SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion

I nominated it, no one else is talking about it, so I guess it’s up to me to start things rolling.

I’ve read the novel three times now: 2001, 2011, and 2014. The first time was the problematic Polish to French to English translation, and I must admit it was either the poor translation or the wrong time for me to get into it, but I wasn’t much impressed. Lem was able to read English and he complained that quality was second rate, but he wasn't able to get a direct translation published in his lifetime.

In 2011, I listened to the unabridged audiobook which was a direct translation from Polish to English; something about selling the audio rights allowed Audible to commission a new version, and I’m glad they did, because it blew me away. It was the primary reason I nominated the book since the ebook version is the new translation. Reading it for the third time brought out a deeper appreciation for the novel.

Not everyone will agree, of course, but I think Solaris is one of the top five science fiction novels I’ve ever read. I’m sure it will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, but I prefer science fiction to be idea and knowledge based rather than hero and action, and Solaris very much fits that bill.

It seems like a lot of readers balk at Kelvin discovering so much - passing that on to the reader in turn - by reading himself. Though it’s the way a scientist, under his conditions, would learn things. Or, it worked for me, whereas, I think, its dissatisfying to others.

It is a book that makes me think about aliens and what aliens could be like and how would humans - if we ever meet them - would truly communicate.

I also thought a lot about who the planet would send me as a visitor if I were on the station. I’m not sure I know. I’m not such I’d tell if I did. Maybe I’d be more like Snaut or Sartorius and keep that secret to myself.

I’ve never seen the either of cinematic adaptations. Sometimes I’m tempted by the 1968 Soviet version - but I don’t want to be disappointed. There is no chance in hell I’d volunteer to watch to Clooney version.

I'm reading it at the moment - should be done early next week. I'm really enjoying it so far and look forward to reporting back when I'm done.

I've bought the eBook version but won't get to it for a bit (reading a Peter F. Hamilton book first). I'm anxious to read it, though. I saw a comparison done between the original English print version and the audiobook once. A review blog did the comparison; they read the same passage from different sections. The straight translation was so clearly superior I've held off until now to get the book.

I listened to the audiobook version in 2011. I don't remember a lot about it except the fascinating aspect of the ocean being a sentient being. My review from then:

Interesting book. Solaris is a planet where the alien is the ocean itself. Is it conscious? Is it sentient? What do those words mean anyway? While this is definitely a scifi book, it is also a rather creepy psychological thriller. I liked it although I did get bogged down a bit in the descriptions of the planet and the development of the scientific study of it. I am blown away that this book was first published in 1961. It feels totally modern to me.

I'm with you Greg, on the idea of a movie version. No thanks. I don't know how you could do justice to the book.

As for the movies, well, I've seen them both. I found the Soderbergh/Clooney version to totally miss its mark. Soderbergh went so far as to say he was attempting to make a modern 2001, but he's just not up to Kubrick's chops. It felt...flat, emotionless.

The Tarkovsky 1972 film, however--and despite Lem not agreeing witht the focus that the director put on the film--is a fantastic movie. I look at it kind of like the Director's Cut of Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?): It is not faithful to the original book, but manages to be a powerful work in its own right which (I hope) pays enough homage to the original to not be offensive. I'll know better once I read the book.

The wikipedia page on Tarkovsky's film has an interesting discussion of Lem vs Tarkovsy:

"Tarkovsky’s film is about the inner lives of its scientists as human beings. Lem’s novel is about the conflicts of man’s condition in nature and the nature of man in the universe. For Tarkovsky, Lem's exposition of that existential conflict was the starting point for describing the inner lives of the characters."

It's a powerful film.

I've finished this now - I was blown away by it. Like Greg I tend to prefer what you could call the "science fiction of ideas". Solaris definitely hits that button.

I can see why some people would get turned off by the big block of "research" about half way through the book, but I thought it was handled well - it reminded me of some of J.G. Ballard's short stories.

I also really loved the claustrophobia of it. With so much SF and Fantasy being world or galaxy-spanning and having dozens of characters to keep track of, this almost felt like a bottle-episode of a TV show.

I bought the ebook version at the beginning of January and have just started it this morning,

Maybe not claustrophobia, but Solaris has perhaps the smallest cast of characters for a novel that I've read except Robinson Crusoe. Yet it does work and I don't think it would have been as effective with dozens of people on the station.

