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小芯谢褟褉懈褋. 协写械屑
Russian Book. AST. 480. 2022. Hardcover.
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About the author
Stanis艂aw Lem
450听books4,330听followersStanis艂aw Lem (sta藞刹iswaf l蓻m) was a Polish science fiction, philosophical and satirical writer of Jewish descent. His books have been translated into 41 languages and have sold over 27 million copies. He is perhaps best known as the author of Solaris, which has twice been made into a feature film. In 1976, Theodore Sturgeon claimed that Lem was the most widely read science-fiction writer in the world.
His works explore philosophical themes; speculation on technology, the nature of intelligence, the impossibility of mutual communication and understanding, despair about human limitations and humankind's place in the universe. They are sometimes presented as fiction, but others are in the form of essays or philosophical books. Translations of his works are difficult and multiple translated versions of his works exist.
Lem became truly productive after 1956, when the de-Stalinization period led to the "Polish October", when Poland experienced an increase in freedom of speech. Between 1956 and 1968, Lem authored 17 books. His works were widely translated abroad (although mostly in the Eastern Bloc countries). In 1957 he published his first non-fiction, philosophical book, Dialogi (Dialogues), one of his two most famous philosophical texts along with Summa Technologiae (1964). The Summa is notable for being a unique analysis of prospective social, cybernetic, and biological advances. In this work, Lem discusses philosophical implications of technologies that were completely in the realm of science fiction then, but are gaining importance today鈥攍ike, for instance, virtual reality and nanotechnology. Over the next few decades, he published many books, both science fiction and philosophical/futurological, although from the 1980s onwards he tended to concentrate on philosophical texts and essays.
He gained international fame for The Cyberiad, a series of humorous short stories from a mechanical universe ruled by robots, first published in English in 1974. His best-known novels include Solaris (1961), His Master's Voice (G艂os pana, 1968), and the late Fiasco (Fiasko, 1987), expressing most strongly his major theme of the futility of mankind's attempts to comprehend the truly alien. Solaris was made into a film in 1972 by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1972; in 2002, Steven Soderbergh directed a Hollywood remake starring George Clooney.
He was the cousin of poet Marian Hemar.
His works explore philosophical themes; speculation on technology, the nature of intelligence, the impossibility of mutual communication and understanding, despair about human limitations and humankind's place in the universe. They are sometimes presented as fiction, but others are in the form of essays or philosophical books. Translations of his works are difficult and multiple translated versions of his works exist.
Lem became truly productive after 1956, when the de-Stalinization period led to the "Polish October", when Poland experienced an increase in freedom of speech. Between 1956 and 1968, Lem authored 17 books. His works were widely translated abroad (although mostly in the Eastern Bloc countries). In 1957 he published his first non-fiction, philosophical book, Dialogi (Dialogues), one of his two most famous philosophical texts along with Summa Technologiae (1964). The Summa is notable for being a unique analysis of prospective social, cybernetic, and biological advances. In this work, Lem discusses philosophical implications of technologies that were completely in the realm of science fiction then, but are gaining importance today鈥攍ike, for instance, virtual reality and nanotechnology. Over the next few decades, he published many books, both science fiction and philosophical/futurological, although from the 1980s onwards he tended to concentrate on philosophical texts and essays.
He gained international fame for The Cyberiad, a series of humorous short stories from a mechanical universe ruled by robots, first published in English in 1974. His best-known novels include Solaris (1961), His Master's Voice (G艂os pana, 1968), and the late Fiasco (Fiasko, 1987), expressing most strongly his major theme of the futility of mankind's attempts to comprehend the truly alien. Solaris was made into a film in 1972 by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1972; in 2002, Steven Soderbergh directed a Hollywood remake starring George Clooney.
