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Read The Invincible (1973)

The Invincible (1973)

Online Book

Rating
4.13 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0283979623 (ISBN13: 9780283979620)
Language
English
Publisher
sidgwick & jackson (london)

The Invincible (1973) - Plot & Excerpts

Science-fiction u punom smislu riječi, i to čak sa starog kontinenta. Sram me priznati što se prvi put susrećem s ovim poljskim velikanom, SF-a Stanislawom Lemom; no zadovoljstvo i čast upoznavanja je bilo moje. Tema je prvi susret, krstarica Nepobjedivi dolazi na naizgled pusti planet Regis III, u potrazi za nestalom krstaricom Kondor. Polagano počinju upoznavati ovaj neobičan svijet, sudbinu nasukanih i neobičan smjer evolucije životnih oblika na ovome planetu. Lem koristi niz zanimljivih tema znanstvene fantastike, i širi neke svoje vlastite konstrukte. Studiozno pristupa svemu, evoluciji, životu, tehnologiji, odnosima; i pritom rabi mnoštvom elemenata tvrdokuhanog SF-a. Ovo su samo neke od tema koje istražuje - mikromašine, mrtva evolucija, polje sila, AI, susret s neopisivom stranim civilizacijama; plus kao da je čovjek pokupio desetak doktorata iz svih područja društveno-prirodnih znanosti. I sve je to ispričano takvom vjerodostojnošću i sigurnošću da čovjek jednostavno mora povjerovati da je sav taj technobabble istina.Po meni roman završava već na 140. stranici, kad zapovjednik Rohan kontemplatira o ideji romana; ostalih pedesetak stranica samo je epilog, borba jednog čovjeka s nepoznatim u stilu starih pulp SF pričica… Budući da znamo u kojem je režimu nastao Nepobjedivi, mogu samo reći da odsutno socijalističko-utopijsko uljepšavanje stvari i propagandni nonsens. Lemov svijet opisuje stvarno stran oblik života i nepojmljiv ljudskom shvaćanju; može se boriti s njime, no nikad ga neće spoznati u potpunosti ili pobijediti. Ljudi su krhki i goli naspram tisućljećima evolucije nativnih oblika života na Regisu III, pokušavaju se sukobiti s tuđincima, u ovom slučaju više prirodnoj sili planeta. Ne pomažu niti razna tehnološka pojačanja ni demonstracije snage koja samo pokazuju oholost ljudske vrste koja misli da može samo tako narušavati prirodni poredak, svemirski poredak. Sličnu temu je obrađivao i Solaris, Eden ili Fijasko… To su definitivno romani s kojima ću nastaviti istraživati Lemov svijet!"Koliko takvih nevjerojatnih, ljudskom shvaćanju stranih pojava možda krije u sebi Svemir? Zar trebamo svuda stići s razornom silom na brodovima, da bismo smrvili sve ono što je u suprotnosti s našim shvaćanjem? Čovjek se, shvatio je to sada bez riječi, još nije uzdigao na pravu visinu, još nije zaslužio tako lijepo nazvanu galaktocentričnu visinu, koja se, odavno proslavljena, ne zasniva na tome da treba tražiti samo sebi slične i samo takve shvatiti, nego na tome da se čovjek ne miješa u neljudske, tuđe probleme."

One of my favourite Lem novels, it possible worries me that it is one of those with the least amount of quirky strangeness and the most predictable plot arc. Two of my favourite quotes:Man -- he saw in a flash of insight -- had not yet reached the true pinnacle; he had not yet appropriated that galactocentric idea, praised since antiquity, whose real meaning could not consist in searching only for similar beings and learning to understand them, but rather in refraining from interfering with alien, non-human affairs. Conquer the void, of course; why not? but don't attack what already is, that which in the course of millions of years has achieved a balanced existence of its own, independent, not subject to anyone or anything, except the forces of radiation and matter -- an active existence, neither better nor worse than the existence of the amino-acid compounds we call animals or human beings (146). This reminded me of the television show UFO, and that scene in Tarkovsky's Solaris pointed out by Mark Bould in his book on the same:Horpach took off his coat. Underneath he was wearing trousers and a net undershirt (151).And back to this old theme, on this remarkable evolution of non-living yet intuitive and sentient technology:...now his desire was no longer merely to return and report what he had found out about their companions' deaths, but to request that this planet be left alone in the future.. Not everywhere had everything been intended for us, he thought as he slowly descended (182). The last line:There it towered, majestic as ever in its motionless grandeur -- as if it were indeed invincible (187).

What do You think about The Invincible (1973)?

