Solaris

The Definitive Edition

By: Stanislaw Lem, Bill Johnston - translator

Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani

At last, one of the world’s greatest works of science fiction is available - just as author Stanislaw Lem intended it.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Solaris, Audible, in cooperation with the Lem Estate, has commissioned a brand-new translation - complete for the first time, and the first ever directly from the original Polish to English. Beautifully narrated by Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica), Lem’s provocative novel comes alive for a new generation.

In Solaris, Kris Kelvin arrives on an orbiting research station to study the remarkable ocean that covers the planet’s surface. But his fellow scientists appear to be losing their grip on reality, plagued by physical manifestations of their repressed memories. When Kelvin’s long-dead wife suddenly reappears, he is forced to confront the pain of his past - while living a future that never was. Can Kelvin unlock the mystery of Solaris? Does he even want to?

©1961 Stanislaw Lem. Translation © 2011 by Barbara and Tomasz Lem (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Few are [Lem's] peers in poetic expression, in word play, and in imaginative and sophisticated sympathy." (Kurt Vonnegut)

"[Lem was] a giant of mid-20th-century science fiction, in a league with Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick." ( The New York Times)
"Juliani transmits Kelvin’s awe at Solaris’s red and blue dawns and makes his confusion palpable when he awakens one morning to find his long-dead wife seated across the room. Juliani’s performance is top-notch." ( AudioFile)

Haunting and Intelligent

I was intrigued by this book and the movie versions, but had not made the jump until it came up here.

I was not disappointed. This is a beautifully written and intelligent story. I was drawn in right from the beginning. The narration is outstanding - although it is really a performance - it is more like a wonderful radio play. The story does end somewhat abruptly without a neat resolution - that is the intent - the story is thought provoking. I loved it, although it is also disturbing in parts. I agree with the reviewer who said it could have been written last week, apart from minor issues. These do not detract from the story at all. This book will be read for many, many years to come. It is a classic.

This is Audible at its absolute best. This story will not be for everyone, but it deserves a very wide audience. Highly recommended.

From a fringe science fiction fan -

As with many science fiction books, the focus is on the science and not the character development. None of the people felt real. The story was competently told, but with so much scientific complexity, that at times I got lost in the details. I still kept listening, as I really wanted to know what would eventually happen, and the ending left me somewhat satisfied. Perhaps a hard core science fiction reader would have understood it all better.

Is it all in his mind

Would you listen to Solaris again? Why?

yes it was a very well written story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I am not a fan of stories about people who may or may not be going crazy because they are so bored. I live that life already. Well, but not in space.

Which character – as performed by Alessandro Juliani – was your favorite?

He did a fabulous job narrating this story. I might say his narration kept it interesting for me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

In space, everything can hear you scream.

Any additional comments?

Actually this ended up being a pretty good mystery story. I also liked the way the story was told. Being Sci-Fi there is a certain amount of belief suspension required but this was a story about figuring out what was real and not real within this world that Stanislaw created. Alessandro Juliani must live sci-fi because he completely submerged himself into this world and narrated it beautifully.

Prodigious Work of Imagination

Would you consider the audio edition of Solaris to be better than the print version?

No, but given the complexity and abstraction of some of its themes, surprisingly close to the written version. However, in contrast to the 2 filmed versions of "Solaris", this unabridged and entirely new translation (which has the author's approval) contains the entirety of the discourse on the scientific and philosophical concepts and issues. There might be a tendency to skim through such passages, with their references to imagined studies and theories, but Juliani's reading of this material invests it with the power of someone fired by intellectual pursuit.

What did you like best about this story?

The oddity of it all, from the perspective of an English-reading listener, with its existential ruminations on science, the meaning of life, consciousness, faith, fate and love. It is nonetheless compelling in its depiction of a future at once recognizable and novel. The intricacies in the descriptions of geology and pathology of the planet Solaris, and the discussions and deconstructions of an entirely imagined history of the science of Solaristics, is an extraordinary demonstration of Lem's ability to imagine a world and universe different than ours. But there are at most 5 active characters in the book, and their interactions and motivations within this wholly alien context (and Lem's writing within the Soviet system at the time it was published which adds to the sense of oppressive strangeness) draw the listener relentlessly into a philosophical discourse about man's place in the universe and his limitations and those of his inventions.

Any additional comments?

Lem depicts an alien consciousness, if that is what it can be called, that is impenetrable, unknowable and unreachable. So this is not your ordinary "first contact" story, nor a world-in-peril story, but an examination of deeper' philosophical themes. Part of a man's confronting the reality that he may not be the center of the universe is a need, not easily met, of justifying himself.

Superior Translation, Narration Deserves Awards

I read the first English translation years ago, and thought Solaris was "good", but wasn't blown away by it per se. However, upon realizing there was an allegedly far superior translation made more recently than the one I had read, I jumped onto this version to see what I'd potentially missed.

The biggest change from one translation to the next is almost entirely made of the subtle differences in mood and atmosphere. The book reads much differently as a result, and has an at times vague and oppressive anxiety that is being lived by the main character. While these were not always comfortable feelings, this gave the story MUCH more depth and "texture" to the story, as well as the general vibe of the entire book.

As for the execution of audio version.. all I can say is that this narration deserves awards and is probably one of the most expertly narrated audio books I've ever heard. If I rated "Overall" and "Story" as 5/5 stars, I'd give "Narration" a 6/5 stars if I could.

Do not skip this one, it is Eastern Bloc sci-fi at its absolute finest, and one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time.

Seven hours of unadulterated joy

Definitely one of the best science fiction novels ever written. Wonderfully read — full of feeling, clear and precise diction and the characters given genuine personality by the narrator. This is the first-rate performance-reading that this outstanding book deserves.

If you are not a science fiction fan, please do not be put off by this book's labeling. More than perhaps any book in the sci-fi category, Solaris is a novel which deserves to be read outside of its genre. At the heart of it is a story of love and remorse. The science fiction and the Solaris of the title are only vehicles for Lem to investigate our humanity in the face of the inexplicable universe.

A timeless piece

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Considering when it was written this story offers a wonderful premis to consider the meaning of life and human behaviour in a world well beyond what has previously, or currently been imagined.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I found the ending frustrating, but on reflection, it fitted the philosophical dilemmas that pervaded the story.

Have you listened to any of Alessandro Juliani’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Alessandro Juliani before and look forward to hearing more of his performances

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What are we afraid of?

Any additional comments?

I loved the writing style of this book, so much descriptive detail, but found it slow in parts. This would be my only critical comment of the experience of Solaris.

Between Physics & Dreams

An outstanding performance of one of the greatest Science fiction novels to have come out of Europe in the past few decades. Few novels can examines both the theoretical difficulties of extraterrestrial communications and the futility of human desire with equal skill, but Lem pulls it off.

Stanislaw Lem is considered a national treasure in his native Poland and once you've experienced Solaris you'll understand exactly why. Very highly recommended.

Moody and Profound

A planet-sized organism probes its human investigators in ways that they can barely understand. The novel puts you close to an oceanic being and goes deeper and deeper into philosophy. This is one book I will keep on my iphone permanently.

hard sci, but soft fi

Meh. It started out excellently, but got soft in the middle, then mushy at the end. I was hoping for something special.