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A review by sullyisreading
The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Can't recommend this book enough. I would love to learn Polish (or have the complete Cyberiad from Polish translated into the same quality of English as Michael Kandel used) to read the whole of Cyberiad as my copy misses an almost essential second-half of the story 'Altruzine'.
I cannot put how wonderful an experience reading this is. I started it reading to myself, then would read out the stories to my partner before we went to bed. It is hard to rank the stories, each one has a completely different appeal, but with the exception of the final story in my copy of the Cyberiad, 'Prince Ferrix and the Princess Crystal', the main characters Trurl and Klapaucius keep a running thread through the entire rest of the anthology and in the opinion of mine and my partner's, the inventor couple are certainly more than platonic toward each other.
I also had a fun exercise with 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines', and have roughly approximated that in levels of inception, from the grandest to most minor scale (looking at the story from the outside, at the actual book, closing in on the most minor scenario told within 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines'), that 13 different stories/scenarios are at play. This number may not be totally accurate, but it was the best I could come up with before my head almost exploded at the layers of storytelling the reader is presented with. Read this book if you want a satirical, sci-fi with medieval-setting, fun and insane experience.
I cannot put how wonderful an experience reading this is. I started it reading to myself, then would read out the stories to my partner before we went to bed. It is hard to rank the stories, each one has a completely different appeal, but with the exception of the final story in my copy of the Cyberiad, 'Prince Ferrix and the Princess Crystal', the main characters Trurl and Klapaucius keep a running thread through the entire rest of the anthology and in the opinion of mine and my partner's, the inventor couple are certainly more than platonic toward each other.
I also had a fun exercise with 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines', and have roughly approximated that in levels of inception, from the grandest to most minor scale (looking at the story from the outside, at the actual book, closing in on the most minor scenario told within 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines'), that 13 different stories/scenarios are at play. This number may not be totally accurate, but it was the best I could come up with before my head almost exploded at the layers of storytelling the reader is presented with. Read this book if you want a satirical, sci-fi with medieval-setting, fun and insane experience.