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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
slow-paced
Not the worst thing I've read but the pacing was definitely off and the overall plot was lacking. The world building was interesting but also a lot of what was being said felt pointless.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
This book was not at all what I was expecting, and I’m not really sure what to make of it. Specifically the ratio of things actually happening to Kelvin reading scientific literature in the library was wild. I am intrigued by the weaving together of plot and relevant outside details through scientific journals from a structural perspective, but the execution here made me very sleepy whenever I sat down to read this. I think that the writing style was very detached and therefore missing an emotional core that I would have found helpful for connecting with the narrative.
That being said, conceptually, I think Solaris is amazing. The extraterrestrial life here is so interesting and vividly imagined, and it was so cool to see how it interacted with the human members of the station and to read the different notes and theories on what it might be or might desire. It definitely feels very unique, and I can’t wait to watch the movie to see how it was adapted.
Unfortunately, however, it does have the sensibilities of mid-century sci-fi with regard to race and gender. There is one black character in the book, and she is exoticised and described in outdated and offensive terms. She does not speak, and instead just exists as a borderline-frightening figure that haunts the station. The other woman, Rheya, is trapped in a constant childlike state and is largely docile and obedient to the main character. Just kind of an all-around eye roll from me on that.
I could see a devil’s advocate argument here being that Solaris only manifests these women as they exist in the minds of the men on the station, and it is therefore shining a light on how little men think about the interior lives and personhoods of the women in their lives. I think, however, that this argument would hold up better if there were any other women in the book at all that weren’t just Solaris manifestations. As it stands, it’s difficult to ignore that women in this book are either strange, exotic, and frightening, or childlike and obedient.
All that is to say, there are a lot of interesting things about this book, but they are tempered by the sleepy pace and frustrating characterizations of the central characters. If you’re interested in sci-fi history or Andrei Tarkovsky, give it a try, but if not, there are probably better ways to spend your time.
That being said, conceptually, I think Solaris is amazing. The extraterrestrial life here is so interesting and vividly imagined, and it was so cool to see how it interacted with the human members of the station and to read the different notes and theories on what it might be or might desire. It definitely feels very unique, and I can’t wait to watch the movie to see how it was adapted.
Unfortunately, however, it does have the sensibilities of mid-century sci-fi with regard to race and gender. There is one black character in the book, and she is exoticised and described in outdated and offensive terms. She does not speak, and instead just exists as a borderline-frightening figure that haunts the station. The other woman, Rheya, is trapped in a constant childlike state and is largely docile and obedient to the main character. Just kind of an all-around eye roll from me on that.
All that is to say, there are a lot of interesting things about this book, but they are tempered by the sleepy pace and frustrating characterizations of the central characters. If you’re interested in sci-fi history or Andrei Tarkovsky, give it a try, but if not, there are probably better ways to spend your time.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes