The Invincible (Mit Press)

This novel by LEM was previously very hard to find, even in used paperback (I have tried!)This new edition is simply excellent, and I have several other LEM books by MIT Press.Just wish they would do a premier translation into English of 'The Magellenic Cloud'.That is only available in Polish (LEM was from Poland) or Russian. I don't read those.

I bought this book to read before I played the video game of the same name. Unfortunately , I read the book’s forward and it spoiled the big secret of both the video game and the novel. I put the game and the book on a shelf and I’ll go do something else now.

One of the best books I have read in years; it is a short book and truly an easy read as I found it very difficult to put down. Initially found the game on Steam and after finishing the game I immediately bought the book. Without providing spoilers, the game and book in fact follow different paths, but it is easy to find the similarities in the concepts and main themes between the two sources. I'd probably recommend trying the game first as it can provide a clearer image to certain key points that are easier to visualize as you read the book, but the book will still be a great introduction into the world of Regis III.

To start it is a wonderfully imaginative work that makes you forget it was written in 1963 that proposed concepts of science that didn’t get an official name for more than 10+ years after it was written. The plot is easy to grasp with understandable characters. However I must give it 7/10 for which the best I can describe the reading as ‘a slow burn’ I finished the book and it didn’t stand out initially, not till after did the concepts and ideas slowly start emerging in my mind, from robotic adaptation to human intervention in things that we do not understand, it was an interesting, easy, and recommended read. The only thing I stand against is Stanisław saying “maybe not everything is for humans”.

So far this is my favorite Lem story. For the most part it has aged amazingly well. In addition to a very good plot the characters are well developed as is the feel of the ship and the planet. It does depend on a few unrealistic concepts but they don’t detract from the enjoyment of the story

I really liked the book and the characters. The ideas presented as the main antagonist was ahead of its time. I really liked the world building and the atomic age science fiction tropes.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! The whole concept of robots going through evolution and become the apex preditor of a planet is genius! I would recommend this book to anyone that has a fancy for sci-fi!

While the fleshing out of human personalities is not what it might be, the imaginative speculation is first rate. Len created a future that is true and believable, but totally alien, especially considering when this was written.