Kelvin, our main protagonist, is on his way to the Station, a research facility in orbit over Solaris, a planet with an unusual behaviour. For dozens of years, scientists have observed and hypothesised, never unlocking the secret of this planet which seems conscious. The team aboard the Station only has two members left when Kelvin arrives, but they may not be the only inhabitants…

A librarian put this one in my hands saying it was contemplative sci-fi, when I asked her about books in translation from languages I didn’t know (see my #LetsReadThatTBR challenge). I can absolutely confirm it is contemplative, which I enjoyed. Half of it focuses on the characters, their relationships and their inner battles when faced with a phenomenon that is very much fantastical. However, the other half is very science-oriented, and my literary mind was not ready for lengthy descriptions of the history of science around Solaris. Nor was my aphantasia (inability to create mental pictures) ready for the lengthy descriptions of the planet’s changing geography. However, all of these are very “me” problems and, though they prevented me from fully enjoying the book, I can say it’s a good example of classic science-fiction. Not devoid of 1960s ideas regarding race and gender, sadly (there is a *very* awkward scene in the first few pages that thankfully is not mentioned again afterwards), but creative and quite believable for something written eight years before a man set foot on the Moon.