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)

Nice story but not for everyone

A lot of terms thrown around and I tend to think about how they apply in the real world. I enjoyed it.

Awesome tribute to an awesome work!

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

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who I thought would be interested in the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Snout (sp?) He is one of the best borderline crazy characters ever.

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

I have not heard any of Alessandro Juliani's other performances, but I am familiar with him from the new Battlestar Galactica. If I were to compare those two things, I would say that while I liked Gaita a lot, this audio books allows Alessandro to show much more of his acting abilities. He breathes real emotional life into these characters and has an excellent feel for other things we do in speaking like saying "uh" or "mmm"-ing. (I hope that made sense)

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book is generally low key in presentation. It is up to the reader/listener to decide their reaction. I have read it several times in the older translation and now this one. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that it always makes me wonder what I would do in the same situation. Would I be as dramatically affected as the characters and what is the real reason for what is happening, if we could even understand the reason.

Any additional comments?

I am not a language scholar, so I can't speak about the accuracy of this translation. However, just reading it, it is much more pleasurable and feels more real. The story flows better and you get a better sense of how the characters feel and what is actually happening.That's just about the story. Alessandro's performance is icing on the cake and adds another layer to its depth. Listen to it.

I was there!

If you could sum up Solaris in three words, what would they be?

Original mind trip

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

A sense of thinking to myself

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

It is impossible to make a decent movie of this book. It is too personal and internal.

great love story

I was fortunate enough to see the original Russian movie and now the newer version. I'm really surprised that more people haven't seen it.
I'm just trilled to hear the book's version, of course I love the interplay and the romantic interplay. I think it shows the complexity of human love and feelings whether its with a human or a pet, the unconditional giving part of love.
In this case, its also with a planet which on Earth we take it all for granted.
I do think and hope as we evolve so that our life span will be expanded. I guess we will learn that what goes around comes around. Unfortunately, it takes some time for that to happen.
This book was well written and easy to understand. As always I like audios that I can listen too over and over. Many lessons about are feelings can be learned from this audio.

Putting the science back in the fiction

It's heavily scientific there are large chapters devoted to just the details of the planet and the science behind it I enjoyed them but I understand why some people won't it's a quick listen so give it a try very philosophical as well

Unlike other sci-fi books, in a good way

What did you love best about Solaris?

The unique story structure. There is something mesmerizing about the story and the overall tone. Most other sci-fi over-explains what's going on. This story is all about the unknowable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Solaris?

The first night Kelvin spent with his "wife".

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

Kelvin is the major character in this book, spoken in the first person. Juliani does a great, understated job of bringing him to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes (although it's hard to sit and listen to an audiobook - it's best to walk around).

Any additional comments?

This book is probably not for everyone. It's the opposite of escapist sci-fi. It doesn't have much action. The characters are trapped in confined spaces having to deal with their dark guilty secrets. It's more existentialist than anything else. But it's profound and will move you.

Kept Me Engaged

There was a bizarre mystery unfolding that I couldn't pull myself away from... ultimately a sad ending, but a real thinker.

A wonderfully difficult novel

Before coming to the end of Stanislaw's work, Olaf Stapleton danced a jig of joy, in my memory, bringing to mind his "Last and First Man". If you've read neither work beware, you may find yourself drowning in information and complex wordage. However, if you have worked your way through other such works to enjoy a display of brilliance in stories leaving you delight than Lem's "Solaris" is for you.

Better than the text

Recently at a book store I picked up an (I can only assume) differently translated version of Solaris. The text was beyond dull. Perhaps built for a new American audience it contained only plot and none of the deviations into "Solaristics" the history and ideas of the planet Solaris. This bothered me, knowing how much I enjoyed the audiobook.

I will inevitably have to look into this, but for now know, this is the best version of Solaris that I've come across.

Moby Dick meets Arrival

A tightly written sci-fi story. At once a thriller, a theological treatise, an examination of grief, and a lampoon of humanity’s endless endeavors to understand.