Solaris: The Definitive Edition

One of the best things about this book is I decided to read it instead of continuing to plod through Delany's Through the Valley of the Next of Spiders, so my love of Solaris might be influenced by my relief at not having to work so hard to attempt to enjoy a different book.

Having said that–what a wonderful book. Not without its flaws, but a fascinating take on what it means to be real, how we exist in relation to others, and how love can sometimes really fuck us up–all within a sci-fi wrapper that has such interesting facets as an entire planet that is basically some kind of brain, and a centuries-long attempt to communicate with an alien consciousness.

You may have seen the films but have you read the book? Lem’s Solaris, a classic of the genre, is a deeply philosophical book about the nature of consciousness, alien contact and what it means to be human. It is much broader in scope than the movie adaptations and the “living planet” Solaris features much more heavily, with long descriptions of the living ocean’s contortions and creations.

Kelvin, a scientist sent to the Solaris station, arrives to find it almost deserted, eerily quiet with only two other scientists on site. Snow, dishevelled and suspicious of the newcomer, and Sartorius, locked away in his room.

It soon becomes apparent that something strange is going on, which is only confirmed by the sudden appearance of Kelvin’s dead wife….

This is an absorbing book, full of unsettling, beautiful prose. It loses a star, for me, because at times Lem devotes too much of the page count to lengthy accounts of the history of Solaristics (the study of Solaris), which come across as very dry and interrupt the flow of the story.

But overall, a very good book, very original and well worth its status as an SF classic.