I'm looking forward to reading this at some point. It sounds like my kind of thing

I've read the first three chapters now and am feeling myself inexorably drawn into the story line. In a sense as well as being science fiction I also feel its a mystery and so far the beginnings of a psychological thriller. I like the two main characters introduced so far, Kelvin and Snaut - both very different personality wise. I can't wait till this evening to read more.

I started today and I read the first three chapters. It's easy read this novel, there is an atmosphere of mystery that make the story more close to a thriller than a science fiction.
It's too early for understand the psychological aspects of the story, but I'm looking forward to resume the reading.

I read Solaris back in July 2014. I remember that l loved the horror atmosphere and the thought-provoking (though somewhat lengthy) discussions about the human condition. I especially liked how Stanisław Lem warned that technology could be some kind of new religious fanaticism.
On the other hand, I must admit I got really depressed by the book. There's something very tragic and pessimistic about the whole story. It's not that it is a "sad" story, it's more that it gave me a feeling of utter hopelessness toward humankind.
Maybe that's just me, though :)

So far (69% through the book) I've been really impressed. I also think that Tarkovsky's film accurately captured the emotional content of the book quite well.

There was a fairly large section near the middle of the book that kind of lost me, though...the page-upon-page dissertation into the various formations created by the ocean. That seemed very data-dumpy and not really plot important. It wasn't bad writing, but it did slow down the pacing and was pretty contrary to the tenor of the book up to (and immediately after) that section. Where most of the work is very engaging, that section suddenly became...I don't know, Moby Dick by comparison. Lots of detail about an unknown/unknowable phenomenon. It was kind of like the longwinded trips through an English garden that Tolkien offers in his travelogue sections of LotR.

But, the pace picked up after that. Marvelous writing, very well done characters, interesting world building.

And best of all? The characters are actually quite smart. Thank you. DEATH TO STUPID CHARACTERS!

I've read the book a number of times, love the emotions in it.

Recently many of Lem's books were released on e-book and I snapped up most of them. I assume the writer of Solaris must have other books worth reading, have to find out one of these days.

Finished it today. Very good. The translation seems good, though the eBook does have a few too many typos in it. Even the first page has one, IIRC.

Oh well. Certainly worth reading. A true classic. Smart and remarkably true to its characters in that it seems convincingly scholarly.

Not many writers of this quality have existed in any genre. 5-stars all the way.

I am 61% through the book, and I agree with your comment about the section about halfway through the book about the various formations (I eventually gave up and just scanned it). Your positive feedback is encouraging to me to persist, finding the book a bit 'slow' now!

It is a slower work than most because of its internally driven plot...and coming from a scholarly POV. Its emotional content, too, tends to make it more somber and contemplative. But it's a deeper book than most you'll read.

I now need to re-watch the Tarkovsky film. I can't remember what liberties he took with the plot, but he certainly prevailed in allowing the emotional content remain pure: sad, oppressive, and yet poignantly moving at the same time.

I'm about 70% of the way through Solaris. Honestly, I would not have finished this book after Chapter 8 had I not been listening to the very fine audiobook narrated by Alessandro Juliani. He even SOUNDS interested in these very boring parts, which helps push me along. I'm definitely not an 'ideas' scifi reader and this book has borne this out. I probably missed some parts in Chapter 8 as well since my brain just checked out. However, I do like the plot and the characters and will continue to listen.

Maybe I'm the only one, but I didn't find Kelvin's research boring. It does read like non-fiction, but over the past few years I'm finding that I enjoy non-fiction just as much as fiction, sometimes more.

It's not 100% boring :) There are some really interesting thoughts in it. My problem with it was more about the format. When it starts, it's like pages and pages of very dry talk. If it had been infused a bit more evenly throughout the book, I would have found it a bit easier to take in.
The way it is, it just interrupt the story and its characters for a painfully long time.

I did finish it by the 31st, but it was really a push for me. Still, the plot and characters were GOOD. I just got bored with the endless scientific explanations. My sister is enthralled with my description and she's reading it now. I have no doubt that she will enjoy it as much as you Greg. She's more into the science than action and adventure. :)

I've never read Solaris, but I think I should add that to my to-read list. I did see both film versions. I didn't care for the recent one (Soderbergh), but I thought the Tarkovsky one was really interesting.