novel is for someone who enjoys science, fiction, or both together. If you want an informative sci-fi novel, get "Sphere." If you are just looking for a good, quick, intelligent read, pick this book up. It is original and written quite well, as far as translations go. Pick it up.

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Summary: A groundbreaking work
Review: Lem's most celebrated novel, Solaris, comes to American audiences translated from the French translation of the original Polish. In some ways, the novel recalls the mysteriousness of Carlos Fuentes' novel, Aura, but the metaphysical aspects of Lem's writing, blistering satire of the scientific-military-industrial-religious complex, and the change of venue (from the modern day world to a completely alien planet) will probably alienate most casual readers. The essential questions are never answered.

Read it before Steven Soderbergh "Hollywoodizes" it with a remake of the classic Russian film adaptation of Solaris.

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Summary: An important and monumental work of science fiction
Review: I was required to read this book for a science fiction class at San Francisco State University. I was immediately pulled in by the labyrinthine plot and psychological twists and turns. I was especially fascinated by the philosophical link between the oceanic surface of the planet below and the characters' subconcious and unconscious fears, desires, guilt, etc. The implications of the ocean's power and the men's own power to enable their creations to become more flesh-like and alive was staggering. Truly an original novel. Don't miss this book. I believe that each reader will walk away with a piece of this story etched in their soul...hokey at that sounds. Try it. Like me, you may not be able to put it down until you finish it.

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Summary: certainly unique, but ...
Review: I just finished reading this book with great interest, and I can say without hesitation that this is a great book, very insightful and profound. It makes me think about myself and my experiences. However, I found some of the chapters about the theories and discoveries made in the past about Solaris unnecessarily lengthy and rather difficult to swallow. I personally view this book as a philosophically profound fiction, therefore I would not mind if some of the theories were not scientifically correct. But it almost seems to me like the author tried to justify the correctness of these theories, and that to me seems unnecessary and make the book rather bloated and lack focus.

But the book is very original and unique, very worth reading.

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Summary: Different kind of Sci-fi
Review: How many of us want a second chance with somebody we liked or loved, but not available to us any more? And if this person is made exactly according to your perception of him/her, how much do you want the chance then? The book with very unique angle on perfection puts you on planet Solaris, where one gets one person he/she misses most. Unwantingly...Sometimes Lem becomes a technician-chemist and he won't leave you until he is sure that you understand the basic concept of somebody's uncomprehensible theory. He creates new words to describe it, which makes things even more complicated. But you'll be rewarded afterwards (and in between) with the psychological side which seems so logical that it becomes scary. No need to be scared, though. There is no happy ending.

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Summary: Great book, somewhat surprising translation
Review: I enjoyed this book a lot, it is one of the most intriguing stories I have ever read. However, I was very surprised to find that the names of some of the characters in this translation are different from a German version I have read and the Russian movie I have seen. Why did the translators change Dr. Snout in the original to Dr. Snow, and why is Kelvin's visitor, called Hari in the original, all of a sudden named Rheya? I know these details don't really impact the story, but when I read this book, I felt that some of my attention was being diverted from the real story to trying to answer this puzzle. Is there anyone who has an explanation for this?

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Summary: Best Written Lem
Review: Solaris is a very eloquent book about alien life as well as humanity's own interactions. Although it is neither action packed or easy to understand, It is a very poignant story. I have found it is often misunderstood or disliked by those who have a penchant for "bubble-gum" variety sci-fi, but for the serious science fiction reader, this is an absolute must. If you enjoy Arthur C. Clarke or Frank Herbert, you will definitely enjoy this book.

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Summary: Chilling and thought-provoking
Review: To characterize Solaris as a "sci-fi" novel is unfair - it is a book of metaphysics, the perils of history, fears, acceptance, and life. As a previous reviewer stated, the limits of science are explored brilliantly, and as these limits appear, so does fear, both of the unknown and the ultimate uncertainty of what is accepted as fact. The book is not anti-science, though, and the reader comes away feeling that just because science has limits, it is science that can bring us to the starkest of encounters with the human mind. Lem does a wonderful job of creating a forlorn and ominous atmosphere aboard the station, and the first encounters of Kris and Rheya left me truly uneasy. In fact, the first half of the book has many elements of a horror novel, but these elements are presented in a technical, sanitary way that was new to this reader. Kris's explorations of the ocean and its meanings drive the plot, yet never does one accept this quest as an important part of the story - it is the canvas on which a man's encounters with the hidden elements of the universe is painted with a passionate restraint. It is a humane book of the very best sort that doesn't shy away from the terrors that consume us all.

Rating:
Summary: Too good, too bad.
Review: After finishing Solaris, I am set upon by a feeling that few novels have left me with. I feel I have just read a beautiful novel that certainly is special and certainly is moving. Yet as a reader I feel very unsatisfied with the way Lem resolved the story (or, to put it bluntly, his lack of resolution). It is a novel about communication, about the inability for scientists to communicate with the ocean, perhaps even vice versa, and the inability of the main character to communicate with the image of his dead wife, and vice versa, and it is about the inability of the scientists to even communicate with each other. Yet just as moving, and even more compelling, is a sort of tragic love story that roams itself around the book. What a shame then that so much is unexplained: Lem asks many questions in the first 3/4 of the book that the last quarter fails to answer. Perhaps illuminating light on Gibarian's Negress, the identities of Snow or Sartorius' visitors, or the fate of the first Rheya are unimportant to Lem's underlying message. Yet a reader feels cheated that a book has ended and so many details have been left without the least bit of fleshing out. I don't mind the fact that things are unresolved; what I mind is that the aforementioned things are left hanging with no "fleshing out" for me to conjecture my own ideas as to the whole of the story. And this is far too good of a story to leave in such an unfinished, unsatisfying mess. I'm left too curious about too many fragments. By writing a story about the inability to communicate, Lem has done exactly the same to the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't go anywhere
Review: I guess I'd enjoy this story more if it had a beginning and ending. Instead, the author drops you right in the middle of a larger tale, and he spends the majority of the book providing way too much background information. In fact, that's what the majority of this book is: the author trying to bring the reader up to speed on what's happened/happening. The characters are secondary.

The main story involves a scientist arriving at a research station on Solaris, a planet almost totally covered by a giant amoeboid lifeform which is the subject of intense study. The lifeform is having odd effects on the other scientists at the station, and it begins to affect the protagonist, as well. This plot is full of potential, but, towards the end, it becomes apparent that no real answers are going to be provided. Additionally, Lem's characters are flat and boring, never accomplishing much of anything throughout the book. It seemed that the main character spent the majority of his time dreaming or waking up. How inspiring.

Maybe the bland atmosphere of this book was due to a bad translation. Some of the dialogue just didn't sound correct, and some of the more serious moments were almost laughable. It was very difficult to take this book seriously.