The Truth and Other Stories

By: Stanislaw Lem

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Of these twelve short stories by science fiction master Stanislaw Lem, only three have previously appeared in English, making this the first “new” book of fiction by Lem since the late 1980s. The stories display the full range of Lem’s intense curiosity about scientific ideas as well as his sardonic approach to human nature, presenting as multifarious a collection of mad scientists as any listener could wish for. Many of these stories feature artificial intelligences or artificial life forms, long a Lem preoccupation; some feature quite bizarre theories of cosmology or evolution. All are thought provoking and scathingly funny.

Written from 1956 to 1993, the stories are arranged in chronological order. In the title story, “The Truth,” a scientist in an insane asylum theorizes that the sun is alive; “The Journal” appears to be an account by an omnipotent being describing
the creation of infinite universes—until, in a classic Lem twist, it turns out to be no such thing; in “An Enigma,” beings debate whether offspring can be created without advanced degrees and design templates. Other stories feature a
computer that can predict the future by 137 seconds, matter-destroying spores, a hunt in which the prey is a robot, and an electronic brain eager to go on the lam. These stories are peak Lem, exploring ideas and themes that resonate throughout his writing.

©2022 Stanislaw Lem (P)2022 Recorded Books

Some of the best Lem

I am a gigantic fan of Lem; The Cyberiad is my favorite book of all time. This collection is really exceptional and a great testament to his outstanding creative mind. Several of these stories will stick with me for the rest of my life for sure.

Great Stories

The stories takes some time to get going, but the journey is usually worth it. The Narrator does a good job with the different characters in each of the stories.

Excellent!

I loved it! It's so nice to have new Lem translated. He is truly one of the greatest sci-fi authors to have ever lived. These stories run the gamut of his interests, from adventurous sci-fi, to something approaching cosmic horror, to philosophy and futurism. I can't recommend it enough. And the reader did a great job too. Very engaging.

The author reads without any passion

The stories are amazing as almost all of Stanislaw Lem's stories are, but the author reads slowly and without passion, giving a lusterless flat affected patena to every tale.

Fantastic

Some of Lem’s best work. Mostly mysterious, heady explorations of what artificial intelligence might be like from the inside. The philosopher in Lem comes through strong in theories of consciousness and time set within imaginative and technically rigorous fictional frameworks. Extremely timely in 2025, a welcome relief to masses of misinformed AI hype.