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ceridwenanne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I got all excited when I read a description of Stanislaw Lem's The Investigation, and it implied there were undead zombie-type resurrected corpses. Which is kinda true? But then the novel ended up being this completely wild deconstruction of the police procedural mixed with Gormenghast-ish Gothic weirdness.
I had a lot of difficulty with how dated the novel was. Sometimes I would only understand the subtext of a converstion much later, and took an embarrassingly long time to figure out the main character, the ambitious detective put on a case he cannot possibly solve, was a satirical creature and an object of ridicule. Once I kenned to it, Lem's criticism of institutional policing is pretty thorough, but then livened up with his sly, dry humor.
There' s also not an insignificant amount of the grotesque, especially in the lieutenant's living situation, enough that I wondered if Lem wasn't taking a shot at the English gothic tradition. (The novel is set in and around London, and I don't know how much time Lem actually spent in Brittain.)
Not quite what I was expecting, but then I also should have expected Lem to pull something that bizarre and thinky.
I had a lot of difficulty with how dated the novel was. Sometimes I would only understand the subtext of a converstion much later, and took an embarrassingly long time to figure out the main character, the ambitious detective put on a case he cannot possibly solve, was a satirical creature and an object of ridicule. Once I kenned to it, Lem's criticism of institutional policing is pretty thorough, but then livened up with his sly, dry humor.
There' s also not an insignificant amount of the grotesque, especially in the lieutenant's living situation, enough that I wondered if Lem wasn't taking a shot at the English gothic tradition. (The novel is set in and around London, and I don't know how much time Lem actually spent in Brittain.)
Not quite what I was expecting, but then I also should have expected Lem to pull something that bizarre and thinky.
stitch_reads's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mariawie's review against another edition
4.0
Jedna z ostatnich książek Lema, za które się zabrałam. I polecam zostawiać ją sobie na koniec poznawania tego autora.
Lem stworzył kryminał niekonwencjonalny - zresztą trudno powiedzieć, czy jest to rzeczywiście kryminał. Możemy to równe dobrze uznać za dzieło filozoficzne. Zresztą tak już z Lemem bywa, że raczej nie klasyfikuje się w jednym gatunku.
"Śledztwo" nie powinno być zatem czytane stricte jako kryminał - jeśli tak to potraktujemy, czeka nas zawód.
Zarówno "Śledztwo", jak i późniejszy "Katar" przedstawiają rozwiązania intrygi za pomocą statystyki i prawdopodobieństwa. W "Śledztwie" jednak nie poznajemy odpowiedzi, co właściwie jest winne poruszaniu zwłok, czy rzeczywiście jest winny i jak to zrobił. To może irytować, przecież nie po to czyta się 200 stron książki, żeby nie poznać zakończenia. Nie chcemy tylko towarzyszyć sfrustrowanemu detektywowi. Ale może właśnie o to chodzi? Przecież tak już bywa w życiu - nie zawsze uzyskujemy odpowiedź. I myślę, że taka odpowiedź w śledztwie jest dużo bardziej prawdziwa niż jakieś wydumane, wyrzeźbione rozwiązanie. I tylko niewielu pisarzy mogłoby sobie na to pozwolić.
Lem stworzył kryminał niekonwencjonalny - zresztą trudno powiedzieć, czy jest to rzeczywiście kryminał. Możemy to równe dobrze uznać za dzieło filozoficzne. Zresztą tak już z Lemem bywa, że raczej nie klasyfikuje się w jednym gatunku.
"Śledztwo" nie powinno być zatem czytane stricte jako kryminał - jeśli tak to potraktujemy, czeka nas zawód.
Zarówno "Śledztwo", jak i późniejszy "Katar" przedstawiają rozwiązania intrygi za pomocą statystyki i prawdopodobieństwa. W "Śledztwie" jednak nie poznajemy odpowiedzi, co właściwie jest winne poruszaniu zwłok, czy rzeczywiście jest winny i jak to zrobił. To może irytować, przecież nie po to czyta się 200 stron książki, żeby nie poznać zakończenia. Nie chcemy tylko towarzyszyć sfrustrowanemu detektywowi. Ale może właśnie o to chodzi? Przecież tak już bywa w życiu - nie zawsze uzyskujemy odpowiedź. I myślę, że taka odpowiedź w śledztwie jest dużo bardziej prawdziwa niż jakieś wydumane, wyrzeźbione rozwiązanie. I tylko niewielu pisarzy mogłoby sobie na to pozwolić.
adrianhon's review against another edition
4.0
Far from an easy or fun read, but classic Lem in its questioning of the very foundations of the detective genre. What if what we think of as causation is actually an illusion?
co_niedzwiedz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
3.5
Fajna zagadka, chyba że wolisz zagadkę z rozwiązaniem, to wtedy nie polecam. Ciekawe dyskusje filozoficzne.
sochalka's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Zaskakująca historia rozpoczynająca się jako powieść detektywistyczna, dość szybko przechodząca do filozoficznych rozważań dotyczących potrzeby odnalezienia schematów i prawidłowości w chaosie, jednoznacznych odpowiedzi na niejednoznaczne problemy. Pozostawia po sobie niepokój.
wovenstrap's review against another edition
4.0
A little amateurish but the final product is quite satisfying.
firecat's review against another edition
3.0
The Investigation is beautifully written, even in translation. Scenes are described with a clarity that I can almost touch. Lighting is especially described vividly.
I put this on my detective/mystery shelf, because those are the genre tropes Lem is playing in, but it's not really a genre book. Specifically, many people read detective/mystery because they like that the mystery is solved in a tidy package at the end, and that doesn't happen here. It's more of a commentary on the human condition, especially the conditions of emotional isolation, uncertainty, and inability to connect/communicate with other people.
It took me forever to read this book because I figured out early on that the resolution that makes me enjoy a genre book wasn't going to be there.
So I only gave the book 3 stars because I didn't enjoy it that much, but as a work of literature it probably deserves 4 stars at least.
It's been a long time since I read [a:Stanisław Lem|10991|Stanisław Lem|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1209242384p2/10991.jpg]'s other famous book, [b:Solaris|95558|Solaris|Stanisław Lem|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171303683s/95558.jpg|3333881], but my impression is that Lem's themes worked better for me in that book, because I am used to those themes being played with in the science fiction genre.
I put this on my detective/mystery shelf, because those are the genre tropes Lem is playing in, but it's not really a genre book. Specifically, many people read detective/mystery because they like that the mystery is solved in a tidy package at the end, and that doesn't happen here. It's more of a commentary on the human condition, especially the conditions of emotional isolation, uncertainty, and inability to connect/communicate with other people.
It took me forever to read this book because I figured out early on that the resolution that makes me enjoy a genre book wasn't going to be there.
So I only gave the book 3 stars because I didn't enjoy it that much, but as a work of literature it probably deserves 4 stars at least.
It's been a long time since I read [a:Stanisław Lem|10991|Stanisław Lem|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1209242384p2/10991.jpg]'s other famous book, [b:Solaris|95558|Solaris|Stanisław Lem|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171303683s/95558.jpg|3333881], but my impression is that Lem's themes worked better for me in that book, because I am used to those themes being played with in the science fiction genre.
randommichelle's review
2.0
It's not that this was bad, it's that I thought it was one thing when I started reading, and it was really something else.
I may try again later, when I'm in the mood for something along this lines.
I may try again later, when I'm in the mood for something along this lines.