Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris is available on Audible as a 7 hrs 42 mins unabridged audiobook, narrated by Alessandro Juliani.
Publisher’s Summary
At last, one of the world’s greatest works of science fiction is available – just as author Stanislaw Lem intended it.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Solaris, Audible, in cooperation with the Lem Estate, has commissioned a brand-new translation – complete for the first time, and the first ever directly from the original Polish to English. Beautifully narrated by Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica), Lem’s provocative novel comes alive for a new generation.
In Solaris, Kris Kelvin arrives on an orbiting research station to study the remarkable ocean that covers the planet’s surface. But his fellow scientists appear to be losing their grip on reality, plagued by physical manifestations of their repressed memories. When Kelvin’s long-dead wife suddenly reappears, he is forced to confront the pain of his past – while living a future that never was. Can Kelvin unlock the mystery of Solaris? Does he even want to?
Audiobook Details
- Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani
- Length: 7 hrs 42 mins
- Publisher: Audible Studios
- Release year: 2011
- Audible category: Literature & Fiction / Classics / Science Fiction & Fantasy
Listener Ratings
Solaris holds an average listener rating of 4.1/5 from 5554 Audible ratings.
On Audible, ratings for this title break down into narration performance and story separately:
- Performance (narration): 4.4/5
- Story: 4.0/5
- 5-star ratings: 42% of all ratings
What Audible Listeners Are Saying
5/5 stars — “Haunting and Intelligent”
I was intrigued by this book and the movie versions, but had not made the jump until it came up here.I was not disappointed. This is a beautifully written and intelligent story. I was drawn in right from the beginning. The narration is outstanding – although it is really a performance – it is more like a wonderful radio play. The story does end somewhat abruptly without a neat resolution – that is the intent – the story is thought provoking. I loved it, although it is also disturbing in parts. I agree with the reviewer who said it could have been written last week, apart from minor issues. These do not detract from the story at all. This book will be read for many, many years to come. It is a classic.
This is Audible at its absolute best. This story will not be for everyone, but it deserves a very wide audience. Highly recommended.
— John Campbell, Audible listener
3/5 stars — “From a fringe science fiction fan -“
As with many science fiction books, the focus is on the science and not the character development. None of the people felt real. The story was competently told, but with so much scientific complexity, that at times I got lost in the details. I still kept listening, as I really wanted to know what would eventually happen, and the ending left me somewhat satisfied. Perhaps a hard core science fiction reader would have understood it all better.— Farpoint Girls, Audible listener
5/5 stars — “Superior Translation, Narration Deserves Awards”
I read the first English translation years ago, and thought Solaris was "good", but wasn’t blown away by it per se. However, upon realizing there was an allegedly far superior translation made more recently than the one I had read, I jumped onto this version to see what I’d potentially missed.The biggest change from one translation to the next is almost entirely made of the subtle differences in mood and atmosphere. The book reads much differently as a result, and has an at times vague and oppressive anxiety that is being lived by the main character. While these were not always comfortable feelings, this gave the story MUCH more depth and "texture" to the story, as well as the general vibe of the entire book.
As for the execution of audio version.. all I can say is that this narration deserves awards and is probably one of the most expertly narrated audio books I’ve ever heard. If I rated "Overall" and "Story" as 5/5 stars, I’d give "Narration" a 6/5 stars if I could.
Do not skip this one, it is Eastern Bloc sci-fi at its absolute finest, and one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time.
— Endura, Audible listener
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