The Chain of Chance

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Summary: The Chain of Chance, by Stanislaw Lem
Review: "The fact that I was using a dead man's shirts and luggage didn't faze me in the slightest, and if it was a little hard going at first, then it was only because these things belonged to a stranger, not because their owner was dead."

Written in the style of a detective novel, "The Chain of Chance" is classic Lem: a combination of action, hard science, and philosophical investigation. An ex-astronaut is hired to look into the death of a wealthy businessman, one of a several men to meet a gruesome end after visiting Naples. The authorities suspect a pattern, but neither the police nor a sophisticated computer enlisted for the investigation can crack the case.

In a trail leading from Naples to Rome to Paris, the ex-astronaut barely escapes numerous threats on his life. Having set himself up as a potential victim, he comes to realize that he may now be the target of a deadly conspiracy--and that the conspiracy is not the work of a criminal mind but a manifestation of the laws of nature. The population has numerically exceeded its critical mass; certain patterns have begun to emerge from the chaotic workings of society. As the ex-astronaut unravels the puzzle, he begins to see that some of those patterns can be fatal.

A singular mystery novel, "The Chain of Chance" proposes an original scientific hypothesis in the form of a story layered with menace and driven at breakneck speed. It is among Lem's most accessible and popular books.

Praise for Stanislaw Lem:

"[Lem is] a Jorge Luis Borges for the Space Age, who plays in earnest with every concept of philosophy and physics, from free will to probability theory." (New York Times Book Review)

Stanislaw Lem is an internationally renowned author of more than twenty works of science fiction, including "Solaris" and "One Human Minute." His books "A Perfect Vacuum" and "His Master's Voice" are also available from Northwestern University Press. He was born in Lvov, Poland, and lives in Kraków.

Louis Iribarne is a widely published translator. His work includes books by Czeslaw Milosz and Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, as well as Lem's "Tales of Pirx the Pilot" and "More Tales of Pirx the Pilot."

Rating:
Summary: Lem's dud
Review: If you have never read a book by Lem, you shouldn't start here. The best thing about Stanislaw Lem's stories is that he will bring up some of the most absurd angles of how our lives can be altered by technology. His best writing contains science fiction, philosophy, interesting asides and ethics wrapped up in a fun story. This book doesn't have any of that. Pick up His Master's Voice or Fiasco instead.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read. It's a superb science fiction mystery that pulls you along and you never know where it's going.

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Summary: Lem's Drier Side
Review: Though this lacks the jaunty tone of many of Lem's short stories or fictional essays, it still shares his disturbing habit of assualting your cerebrum in new and rather inventive ways. This book is sometimes as bizarre at is mundane, and this paradox is ultimately essential to the plot. But this book is enjoyed by a Lem fan, and I'm not sure that a reader unfamiliar with him will wait out the denoument...