Solaris

Solaris – 4.5 Stars:

Reading this, I immediately noticed a lot of similarities to Sphere by Michael Crichton—and I’m clearly not the first to draw that comparison. The big difference is that Solaris is a vastly superior book on every level.

Lem masterfully blends plot, science, introspection, and internal monologue, resulting in a truly artistic take on science fiction. The book meanders in a few sections, which occasionally distracted me—hence the 4.5 instead of a full 5 stars, though that might be unfair.

On the “Definitive Edition”: I can’t read Polish and haven’t read earlier translations, but I found Bill Johnston’s prose exquisite—clear and easy to read. And Alessandro Juliani’s audiobook narration is among the best I’ve ever heard.