Ratings9
Average rating3.9
From 'A giant of twentieth-century science fiction' (Guardian), the adventures of Pirx, a hapless everyman in outer space 'By now he fancied himself something of a rocket jockey, a space ace, whose real home was among the planets' In a future where space travel has become routine and unremarkable, Pirx the pilot bumbles and daydreams his way through the solar system. These endearing tales follow his progress from cadet to captain. But, whether he is wrestling with a misbehaving spacesuit, feeling uncomfortable on a luxury space cruise ship or encountering a mysterious malfunctioning robot on a mission to Mars, the hapless Pirx just can't stop things from going terribly wrong. Translated by Louis Iribarne
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I associate Lem with high quality science fiction. There is solid science there, in each of the stories, which is appreciated by the engineer in me. These space-travel tales focus on many subtle details of what it would be like to zoom around the solar system routinely. And there is good fiction, too, especially in the first three of the five stories. I will happily procure and read the follow-up volume of Pirx tales.