SFBRP Listeners discussion
Lem's Solaris
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Many consider the novel to be more philosophical than sci-fi. On that note, I highly recommend the 2006 Phil. Zone podcast from Australia Broadcast Co. (ABC..."
Thanks! I'm going to give both of these a listen.
The 2009 BBC Radio drama can be hard to find. If folks can't access it on BBC's site, let me know. I can pass it on to you via Dropbox.
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The BBC iPlayer can suck if it only serves to certain (country-based) IP addys. So, they can force some to go underground. That said, the Solaris 2009 radio drama is worth the $ with Amazon.
Loved the Solaris podcast. Must revisit this book (in audiobook and maybe BBC drama form) as I have only read the Polish-French-English translation years and years ago. I got very confuddled though it was obvious that there was a good story in there. Somewhere. Love the fast insightful delivery on your podcasts and this was a good one. It's very nice to hear Juliane again on the podcast. It's always good when she manages to get a word in during the Burrage barrage! ;)
Unfortunately iPlayer radio says the audio drams is not currently available even in the UK. I haven't read Solaris before, and I'd like to listen to the new translation rather than the rubbish older translation, but I'm dithering about signing up to audible as I'm not sure that audiobooks are for me. The only time I've listened to a full length book was when when the library only had the audiobook version of a biography I needed to read for my book club, and even with short stories on podcasts I keep having to rewind because I've mentally drifted off and missed a bit.I really enjoy the joint podcasts with Juliane, and I think Luke has definitely got better at letting her have her say during them. To start with she had to interrupt him occasionally or she wouldn't have got a word in : )
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Luke there IS an ebook version of the new direct to english translation available! You can pick it up for only $4 on amazon (I'm not sure about outside of USA). I picked it up last year and never wrote in after the first podcast review you did because I thought surely someone had to have written in about it. After hearing you repeat that there wasn't one, I had to let you know!
Joshua wrote: "Luke there IS an ebook version of the new direct to english translation available! You can pick it up for only $4 on amazon (I'm not sure about outside of USA). I picked it up last year and never..."I was listening to the latest episode (Malazan book of the Fallen) of the podcast on the train this morning, when Luke mentioned this. So, as I would far rather read an e-book than listen to an audio book, I got out my Kindle, switched on the wifi, bought a copy and then went back to the podcast. The Solaris ebook is only £2.54 on Amazon UK at the moment.
Many consider the novel to be more philosophical than sci-fi. On that note, I highly recommend the 2006 Phil. Zone podcast from Australia Broadcast Co. (ABC):
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/p...
This 'cast will clarify several things Lem seems to be trying to communicate to the audience. E.g., how do we deal with "otherness". E.g.: The alien life in Solaris (the Ocean) seems only MILDLY interested in humans, whereas in much of sci-fi, humans take center stage.
The "monsters from the Id" (Tempest) and encountering alien intelligence on a psychological (thought) level --AS OPPOSED TO spaceship/physical --is another Solaris theme tho' not one unique to this novel (both before and after it was pub'd) ... e.g., Clarke (Childhood's End, 2001), Crichton (Sphere), etc. I.e., the structure of reality is "thought" rather than "space-time".
On Solaris movie adaptions ... the 1971 Russian film is by far better than the 2002 U.S. Clooney film -- both ultimately disappoint, IMO. The best media treatment is the 2009 BBC Radio Drama (full-cast with music and sound effects) -- very, very well done IMO.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pf...
This version may be even better than either the orig. text novel or recent audiobook.