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Stanislaw Lem - Solaris
We've considered reading this one at the club many times, but never have. I've never read it at all, though I've read some of his other, more humerous and biting works. I've always been intrigued by Lem's more serious books, including this and His Master's Voice. So naturally, this article caught my eye.
The author argues that:
In many ways, Solaris is an anti-novel. Its main character, Kris Kelvin—at times stoic and collected, at times cold and aloof—is more an anti-hero than a typical protagonist. Like many science fiction novels from that era, a compelling concept sits at the heart of the story: confronting or making contact with an alien intelligence. But where other novels might play up the idea of a living, conscious ocean to entertaining effect, Lem deflates our expectations: Instead of concluding with a more conventional or satisfying ending, the reader is left with an anti-climax and anti-resolution.
Which reminds me a lot of Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky Brothers. Any thoughts?
https://tor.com/2019/08/01/embracing-the-impossible-puzzle-of-stanislaw-lems-solaris/
Comments
Love Lem. He recognises that science is the study of causality, and that causality depends on both external events and internal understanding, that causality is relationship not thing. Also is keenly aware that our agency is much less than what we think, due to the limits of our capacity to understand, which make science difficult. Personally I think it is great for playing because I agree that this is how the world actually is, but I've met many people who get frustrated when trying to game the ideas i.e. one cannot simply identify and achieve goals, so it is not suitable for 'levelling-up'. Lem's characters change, but it is not so clear that they progress or improve.
I'm really curious to hear more about this gaming of causality and perception - like maybe an example. Perhaps when we read the book...!
What I mean is that Lem's characters (in the non-comic stories) don't ever really 'solve' their macguffin. If heroic has something to do with defeating tragic necessity, he is not your guy. Still I think many of his protagonists are heroes, who just struggle along with absurdity (causality failings) and uncertainty (perception failings), and then the book is over. They've changed, but not much has happened, and there is no more control than at the beginning. Sometimes understanding has increased, but often is understanding of error that effectively leaves the characters knowing less than they did before.
I guess I'm more interested in the RP than the G. I'm more interested in Ged than LeGuin. I think that LeGuin was too, which is why I trust her work. Play is eternally serious nonsense I guess, which I think games often intend their rules to bind, but the players also get (unintentionally) bound.
Examples: Weaving a tale rather than spinning a yarn. Continuances rather than completions. Playing with language rather than gaming with system mechanics / technology. Acting within the time, people, and place rather than upon them.
Oddly enough this was the aspect of The Chill which kept me reading, but I guess we'll talk about that at the end of the month
I couldn't read Solaris. Just did not work for me!
I've not read the book, but have seen the Russian film. I'd be happy to have it as a monthly pick. OTOH, maybe it's better not to have a monthly pick that some have read and others have bounced off.