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sarapittock's review against another edition
4.0
"At the same time they completely lost the placid passivity typical of Earth's potatoes, which have been domesticated through constant care and cultivation. Growing more and more wild, they became, at last, potatoes of prey." Ijon Tichy in the Twenty-Fifth Voyage. This quote pretty much captures the tone and heart of Stanislaw Lem's The Star Diaries: Further Reminiscences. Lem's book is a delight of bizarre and hilarious cosmic situations that will literally make you laugh out loud.
Ijon Tichy is a future astronaut who has written down his adventures most likely out of boredom, or perhaps to prove that he isn't crazy. The poor earthling has to travel the universe alone, and immerse himself in a myriad of intergalactic cultures for the sake of science. He also experiences several strange phenomena in the deep reaches of outer space.
The worlds Tichy encounters mirror our own idiosyncrasies and faults. There's the robot planet that punishes all non-robotic creatures and forces them into hiding. Then there's a astronaut who longs for the romance of piracy, and plunders spaceships only to return all the loot later. And then there's the planet plagued by rising oceans, in which all the inhabitants are forced to breathe underwater.
While I loved this book, I couldn't give it full stars as there was one voyage that comprised 50 pages of fictional philosophy. It would have been better served with section or page breaks, or as a standalone novella. Everything else was exceptional.
Ijon Tichy is a future astronaut who has written down his adventures most likely out of boredom, or perhaps to prove that he isn't crazy. The poor earthling has to travel the universe alone, and immerse himself in a myriad of intergalactic cultures for the sake of science. He also experiences several strange phenomena in the deep reaches of outer space.
The worlds Tichy encounters mirror our own idiosyncrasies and faults. There's the robot planet that punishes all non-robotic creatures and forces them into hiding. Then there's a astronaut who longs for the romance of piracy, and plunders spaceships only to return all the loot later. And then there's the planet plagued by rising oceans, in which all the inhabitants are forced to breathe underwater.
While I loved this book, I couldn't give it full stars as there was one voyage that comprised 50 pages of fictional philosophy. It would have been better served with section or page breaks, or as a standalone novella. Everything else was exceptional.
verstandem's review against another edition
2.0
Abgebrochen auf Seite 242 / 524.
Statt "Reiseberichten" des Raumfahrtpiloten Ijon Tichy wird das Buch mehr und mehr ein reines "Lexikon" über sämtliche Spezies, die sich Stanislaw Lem da einmal ausgedacht hat.
Dauernde Wiederholung der Arten von Erzählung und die völlige Abwesenheit von Handlung, der etwas zu gewollte Humor (schreckliche Wortspiele teilweise) demotivierten leider völlig beim Lesen.
"Solaris" gefiel mir so gut, dieses Buch ist dagegen maßlos enttäuschend.
Statt "Reiseberichten" des Raumfahrtpiloten Ijon Tichy wird das Buch mehr und mehr ein reines "Lexikon" über sämtliche Spezies, die sich Stanislaw Lem da einmal ausgedacht hat.
Dauernde Wiederholung der Arten von Erzählung und die völlige Abwesenheit von Handlung, der etwas zu gewollte Humor (schreckliche Wortspiele teilweise) demotivierten leider völlig beim Lesen.
"Solaris" gefiel mir so gut, dieses Buch ist dagegen maßlos enttäuschend.
blackaliss's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
barbarianmacaque's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
palsi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
andrew_geisler's review against another edition
5.0
I was captivated immediately. This book is full of wonderful philosophical and satirical (and hilarious) commentary about the universe and how humans/beings fit. Amazing.
borys610's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
led's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jwhendricks's review against another edition
5.0
I've only seen Tarkovsky's adaptation of SOLARIS, so I was worried this would be slow, methodical, and pensive, but to my delight this is actually a comedy! A great one, too! It's absolutely wonderful, and translated flawlessly. Like Douglas Adams before Douglas Adams. Predates STAR TREK but feels more like a proto-FUTURAMA in its consistent deadpan silliness ("the most over-educated cartoon writers in history," the writers called themselves). But the actual concepts and ideas played with here are as interesting as anything I've seen from the genre. It's as thoughtful as it is delightful. It's easy to see the influence some of these stories have had on the genre It's a crime this isn't being turned into a series. Anyone who likes RICK AND MORTY should read this.
(P.S. if you can, listen to the audio book narrated by David Marantz. He's just perfect, and I feel like I wouldn't have laughed nearly as much without him.)
(P.S. if you can, listen to the audio book narrated by David Marantz. He's just perfect, and I feel like I wouldn't have laughed nearly as much without him.)
bosborough's review against another edition
2.0
DNF - I don't usually rate things I didn't finish but this book turned me off reading for about a year. The writing isn't bad at all and for fans of zany early sci fi this book would be great. However, if you're not a big sci fi fan... Beware!