Solaris
Stanisław Lem
29 people recommended it in 15 threads, 2008–2025.
3 of those were in the last year.
3 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
It is so matter-of-fact in its telling, but the facts are so bizarre, that I found it to really induce terror.
it made me realize how difficult it would be for us to communicate with, or even comprehend the motives of a sentient alien.
Really got me into a lifetime of thinking about what comprises life and our relationship, as humans, to other life forms.
Lem was the first to elevate sci-fi to the level of proper literature, if you like sci-fi with more philosophical themes there are many, but for those who don't know him perhaps His Masters Voice, Solaris and Eden are good books to start with.
one of the few science fiction novels that also qualify as great literature
Where it comes up
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