He was the cousin of poet Marian Hemar.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 5, 2023
Raamatu lugemise k盲igus juhtus naljakas lugu, ajasin segi Tarkovski filmid, Stalkeri ja Solarise. Liitsin peas kokku Lemi Solarise ja Strugatskite ainetel filmitud Stalkeri. Paralleelselt Lemiga lugesin Uku Masingu ja Kalju Kirde (eesti p盲ritolu Saksamaa f眉眉sik ja kirjandusloolane) ulmekirjanduse teemalist kirjavahetust (Kord kui me unistus uitis, Ilmamaa 2014) ja seal nad siis nendivad, et Lemile Tarkovski interpretatsioon tema raamatust ei meeldinud. Ma olen Stalkerit mitu korda n盲inud, mulje oli kuidagi 盲hmane aga n眉眉d peale Lemi Solarise lugemist hakkas justkui koitma. Et kui Tarkovski Tsoon on Lemi Ookean ja kohe tekkisid veel mingisugused detailid ja paralleelid 鈥� R盲盲kisin sellest s玫braga, kes on lugenud nii Strugatseid kui Lemi ning n盲inud m玫lemat filmi. S玫ber noogutas m玫istvalt kaasa, ei saagi aru mis p玫hjusel, v玫imalik, et viisakusest, umbes, et las laps pusserdab, peaasi, et laps rahul on 鈥� Igatahes, otsustasin, et peaks filmi uuesti 眉le vaatama, kuni siis l玫puks ikkagi mingi kahtlus tekkis ja googel armulikult teatas, et Tarkovskil on kaks filmi. Ma ei ole Tarkovski Solarist n盲inud, k眉ll aga olen lugenud Strugatskite 鈥淰盲ljas玫it rohelisse鈥� (meeles eriti ei ole, filmiga seoseid ei teki).Et siis, n眉眉d tahaks k玫ike (uuesti) ja korraga 馃檪
Raamatust. Raamat koosneb kahest l眉hiromaanist, milleks on Solaris ja Eeden.
Esimeses on inimesed avastanud Maa t眉眉pi planeedi nimega Solaris ning uurinud seda palju aastaid. Solarise ainus ja inimestele ikka veel t盲iesti arusaamatu p玫liselanik on planeeti kattev arukas Ookean.
鈥淭egelikult polnud veel mitte k玫ik sellega p盲ri, et see on 鈥渙lend鈥�, r盲盲kimata sellest, kas v玫ib ookeani nimetada arukaks. Panin raske k枚ite plaksuga riiulile ja v玫tsin j盲rgmise. See koosnes kahest osast. Esimene oli p眉hendatud loendamatute katsete, mille eesm盲rgiks oli kontakti loomine ookeaniga, eksperimendiprotokollide kokkuv玫tetele. See p眉眉d saavutada kontakt ookeaniga andis minu 眉li玫pilasaastail, m盲letan seda liigagi h盲sti, ainet l玫pututele anekdootidele, pilgetele ja vaimukustele; keskaegne skolastika tundus selge, s盲rava t玫elisusena nende d啪unglite k玫rval, mida see probleem tekitas. Teine osa, mis h玫lmas peaaegu tuhat kolmsada lehek眉lge, sisaldas aine bibliograafilist nimestikku. Sest raamatud, mid k盲sitlesid seda probleemi, poleks kindlasti mahtunud tuppa, kus ma istusin.鈥� (lk 19)
Teadlane Kelvin on umbes lapsest peale Ookeani oma peas kandnud, sellest unesid n盲inud ja lugenud selle kohta k玫ike, mida v玫is ja mida ei v玫inud. Lugu algab sellest, et Kelvin stardib 眉hemehe ekspeditsioonina Solarisele ning avastab kohale j玫udes sedamaid, et vaatamata k玫igile oma teadmistele ei ole ta kaugeltki valmis kohtuma Solarise plasmaookeaniga. Ookean osutub omamoodi ps眉hhoterapeudiks sundides Kelvinit sedamaid sukelduma tema enese, Kelvini, alateadvusesse. Pannes ta olukorda, kus ta peab seisma silmitsi oma k玫ige salajasemate soovide ja hirmudega, kohtuma uuesti Harey麓ga, armastatud naisega, kes temaga lahkumineku t玫ttu enesetapu sooritas. Raamatus on Kelvini ja Harey suhtele, Harey inimlikustamisele, palju aega p眉hendatud. Lem n盲itab kaunilt, kuidas inimene armub sisuliselt iseenda kujutelma. Ka p盲riselus, inimene kohtab teist ja ehib ta enda poolt v盲ljam玫eldud omadustega, t玫mbab oma kujutluse kellegi karkassi peale. Ja h盲da neile suhetele, kus kujutlused reaalsusest erinevad rohkem kui pisut.
