Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
0 0
Download high-resolution image

The Truth and Other Stories

Author Stanislaw Lem
Foreword by Kim Stanley Robinson
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Ebook
The MIT Press
On sale Sep 14, 2021 | 344 Pages | 9780262366656
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

See Additional Formats
Experience a sci-fi master at his finest in this collection of 12 science fiction short stories from 1956 to 1993—many now presented in English for the very first time!

“A brilliant introduction to Lem’s science fiction.” —Wall Street Journal
 
Discover the full range of Stanislaw Lem’s intense curiosity about scientific ideas—and his sardonic approach to human nature—in this unforgettable collection of 12 short stories.
 
In “The Truth,” a scientist in an insane asylum theorizes that the sun is alive.
 
“The Journal” appears to be an account by an omnipotent being describing the creation of infinite universes—until, in a classic Lem twist, it turns out to be no such thing.
 
In “An Enigma,” beings debate whether offspring can be created without advanced degrees and design templates.
 
Other stories feature a computer that can predict the future by 137 seconds, matter-destroying spores, a hunt in which the prey is a robot, and an electronic brain eager to go on the lam . . . 
 
Of these 12 science fiction short stories, only 3 have previously appeared in English, making this the first “new” book of fiction by Stanislaw Lem since the late 1980s. Featuring scathing humor, artificial intelligences, insane theories of cosmology and evolution, and so much more, The Truth and Other Stories is a multifarious a collection of mad scientists as any science fiction reader could wish for.
Foreword by Kim Stanley Robinson vii
The Hunt (Late 1950s) 1
Rat in the Labyrinth (1956) 23
Invasion from Aldebaran (1959) 61
The Friend (1959) 73
The Invasion (1959) 123
Darkness and Mildew (1959) 161
The Hammer (1959) 183
Lymphater's Formula (1961) 221
The Journal (1962) 249
The Truth (1964) 271
One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Seconds (1976) 295
An Enigma (1993) 323
Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), a writer called "worthy of the Nobel Prize" by the New York Times, was an internationally renowned author of novels, short stories, literary criticism, and philosophical essays. His books have been translated into forty-four languages and have sold more than thirty million copies.
Stanislaw Lem View titles by Stanislaw Lem

About

Experience a sci-fi master at his finest in this collection of 12 science fiction short stories from 1956 to 1993—many now presented in English for the very first time!

“A brilliant introduction to Lem’s science fiction.” —Wall Street Journal
 
Discover the full range of Stanislaw Lem’s intense curiosity about scientific ideas—and his sardonic approach to human nature—in this unforgettable collection of 12 short stories.
 
In “The Truth,” a scientist in an insane asylum theorizes that the sun is alive.
 
“The Journal” appears to be an account by an omnipotent being describing the creation of infinite universes—until, in a classic Lem twist, it turns out to be no such thing.
 
In “An Enigma,” beings debate whether offspring can be created without advanced degrees and design templates.
 
Other stories feature a computer that can predict the future by 137 seconds, matter-destroying spores, a hunt in which the prey is a robot, and an electronic brain eager to go on the lam . . . 
 
Of these 12 science fiction short stories, only 3 have previously appeared in English, making this the first “new” book of fiction by Stanislaw Lem since the late 1980s. Featuring scathing humor, artificial intelligences, insane theories of cosmology and evolution, and so much more, The Truth and Other Stories is a multifarious a collection of mad scientists as any science fiction reader could wish for.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kim Stanley Robinson vii
The Hunt (Late 1950s) 1
Rat in the Labyrinth (1956) 23
Invasion from Aldebaran (1959) 61
The Friend (1959) 73
The Invasion (1959) 123
Darkness and Mildew (1959) 161
The Hammer (1959) 183
Lymphater's Formula (1961) 221
The Journal (1962) 249
The Truth (1964) 271
One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Seconds (1976) 295
An Enigma (1993) 323

Author

Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), a writer called "worthy of the Nobel Prize" by the New York Times, was an internationally renowned author of novels, short stories, literary criticism, and philosophical essays. His books have been translated into forty-four languages and have sold more than thirty million copies.
Stanislaw Lem View titles by Stanislaw Lem

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles

Literature

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

Literature
Gender and Sexuality Studies History

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

Gender and Sexuality Studies History
Subscribe

Penguin Random House Higher Education

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)