Solaris

The Definitive Edition

By: Stanislaw Lem, Bill Johnston - translator

Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Thought provoking

I had expected standard quality science fiction for escape entertainment but I was surprised how well written this book was. The science and the history of the planet were very detailed which on its own I found fascinating. The characters, their unique reactions to the "visitors" and what they really are had me thinking long after I finished. Ultimately a story about contact and how difficult that is when the beings are so wildly different.

More Readings By Alessandro Juliani, Please

With an audible book you worry about two things - the writer and the reader. This book more than succeeds on both counts.

Incredibly Timeless

Would you listen to Solaris again? Why?

Yes, because it is an outstanding classic!

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

No, I have not listened to him before. I enjoyed his outstanding professional performance.

Any additional comments?

This is the way science fiction is truly enjoyable! Hands down, Solaris is a timeless classic. The immersion feature with audible professional narration was devine. I was able to read and or listen, while doing other things.

great sci-fi

I love this book in the writer was really excellent he had a good storyline without a bunch of filler.

a book written by a brilliant mind

I'm writing this review after my second listening to this audio book. The first listening was over a year ago and although I knew at the time that it was a very good book I had problems with parts of it in which there were descriptions that seemed to go on and on.

Nevertheless I felt compelled to listen to it again. I think now having listened to it again I was much more aware of the author's mind then I was the first time.
The first time I listened to the book I was much more concerned with the characters and the setting and the things going on in the storyline. Now I can see that the parts of the book that were the most difficult were much like reading certain parts of the Old Testament in the Bible.

I don't think that this is a book that can be listened to just once or even listened to straight through and really understood. I found the book to be enriching and very thought provoking.

If you are drawn to the book after the first few pages then I highly suggest that you hang on until the end. It will be worth it.

Classic, heady Polish science fiction

Wonderful narration by Alessandro Juliani, this cannot be understated. Better translation of the polish original.

Although good, can be droning at times

I highly suggest that people listen to this book because it details the life and inter-workings of the planet that this story is about, and raises many questions about what a human being is and what consciousness is, though most of the questions are rhetorical, as good books leave these kind of big questions often should, or at least I think. The story and the main characters' struggles are interesting, though most of the story pertains to Solaris, or the human experience relating to Solaris.
I find the story to be quite interesting, though I have to admit that I've had to take a break from this because it can at times get frustrating to listen to just the history or the workings of the planet, and not what's happening to the main characters.

For those looking for a story about the characters going through the Heroes' Journey with some backstory added on, I suggest that these people skip this. This is more of a history and examination of the planet Solaris Stanislaw Lem puts forth with some parts of the Heroes' Journey sprinkled in.
Overall, I'd say this is well written, but closer to an examination of Solaris than a tale of heroism.

Beautifully written

I really enjoyed the audible rendition of this book. The reader was great and the story, though mysterious, is very thought-provoking. It certainly helped me understand the 1970s movie version of the book a little better - one of my favorite movies!

Interesting premise, reads too often like a manual

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'm no expert on life in the universe, but Lem's depiction of extraterrestrial life sounded plausible. So, if a friend were interested in this subject, I'd recommend the book. If he or she wanted an entertaining read, I wouldn't.

What could Stanislaw Lem and Bill Johnston (translator) have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I wish the depiction of Solaris was suggested rather than painstakingly detailed. It was hard to follow all the scientific discourses. It felt like these meandering, jargon-filled passages comprised at least half the book.

What does Alessandro Juliani bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was by far the best thing about this. Were it not for his performance, I wouldn't have finished the book.

Did Solaris inspire you to do anything?

I'm not sure if inspired is the right word, but it did prompt me to do some internet research so I could fully understand what Lem was trying to say here.

Any additional comments?

I honestly wanted to like this book. I'm a huge PKD fan. Lem, I believe, said PKD is the best American novelist. So I'm automatically inclined to like Lem's work. PKD may not have the science correct, but he knows how to tell a story. His stories sail along, never finding any doldrums. This wasn't the case for me with Solaris.

what did I just read?

it was engaging, non traditional storytelling, very bleak at times, incredibly thought provoking, sometimes needlessly explanatory, and just... emotionally hard.