Solaris

I know that this a ridiculously low rating for one of the major works of science fiction - but there were long long passages that I had to drag myself through. I felt as though I were swimming through molasses (or perhaps maple syrup - a much more Canadian metaphor). I was literally checking how many more pages I would have to endure.

I am mystified by how extremely poor the beginning is - perhaps there is a translation problem with the particular edition I read (Berkley Medallion Edition, Dec. 1971; translation copyright 1970 by Faber and Faber Ltd., and Walker and Company). Portions of the first chapter seem almost pulpish. By the second chapter, we settle down a bit to a more normal narrative.

I am perfectly happy to admit that much of the book probably soared over my head.

The sub-genre tag "Dying Earth" is not a perfect fit - but I feel the book comes very close to that realm. The tag "hard SF" is also a poor fit, but there is no mere "science fiction" tag, so it will have to do.

My edition had a remakable afterword by Darko Suvin, the acknowledged expert on East European SF. I was glad to have a dictionary (aka my computer) at hand as I read it,

This one is not for the faint of heart!

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My rating system for this website (I have done reviews for over 85 "books" (including short stories, novelettes and novellas, as well as novels).

Their system is out of 5 stars, and allows you to use half-stars, so highest rating is 5 full stars, next-highest 4 ½ stars, etc. – and lowest is ½ star. I did NOT want to space these ratings equally, giving just as much precedence to low-quality mush as to really good works. For that reason, I laid out my system as follows:

My rating system: I begin with one star being equivalent to a rating of "C -". Progressing upwards, I add ½ star for each step, up to the maximum 5 stars, which is equivalent to a rating of "A"+. I reserve ½ star for BOMBS, there being no option of zero or negative stars. As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don';t squander half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.