The Truth and Other Stories
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- $31.99
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- $31.99
Publisher Description
Twelve stories by science fiction master Stanisław Lem, nine of them never before published in English.
Of these twelve short stories by science fiction master Stanisław 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 reader could wish for. Many of these stories feature artificial intelligences or artificial life forms, long a Lem preoccupation; some feature quite insane 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nine of these 12 outstanding stories from international sci-fi superstar Lem (1921–2006) make their English-language debut in this treasure trove of a collection. Lem's prose shines in suspenseful chase sequences ("The Hunt") and dense philosophical tracts produced by artificial intelligences ("The Journal") alike, with a dry wit that manages to fit comfortably alongside the flashes of cosmic horror in pieces like "Darkness and Mildew." In the satiric social commentary "The Invasion," Lem posits an alien invasion of Earth by billion-year-old seeds simply looking for a place to germinate, while in "Lymphater's Formula," the planet is doomed by humanity's inexorable if unwitting efforts to replace itself. Readers with a wry outlook will find many kindred spirits among Lem's protagonists, like the unorthodox robot priest of "An Enigma" who stoutly maintains that brains made of jelly can indeed think, in defiance of "the rigid opinion of the Holy Office." This collection shows off Lem's range and further solidifies his place in the speculative firmament.
