The Futurological Congress (from the memoirs of Ijon Tichy)

149 pages

English language

Published Jan. 6, 1985 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

ISBN:
978-0-15-634040-3
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4 stars (24 reviews)

10 editions

Extravagant

4 stars

Le seul roman de Stanislaw Lem que j'avais lu avant était "Solaris", récit fantastique, sombre et introspectif. Je m'attendais donc à retrouver ce style. "Le Congrès de Futurologie" est pourtant à l'exact opposé. Les auteurs qui sont capables de réaliser un si grand écart de style, au service du récit, sont très rares et il faut saluer la performance. Lem nous entraine ici dans une fiction humoristique qui va à deux cent à l'heure, au rythme ou le héros vie les événements dans cet hôtel de luxe futuriste en proie aux révoltes du pays. La cadence est vive, on a du mal à reprendre son souffle et à faire une pause dans le récit. Le burlesque des personnages et des situations nous fait rire toutes les deux phrases. Et puis il y a un événement à la moitié du roman qui rebat complétement les cartes (malheureusement la quatrième de couverture …

Review of 'The Futurological Congress (from the memoirs of Ijon Tichy)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I absolutely did not expect this from Lem. I'm a die-hard fan of Lem, and from what i've read so far i've gathered that he writes eerie, slow, deep stories. This book, though, is written in an upbeat, very psychedelic style, somewhat like that of Philip K. Dick's. Very fun read. Not really that thought provoking or moving as I expected from him, but very funny and captivating nonetheless.

Review of 'The Futurological Congress (from the memoirs of Ijon Tichy)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Smart, funny, but outdated. I can see why this is rated a classic.

Describing the plot is pointless, since the story is in the "and-then-I-saw-something-else" sci-fi tradition. It's a phantasmagoria, a gonzo extrapolation of what must have appeared in 1970 to be the limitless potential of mind-altering substances.

Of course, here in 2017 our understanding of brain chemistry is still rudimentary and it seems more likely that we'll be using digital means to create our illusory dystopias. As prediction, this book is probably a miss (we'll know in 2039!), but it's still an interesting artifact of its time.

It's a fun read, full of clever jokes and satires. At 150 pages, it's a quick one too. If you like old-school idea-driven sci fi, it's well worth your time.

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