So unfortunate. I left Solaris on the dining room table until I got around to reading it, and at the same time 84-year-old Mr. Lem passed away in Krakow, Poland.
I’m not what, if any, responsibility I have in the matter.
This book was a mixed bag for me. Like Ballard’s lagoon in The Drowned World the “ocean” Solaris is a character in its own right, and a fascinating one at that. I loved reading about the mimoids and other creations, the moody and mysterious behaviors, and the theory of it being a flawed material god. The writing is amazing, descriptions evocative, more so that it was translated from Polish to French, and then to English. It really pulled me into the setting. However, I did not like the main character, Kris Kelvin, did not find him at all sympathetic, and wondered at the author making a character a psychologist and never delving into the psychological aspects of the story. It’s almost as if the human characters and Rheya are pointedly inconsequential. Intentional or not, I didn’t like that.
So, my dear author, as you stand before the strangest ocean there is, on the next leg of your journey, I wish you adventures that will be as amazing as your imagination. I would be interested in reading another of your books, to see how you treat other characters.
Lem uses description beautifully to convey being in the story itself, but this story reminds me that main characters must be sympathetic. They must do things that make you like them.
I’m not what, if any, responsibility I have in the matter.
This book was a mixed bag for me. Like Ballard’s lagoon in The Drowned World the “ocean” Solaris is a character in its own right, and a fascinating one at that. I loved reading about the mimoids and other creations, the moody and mysterious behaviors, and the theory of it being a flawed material god. The writing is amazing, descriptions evocative, more so that it was translated from Polish to French, and then to English. It really pulled me into the setting. However, I did not like the main character, Kris Kelvin, did not find him at all sympathetic, and wondered at the author making a character a psychologist and never delving into the psychological aspects of the story. It’s almost as if the human characters and Rheya are pointedly inconsequential. Intentional or not, I didn’t like that.
So, my dear author, as you stand before the strangest ocean there is, on the next leg of your journey, I wish you adventures that will be as amazing as your imagination. I would be interested in reading another of your books, to see how you treat other characters.
Lem uses description beautifully to convey being in the story itself, but this story reminds me that main characters must be sympathetic. They must do things that make you like them.
RSS Feed