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Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

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Solaris

Stanislaw Lem

HarperCollins · Paperback · November 20, 2002

Reading lane: Hard Sci-Fi

“A fantastic book.” —Steven Soderbergh When psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds himself confronting a painful memory embodied in the physical likeness of a past lover.

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Mind and Mystery

An alien ocean makes the limits of understanding feel uncomfortably personal.

Come here for

  • First contact without easy answers
  • Science fiction where memory complicates investigation

Expect

  • A planetary mystery bound up with painful memories
  • Questions about intelligence and what we can know

Book Details

Authors
Stanislaw Lem
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
November 20, 2002
Format
Paperback
Theme
Hard Sci-Fi · Space Opera
Reading lane
Hard Sci-Fi

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • The Classics

  • Sci-Fi

  • Space Exploration Fiction

About This Book

“A fantastic book.” —Steven Soderbergh When psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds himself confronting a painful memory embodied in the physical likeness of a past lover. Kelvin learns that he is not alone in this and that other crews examining the planet are plagued with their own repressed and newly real memories. Could it be, as Solaris scientists speculate, that the ocean may be a massive neural center...

Read full description

“A fantastic book.” —Steven Soderbergh When psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds himself confronting a painful memory embodied in the physical likeness of a past lover. Kelvin learns that he is not alone in this and that other crews examining the planet are plagued with their own repressed and newly real memories. Could it be, as Solaris scientists speculate, that the ocean may be a massive neural center creating these memories, for a reason no one can identify? Long considered a classic, Solaris asks the question: Can we understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within? “A novel that makes you reevaluate the nature of intelligence itself.” —Anne McCaffrey

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