Solaris - Stanisław Lem
Too much like reading a scientific paper at times. Overall very good, though I do wish it spent more time exploring the alien planet. A parody of scientific institutions dressed up as a psychological thriller. It is full of breathtaking - beautifully described - visuals punctuating a touching story about a man who regrets losing his wife when they were young. Strong all around, apart from where it leans too deeply into satire. Written in poland back when it was a part of the eastern block, an interesting look into the science fiction popular in a communist country, especially when compared to scifi from the west at the same time. The author, Lem, once described pkd as a visionary in a sea of grifters, those grifters being the likes of Heinlein, possibly Vonnegut, too. It feels much more interested in the human, emotional element, the science fiction, whilst interesting and clever, is only ever a narrative device, unlike say Slaughterhouse 5 which is also about the human element and uses clever well thought out scifi as a narrative device, when I read it I never feel a strong connection to the characters, the characters are more like tools for the story or the message than the other way around. I think this is the crucial difference and I think it's what makes Solaris good.