Scan barcode
greeniezona's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Framed as a recovered historical document giving insight into some of the latter days of a society that had isolated itself underground in a giant bunker. It's a tale of espionage, counter-espionage, counter-counter espionage, and so on. I really enjoyed it, though the ending left me with some questions about the feasibility of the framing device. But look at the cover, though! I love the vintage Lem covers, and this one may be my favorite.
Read Lem if you are looking for clever Cold War-influenced science fiction that digs its teeth into a variety of science ideas. Don't come to Lem if you are looking for representation beyond the straight white male -- women are often little more than decoration or objects in these books, and you're more likely to encounter alien species than other races.
In particular, CW for a brief SA fantasy at the end of this that I found really jarring.
Read Lem if you are looking for clever Cold War-influenced science fiction that digs its teeth into a variety of science ideas. Don't come to Lem if you are looking for representation beyond the straight white male -- women are often little more than decoration or objects in these books, and you're more likely to encounter alien species than other races.
In particular, CW for a brief SA fantasy at the end of this that I found really jarring.
Minor: Rape
More...