Teine l眉hiromaan algab sellest, et kuuest teadlasest koosnev ekspeditsioon teeb h盲damaandumise v玫玫rale, t盲iesti tundmatule planeedile nimega Eeden. Nimetud (ja ka isiksuseomadustest, iseloomudest ilma j盲etud, va 眉ksikud konkreetsed seisukohad 眉ksikutes konkreetsetes k眉simustes) Doktor, F眉眉sik, Keemik, Insener, K眉bertehnik ja Koordinaator hakkavad planeeti uurima, p眉眉avad m玫ista selle toimimist, 眉hiskonnakorraldust, elu ja olu ning luua kontakti sealsete arukate kohalikega..
M玫lemad romaani s眉啪ee ei ole omaette teab mida v盲盲rt, tegu on pigem kontseptuaalsete, filosoofiliste teostega. Eriti Solaris, mis on kihilisem ja meeldis mulle Eedeist rohkem. Eeden meeldis ka, aga alles alates hetkest, kui toimus kontakt kohalikega. Loo algus minu jaoks venis, putitati muudkui kosmoselaeva ja seda viisil, et isegi mina sain aru, et tehnoloogia seisukohalt (aga ainult selles osas) on lugu lootusetult vananenud.
Solaris tundub tehniliselt tugevamana. Hea kujutlusv玫ime korral on v玫imalik kaasa kolada m枚枚da t眉hje, kajavaid, kosmosejaama koridore, kohtuda millegi t盲iesti arusaamatuga, m玫ista, mis toimub Kelvini peas ja tunda, kuidas ihukarvad ligihiilivast 玫udusest liigutavad 鈥edenis on ka hirmu盲ratavaid kohti, kuid minus v玫rreldavat emotsiooni ei tekitanud.
Suures plaanis arutleb Lem m玫lemas lood 眉hest ja samast: inimese/ inimkonna kontakti v玫imalikkuse 眉le m玫ne teise, meist t盲iesti erineva, aruka olendi v玫i substantsiga. Solaris tekitab m玫tlemisainet mitmel teemal. Nt et inimesel on loomulik kujutleda, et arukas olend on indiviid ja seda, et meie oleme need, kes uurivad. Aga kui ei ole, kui arukas olend on substants, mis individuaalsust ei evi? Kui kogu tema olemus, nii f眉眉siline kui mentaalne, on hoopis teine? Kui meie f眉眉sika ja loogika ei t枚枚ta, mis siis? Mul l盲heb m玫istus katki juba 眉ksi sellele m玫eldes, r盲盲kimata olukorrast, kui m玫istmisest midagi s玫ltub. Eeden on selles m玫ttes lihtsam, et seal ongi p玫liselanikud indiviidid ja 眉hine keel leitakse. Seal on peamine k眉simus mu meelest selles, et hullult tahaks selle vanainimese n眉眉d 眉le t盲nava aidata, vahet ei ole, kas tal sinna teisele poole asja ka on. Ehk et kas peab sekkuma, kui tundub, et peaks kuid tegelikult ei m玫ista (nt v玫玫rliigi v玫i v玫玫ra tsivilisatsiooni elukorraldust, selle kujunemist, ajaloolisi vm p玫hjusi jpm). Et oma reeglitega v玫玫rasse kloostrisse 鈥�
Solarises on veel see ka, et tekib k眉simus, kes keda seal 眉ldse uuris. Kui vaadata Ookeani seisukohalt, siis 鈥� siis saabusid mingid mini-satikad lendava kilukarbiga. Kas nad on arukad? Kas nad on ohtlikud? Kui sa oled planeedi ainus elusolend, siis tegelikult tahaks ju k眉lalistega maha istuda ja teed juua, uurida, kuidas seal on, kerast paremal ja vasakul, kaugel, 眉眉ratus pimeduses. Aga kuidas? V玫ibolla Ookean proovis, v玫ibolla olid fantoomid tema viis k眉lalistele kingitus teha? V玫i siis ikka ei olnud, v玫ibolla hoopis inimesed sundisid teda selleks kuidagi, sundisid (alateadlikult) ilmutama oma (alateadlike) soove. St 鈥� ilmselt peab seda raamatut lugema rohkem, kui korra. Selles on palju ja rohkem veel. Mulle v盲ga meeldis.
