Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

Stanislaw Lem - Eden (Helen & Kurt Wolff Book)

Reviews
 

This travelogue of weird plants, structures and sluggy aliens is written without any regard for plausibility or characterisation. In fact, the only thing less plausible than the juvenile plot is that it could have come from the pen of the incomparable Stanislaw Lem, at the height of his powers.
Mr. Nigel JB McFarlane

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Contacting an alien civilisation has always been one of the most popular motivs of sci-fi literature. This book is about it; however, unlike most approaches to the subject, the civilisation that mankind comes across with is _really_ alien. The whole point of the book is to prove that it might not be so easy to get in contact with extraterrestial intelligent beings, let alone communicate with them. The way we understand the world around us is based on categories and values that are very human; but that does not mean that they are really universal.

This book is really exciting, in that sense. A crew of explorers lands in a planet, finds an alien civilisation, wanders around the planet, sees many aliens behaving in absolutely uncomprehensible ways and never get really close to understand what's happening around them. As it tends to happen with Lem's books, the end is a bit disappointing, only because the expectations he draws along are very high and it's simply very difficult to keep up to them. However I think this book is truly original and very recommendable.
J. Alvarez

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a companion piece to lems the invincible. 5 astronauts crashing on strange planet find even stranger civilisation which they struggle to comprehend. an excellent read - one of my favourite books. if you like lem you will like this.
fatgerbil

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