BOOK REVIEWS: EDEN AND THE INVINCIBLE, TWO FABULOUS NOVELS BY STANISLAW LEM

 Hello! Not too long again I shared my review for science fiction classic Solaris. Well, I ended up liking that novel so much that I had to explore Lem's writing more. So far, I have read four Stanislaw Lem's novel in total.  Today I will review two novels by Stanislaw Lem: Eden and The Invincible. I decided to review them together because Eden and The Invincible are in some ways similar, so I thought it would be interesting to compare them.  Before I get into more details, I'll do a short comparative review of sorts.

How are Eden and Solaris similar and how are they different?   Both of these novels explore a similar theme: a crew of a spaceship exploring an unknown planet and finding themselves in peril while they do so. Moreover, both of these novels feature characters debating their situation and trying to find an answer to the mystery of unknown. As they try to make sense of things, we can see character's points of views. One thing I noticed is that Lem's characters are often under the influence of the science discipline they specialize in. So, at times it seemed like there is an interdisciplinary debate or an argument between different views on science. It could be said that both of these novels focus on a theme of first contact. However, these novels explore it in different ways. 

Eden features a small crew as protagonists, but their characters are not very developed or elaborated on. Except for one character, they are simply referred to by their profession (for example the Chemist did this, the Doctor said this or the Programmer did that). Moreover, I didn't have a distinct sense of a protagonist in Eden. While characters in The Invincible aren't studied in detail, there are a bit better developed than those in Eden. Moreover, there is a distinct protagonist in The Invincible, one that we can relate to and feel for.  There are more differences. I would say that Eden is on overall more pessimistic and depressive than The Invincible. While The Invincible is quite dramatic, intense and plot driven (it is written like a thriller), Eden is more philosophical and atmospheric.  The Invincible is a novel that will keep you on your toes while Eden is the kind of novel that is frightening on a deeper level. In fact, Eden could be compared to 1984 by George Orwell, a proper dystopia, for the planet it describes is one ruled by sinister rulers. 

I listened to both of these novels in Russian. As you know Lem was a Polish writer, but I have yet to learn Polish so I couldn't read his works in original. My knowledge of Russian is quite passive, but I try to maintain at least that passive knowledge by listening to audiobooks when I can. So, when YouTube recommended some publicly available Lem's audiobooks in Russian, naturally I decided to listen to those. In fact, I quite enjoyed listening to Lem's work in Russian. I do opt for audiobooks occasionally but I generally read more 'paper' books than ebooks or audiobooks. However, lately I've been doing so much painting it was hard to find time for reading- so audiobooks were the perfect solution. These days I often listen to Lem's writing while I'm painting. It almost became a habit for me. I greatly enjoy Lem's pessimism and find that it gives me the perfect balance to dreamy landscapes of paradise Croatian islands. The reason why I like Lem's pessimisic view of first contact is because it seems so realistic to me. In a similar way, works of naturalism often lift my spirits. I'm very fond of Maupassant, Hugo and Zola for this reason. I feel that when a writer exposes something we are afraid of or something we should be afraid of, it can actually feel liberating because it feels like we're finally confronting our personal fears. When writers write about limitations of humankind, I find it both useful and interesting. 

EDEN, A NOVEL BY STANISLAW LEM 4/5

 Eden is a first contact novel, first published in 1959. A starship crew consisting of six men crashes on an alien planet they name Eden. Lem had a pessimistic view of first contact and this book reflects that. As the six scientist crew explores the surface of Eden, they are faced with many perplexing puzzles. I remember distinctly one scene where two characters (members of the crew) are arguing. One asks the other: "And what is not a hypothesis here?" and the other answers: "Our presence here". That part of the dialogue got stuck in my head. Indeed, the crew's mere presence on Eden implies moral responsibility, but how can they help the native residents if they don't know what is exactly going on? The crew members are well over their heads and they seem to be somewhat aware of that. Still, what can they do? To paraphrase Frank Herbert, they find that Eden is not a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.

As much as I enjoy Lem's pessimism, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I loved how perplexing and sad the ending was. The last 50 pages of Eden were utterly fascinating and brilliantly written. Even if the rest of it wasn't that engaging, I still found Eden to be a powerful book. Was the slow build up necessary for the dramatic ending? Was it necessary for the author to wait until the end to start explain things? Perhaps it was. However, something was lacking to make Eden a truly great read. Don't get me wrong, this is still a very good book but it is not Lem's best. The novel wasn't developed to its full potential: both the aliens and the human crew were undeveloped as characters. Moreover, the alien society itself remained clouded in mystery. 

Personally, I didn't mind that the characters weren't that well developed. I actually found it interesting how their characterization was kept to a minimum. The characters are referred by their profession: the doctor, the chemist and so on. The way they all try to make sense of things is often determined by their own profession. This was something I noticed in Solaris as well. The crew's arguments seemed like a conflict between different scientific disciplines at times. The debates between the crew members were interesting, but ultimately not very engaging on an emotional level. It might be hard for a reader to get a sense of their personality through the dialogues, but I think it could have been done. So maybe that was a missed opportunity there. 

As I said, I didn't necessarily mind the basic and simple characterization for the novel is not long and there is a lot going on. However, I expected a bit more from the dialogues between the crew members, especially as the crew members began to learn more about the planet. Once the crew accepts an alien among themselves and tries to communicate with him, everything changes. There is a sense of personal responsibility laid on their shoulders. That was the best part of the novel for me. Somehow, Lem manages to talk about our society while describing the mysterious alien society. Lem made this moral responsibility of the crew seem very tangible and in that sense I could feel for them. Were they looking for this moral burden when they ventured to explore space? They certainly weren't yet there it was. Their presence there was not a hypothesis. 

