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)

haunting

in 1972, i saw the film, solaris, based on this book. directed by tarkovsky, it took me into a visceral experience, suspending time, entering deep space, both external and internal. listening to this magnificent narration by alessandro julian of this excellent translation of stanislaw lem's brilliant book has taken me into those places again. spellbinding.

the attribution of beatificince to the unknown

wonderful narration. I did not know what I was getting into at first I thought I would be slugging through cheesy sci-fi. The introduction and setting give no expectation of what you'll find in this story. however for those who will take the time to unpack the multiple layers of meaning you will find a highly thought provoking work of literature.

Alessandro brought this classic alive

A lovely story. I will reread someday as I feel I missed some depth of the concepts due to Stanislaws or Bills choice of language.

Alessandro's narration is absolutely excellent. He truly brings the characters alive. His performance has a theatrical quality that really adds ALOT of value to the story. His interpretation of the characters and his consistency of impersonation was genuinely masterful. This is easily one of the best narrations I have enjoyed on Audible, it might be THE best. Truly well done and thank you.

Excellent Performance of a Book Not to My Tastes

The performance is wonderful at 1.4x speed. I don't subscribe to the author's atheistic philosophy.

ugh...

I kept waiting for the story to develop.
I was more about relationships than science. It had some interesting concepts but when it ended I was mad.
It goes NOWHERE!
Download if you dare but you've been warned this book is like hiking the desert with a promise of water, only to get to the end and find nothing.
Want good relationship style sci fi
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.
or
Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Too much raw fabricated 'science'.

Too much raw fabricated 'science'. Never really understood what they were dealing with. I feel like the story is unfinished.

awful narrator

the worst narrator I have ever heard. absolutely ruined the book with his imitation voices

Good but not great

Wonderfully narrated -- actually one of the best narrators I've ever heard! So many voices were used that it was more like a radio show than a book reading. The story had a very good beginning but it began to drag after a while. Still good... it kept me reading, but I was waiting for more action that did not come. The end was o k a y . Just kind of petered off instead of a real conclusion but there was some interesting philosophy presented, so it was still good. The first and last chapters were the best.

Food for thought and soul

Where does Solaris rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is t h e best audiobook I've listened to. It is the total of all things that come into play when you produce an audibook that makes this a ecxellent piece of performance. The end result convinces me to my heart.The story is a heartening story of sorrow and beauty at the same time. It challenges and tickles perception, values and ethics as the events and circumstances in the story put them to test since what we are presented with is something rather different than anything we experience(d) on earth.

What did you like best about this story?

Most rewarding in the story is the sincere and profound love the main character holds for his late wife. And the torments he goes through as a rational being, trying to grasp and understand what he encounters at Solaris. What this means for him personally, and for man in a grander perspective.It is very rewarding to read a book that in an intricate way challenges the reader to concider value, love and achivement. At the same time it is one of those sci-fi stories that uses the settings to explore new topics, and where the sci is not just an end in it self. The story is just as fascinating even if one doesn't ponder all the new questions that it raises.

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

Alessandro performs something close to a radio broadcast. He really brings the characters to life. He draws upon an apparent talent to portray many different personalities. The only other way really to experience something similar is to view the movie(s). Even though one of the treats of reading a book, is that it lets one self build up a convincing portray of a character - sometimes the imagination of an actor or a narrator does a better job than one self and is more rewarding than just reading the book.

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

Personally, I with this book enjoyed the way I listen to audio books. In small portions on my way to and from work. Because the scope merits from being digested.

Any additional comments?

There is an odd blend of two types of narration. That of what is directly experienced by the characters, and that of an almost dry historical documentary of Solaris as a phenomenon. I think I have an idea of what the author wanted to achive with this. But I think that this might put off some readers that might feel as if the story telling is put on hold.

Great listen

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

Yes I would recommend this

What was one of the most memorable moments of Solaris?

Great descriptive narrative really captures the emotions

Which scene was your favorite?

The part where you hear the talk about the visitors and their powers

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

It made me think nd consider my feelings

Any additional comments?

Really worth a listen