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adrianhon's review against another edition
5.0
It's hard for me to explain how impressed I was by this book. I've always been a fan of Lem since reading The Cyberiad, and the sheer range of stories and skill he displays here is staggering. The Three Electroknights, Uranium Earpieces, and Automatthew's Friend are among the funniest short stories I've read, sci-fi or not – certainly the equal of Douglas Adams.
But then you have King Globares and the Sages, and in particular, The Hunt and The Mask, each serious masterpieces in their own right. The Mask, while sadly a little dated in terms of its dealings with gender, is otherwise astonishing in breadth and ambition and if it were published today, would be up for pretty up all the awards possible.
But then you have King Globares and the Sages, and in particular, The Hunt and The Mask, each serious masterpieces in their own right. The Mask, while sadly a little dated in terms of its dealings with gender, is otherwise astonishing in breadth and ambition and if it were published today, would be up for pretty up all the awards possible.
botanicals's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
larsinio's review against another edition
2.0
Weird fairy tales and medieval stories with robots and dense prose.
Less hit and miss, and more meh and miss. Theres some good ideas and creativity on display, but theres a lot of lattice around those ideas. The shorter stories are generally better.
Some of this was a real trudge, not sure if its the translator or what.
Less hit and miss, and more meh and miss. Theres some good ideas and creativity on display, but theres a lot of lattice around those ideas. The shorter stories are generally better.
Some of this was a real trudge, not sure if its the translator or what.
glassglassmadeof's review against another edition
5.0
educative on the origins of a certain beatific flare to space opera and sf. this is a beginning, and a wonderful one to know of. some stellar pieces of theory in here as well
belwau's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
onewhodiedyoung's review against another edition
4.0
whoever translated this into english...... i don't know how they managed
(robosły! ślusarze! Wuch! Hydrops Wszechrybny!)
(robosły! ślusarze! Wuch! Hydrops Wszechrybny!)