On overall, I enjoyed this novel. The bewildering descriptions of the planet were well done, especially at first. Lem doesn't let us in, so as readers we are as blind as the crew. It is only towards the end of the novel that we can see the bigger picture. While this vague picture the writer paints might be frustrating to some readers, it can also be interesting because it enables us to use our imagination. The mysterious society ruled by anonymous leaders sounded fascinating and reminded me of Orwell's 1984. While the society isn't elaborated on, its sinister presence was still felt and it contributed to a beautifully pessimistic atmosphere.

So, what was my main issue with Eden? I would say the pacing. I understand why the author choose to keep things under wraps until the end, but he could have done something to make the first and the second part of the novel more interesting. For most part, the writing is a bit slow, it simply doesn't flow. Alternatively, Lem could have kept the novel shorter. That would have worked as well. Still, I enjoyed it.

Surprisingly, Lem himself didn't think too highly of his novel: "From today's perspective Eden is neutral in my eyes. It is so-so. From the point of view of literature it is a rather unsuccessful book; its characters tend to be schematic and the pictured universe is a bit "flat" and one-dimensional. This literature of the "second sort" is quite good in comparison with average science fiction - but one cannot line up a man of regular height with hunchbacks and claim that he is an Apollo." Source: https://english.lem.pl/works/novels/eden

I wouldn't be as hard on Eden as Lem was. Eden is a better work  than so-so. I'm certain that I will never forget this book and if that doesn't say something, I don't know what does. It's not a perfect novel, the pacing could have been better, the dialogues more engaging and many of themes more elaborated on, but this novel is still an enjoyable read. Eden didn't show the alien society in depth, it didn't explore the psychology of its characters, but it was successful in creating an atmosphere of sadness and melancholy, a sense of bewilderment with the Universe that is always one step beyond our logic- and I loved it for it. Eden might not be Lem's best work, but it is still a very good novel. It has my recommendation. 

THE INVINCIBLE, A  NOVEL  BY STANISLAW LEM 4.4/5

This novel is simply ideal for a science fiction reader that enjoys thought-provoking but dynamic novels. The Invincible is in many ways a page turner, a book filled with mystery, a space thriller of a kind.  Nevertheless, at the same time this novel is filled with so many interesting philosophical and scientific concepts that are still relevant. 

The novel is named after a space ship that takes a crew to a surface of a planet they haven't visited before, but the title might have additional significance. The name of the vessel made me think of Titanic. The more I read the novel, the more the very concept of 'invincibleness' acquired ironic connotations. As humans we always assume that the latest scientific discovery and advancement will protect us from harm, but is it so? How many times have we witnessed that technology cannot save us from ourselves? It cannot be a solution in itself. Alas, as humans never learn. However, this novel isn't only about technology. Like many of Stanislaw Lem's work, this novel is a first contact story. Nevertheless, there is a different twist to it as the contact is not with 'biological' life.

The Invincible is another work of Lem that makes its characters think hard. Similar to Lem's novels Eden and Solaris, the crew landing on this planet Regis III encounters a planet they do not understand. They do not comprehend much about the planet itself and are completely in the dark for a good portion of novel. Once again, Lem's pessimism about our human limitations ranks true. This writer is very good at observing and pointing out the limitations of human knowledge.

There is a lot of debate about what is going on between the characters. In comparison to Eden, the characters in this novel were better developed and you can get a decent feeling of what they are like. This is great because it engages you as the reader more. The thoughts of the protagonists show some character development. Moreover, the characters are mostly well rounded and credible personalities. Similarly to Eden, the profession of the character plays an important part in the novel but they are not limited to it, like I felt they were in Eden. The profession of the characters influences their thinking and opens space for an interdisciplinary scientific debates, but the characters are more developed than they were in Solaris. As the crew investigates the planet, more questions arise. They discover marine life, a kind of fish. However, this fish is afraid of technology. Why would fish be afraid of technology (and electromagnetic signals connected to it)?

That's not the only perplexing thing happening on the planet. The reason why the crew landed is pretty sinister as well. They are there to explore the disappearance of their sister ship Condor. They find the ship and the perished crew but they cannot comprehend what happened. What could have killed the crew? What could have brought about the destruction of such a powerful space ship? Obviously, the Invincible crew is put on edge. Something annihilated a crew that was no less skilled educated or capable than them. What should the crew of Invincible do? Should they just leave the planet? Can they? The thing is that there seemed to be civilization on this planet but it perished long ago. So, it is unclear what possibly could have hurt the crew of Condor. There are no traces of violence or anything like that, making the whole Condor tragedy even more complex.

Now, I don't want to get into too details because I want to avoid spoilers, but there is another interesting theme in this novel and it has to do with robotic wars and technology. As the crew learns more about this planet, they realize that there could have been necro-evolution taking place. I listened to this novel in Russian and if I recall well, the term it was used was reverse evolution. I found this concept very interesting. I think this novel was one of the first to examine such concepts as nanotechnology and reverse evolution. As biological organisms, we start as a single cell and we grew in complexity. What would happen to robots or machines if they were left on their own? What would happen to technology if the civilization that left it perished? Wouldn't the robots grow more simple since they started out as complex? Now, that's a very interesting question.

To conclude, I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to fans of Lem. It is a wonderful science fiction novel that has aged remarkably well. I enjoyed every minute of it! 

As always, thank you for reading and stopping by. Take care and stay safe.