Classic sci-fi! Stanislaw Lem takes us back to the sci-fi days of yore with a tale of eerie and epic proportions. While most authors then, and even now, explore alien civilizations and bring us a daunting "bad guy" or alien race to contend with, making it almost cliche, Stanislaw Lem takes a very original track and brings the reader a mysterious tale that will not end as expected - my favorite kind of book.The story surrounds the disappearance of a space ship, more rocket ship since this is the '60s, named Condor on Regis III, and when its sister ship, the eponymous Invincible, arrives on the scene and finds the Condor a lifeless, rusting hulk, the crew is met with a daunting outer space mystery: what actually happened to the ship and its crew? Every investigation of the ship, the surroundings and the planet's surface itself leads the crew toward a darker, deeper mystery until one man, Rohan, steps forward and takes the chances needed to find the answers. All of it leads to the discovery of a unique alien force and a new understanding of life.The Invincible is an old tale told like most other tales of its era, a space epic high on science and description. It's a little slow at first with a bit too much description of the initial landing, but once the space explores get onto the planet's surface and discover the Condor, it picks up, weaving its mystery. There are some interesting character moments, but overall the space farers take a backseat to the overall mystery. They are, however, handled with expertise by Lem as he uses every subtlety to show us their confusion, their frustration and their all-too-human desire to destroy what they do not know, which satisfyingly backfires. Only the curiosity and daring of Rohan, his compassion and his open mind, change the once inevitably human outcome into an unexpected alien success as the mystery of the Condor is solved and the story of the Invincible's gripping expedition to Regis III ends with a very fulfilling conclusion.
—D. Scott Meek

Luckily, I read the book in Serbian translation which was fairly good, so I didn't have to bother about it having been originally translated into German and then into English.Brilliant little book and such a sad story. It aroused so many conflicting emotions in me. At one point, I was infuriated by the crew's insistence on staying on Regis III and meddling with its ecosystem, and yet I was so startled when their plan to use the Cyclops backfired on them. Once again, Lem successfully sets out the idea that any contact between two fundamentally different cultures/entities is highly unlikely to result in any form of meaningful communication and, knowing the nature of human beings, may prove disastrous.A few reviewers complained about the apparent absence of women in the story. Well, we don't know anything about the culture of the period. Perhaps women had chosen to not be involved in interstellar travel for moral or health reasons. Or maybe Lem believed it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce female characters, because persons with reduced mental activity are naturally left alone by the swarms on Regis III, so the book wouldn't be fun to read whatsoever. Ever wondered why women are placed in a separate category whenever it comes to playing chess?What's also amazing about this story is its profound alienness: like in "Solaris", the surroundings, events and creatures on the planet have a genuinely extraterrestrial touch which gives them an atypical authenticity.5/5 stars, it is definitely worth reading even multiple times.
—Aleksandar Trapara

Üks ulme põnevamaid teemasid ja esitada võivaid küsimusi on minu arvates seotud kohtumisega tundmatuga. Võõraste arusaamatute rasside ja olendikooslustega ja selles osas on Lem suurepärane autor. Ka antud teoses on ta loonud pööraselt veidra ja üsnagi negatiivse pildi ühest inimkonna kohtumisest millegagi mida nad ei suuda mõista. Lemi tegelastele (ja üleüldiselt ka inimkonnale) omaselt püütakse kummalist nähtust suruda teadlaste poolt teooriatesse ning alistada seda pommide ning antimateeriaga, kuid soovitud lahendust ei teki. Lõpuks vannuvad alla ka kõige võimsamad tankid ning ka teooriad hakkavad lagunema ja kaheldavaks muutuma.Ka ülesehituselt väga hea jutt, mis algab alguses ulja pääste- ja uurimisretkena ning muutub aegamööda peaaegu õudusjutuks ja seejärel märulirohkeks põnevikuks. Lemi teosed on aegadega omandanud enda stiililt huvitava anakronistliku hard-sf mõõtme. Kiirendustelt, jõududelt jms numbritelt on temapuhul tegemist pedantselt täpsete tekstideg aga samas mõjuvad kõik ta seadmed tehniliste anakronismidena (perfolintidega programeerimised jms). Vähemalt mulle pakub selline vastuolu suurt lõbu ning annab tekstile iseäraliku laheda õhustiku. Tegemist on justkui teise reaalsusega, kus maal ei arenenud kunagi võimast mikroelekrtoonika tööstust ja pigem hakkasid valitsevad diktaatorlikud impeeriumid paiskama õhku üha võimsamaid tuumareaktoreid (paraleelmaailm mis sarnane "Mees kõrges lossis" kirjeldatuga). Igaljuhul väga mõnus teos ja hinne neli on kindlasti tugeva plussiga ja tingitud sissejuhatusest, mis läks natuke liiga pikaks.Vigade parandus: Mõtlesin järgi ja panin viie ära.
—J.j. Metsavana

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