Play Book Tag discussion

Solaris by Stanisław Lem - 5* - My Review

Protagonist Kris Kelvin lands on the planet Solaris to study its enigmatic ocean. When he arrives, he discovers a fellow scientist who appears to be losing his mind, another who refuses to emerge from his cabin, and a third who has died. The massive ocean appears to be sentient and is using the scientists’ memories to undermine their sanity. At least, that is the speculation. They really don’t know. Kris Kelvin is visited by his wife, Rheya. The only problem is that Rheya died from suicide years ago. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because this book is best discovered without knowing too much ahead of time. I believe each person will come away with a different interpretation. Published in 1961, this is classic science fiction at its best, at least in my opinion. It is a must-read for Sci-Fi fans.

The parts about what is going on were brilliant, but there are "sciencey" chapters interspersed that I found boring.

I can understand if that's not your thing, but for me, I loved the "sciencey" stuff.

I saw a play adapted from the book that was so much better than the original, and it's extremely rare I say that. They swapped the gender roles. In this one, the scientist was female and the former love was male. Mainly the play just really emphasized the emotion more than the book managed to; it hit really hard on the loneliness and longing.

That sounds interesting, Mary. I have not seen any plays, but after reading the book, I found out there was a BBC radio show in two parts that dramatize Solaris. I listened to both, and they were outstanding!

My book club read this last fall and it generated so much great discussion! One of our best book clubs. I found it very disturbing.

I don't recall much science, but if I can't grasp the concepts or don't want to work to hard to decipher I will block that stuff out lol😂

A definite classic - a book that has stuck with me over the years. There is so much out there, books, movies, magazines blogs, and on and on, about extraterrestrial life and first contract, but what hit home with me most here was the idea that after this huge discovery, the two life forms are so dissimilar that understanding is impossible even after years of interaction. Thanks Joy for reminding me of it with your review.

Meli wrote: "My book club read this last fall and it generated so much great discussion! One of our best book clubs. I found it very disturbing.

I don't recall much science, but if I can't grasp the concepts ..."

I can see how it would be a great book to discuss with others!

Steven wrote: "A definite classic...the two life forms are so dissimilar that understanding is impossible even after years of interaction. ..."
I agree! That's part of why it was so intriguing to me. Plus, of course after the lifeform gets (view spoiler)[blasted with a powerful weapon (hide spoiler)] it didn't exactly create fertile ground for communication.

There were also at least two movies based on the book. The American film starred George Clooney. It was quite good, but not a big hit with audiences that expected a lot of action.

I have not seen either movie, but the BBC Radio show was fantastic! I do not go to many movies, and when I do, I pick and choose carefully. I tend not to like "lots of action" (same for books as you know) so I would probably enjoy the one you mentioned.