Raamatust. Raamat koosneb kahest l眉hiromaanist, milleks on Solaris ja Eeden.
Esimeses on inimesed avastanud Maa t眉眉pi planeedi nimega Solaris ning uurinud seda palju aastaid. Solarise ainus ja inimestele ikka veel t盲iesti arusaamatu p玫liselanik on planeeti kattev arukas Ookean.
鈥淭egelikult polnud veel mitte k玫ik sellega p盲ri, et see on 鈥渙lend鈥�, r盲盲kimata sellest, kas v玫ib ookeani nimetada arukaks. Panin raske k枚ite plaksuga riiulile ja v玫tsin j盲rgmise. See koosnes kahest osast. Esimene oli p眉hendatud loendamatute katsete, mille eesm盲rgiks oli kontakti loomine ookeaniga, eksperimendiprotokollide kokkuv玫tetele. See p眉眉d saavutada kontakt ookeaniga andis minu 眉li玫pilasaastail, m盲letan seda liigagi h盲sti, ainet l玫pututele anekdootidele, pilgetele ja vaimukustele; keskaegne skolastika tundus selge, s盲rava t玫elisusena nende d啪unglite k玫rval, mida see probleem tekitas. Teine osa, mis h玫lmas peaaegu tuhat kolmsada lehek眉lge, sisaldas aine bibliograafilist nimestikku. Sest raamatud, mid k盲sitlesid seda probleemi, poleks kindlasti mahtunud tuppa, kus ma istusin.鈥� (lk 19)
Teadlane Kelvin on umbes lapsest peale Ookeani oma peas kandnud, sellest unesid n盲inud ja lugenud selle kohta k玫ike, mida v玫is ja mida ei v玫inud. Lugu algab sellest, et Kelvin stardib 眉hemehe ekspeditsioonina Solarisele ning avastab kohale j玫udes sedamaid, et vaatamata k玫igile oma teadmistele ei ole ta kaugeltki valmis kohtuma Solarise plasmaookeaniga. Ookean osutub omamoodi ps眉hhoterapeudiks sundides Kelvinit sedamaid sukelduma tema enese, Kelvini, alateadvusesse. Pannes ta olukorda, kus ta peab seisma silmitsi oma k玫ige salajasemate soovide ja hirmudega, kohtuma uuesti Harey麓ga, armastatud naisega, kes temaga lahkumineku t玫ttu enesetapu sooritas. Raamatus on Kelvini ja Harey suhtele, Harey inimlikustamisele, palju aega p眉hendatud. Lem n盲itab kaunilt, kuidas inimene armub sisuliselt iseenda kujutelma. Ka p盲riselus, inimene kohtab teist ja ehib ta enda poolt v盲ljam玫eldud omadustega, t玫mbab oma kujutluse kellegi karkassi peale. Ja h盲da neile suhetele, kus kujutlused reaalsusest erinevad rohkem kui pisut.
Teine l眉hiromaan algab sellest, et kuuest teadlasest koosnev ekspeditsioon teeb h盲damaandumise v玫玫rale, t盲iesti tundmatule planeedile nimega Eeden. Nimetud (ja ka isiksuseomadustest, iseloomudest ilma j盲etud, va 眉ksikud konkreetsed seisukohad 眉ksikutes konkreetsetes k眉simustes) Doktor, F眉眉sik, Keemik, Insener, K眉bertehnik ja Koordinaator hakkavad planeeti uurima, p眉眉avad m玫ista selle toimimist, 眉hiskonnakorraldust, elu ja olu ning luua kontakti sealsete arukate kohalikega..
M玫lemad romaani s眉啪ee ei ole omaette teab mida v盲盲rt, tegu on pigem kontseptuaalsete, filosoofiliste teostega. Eriti Solaris, mis on kihilisem ja meeldis mulle Eedeist rohkem. Eeden meeldis ka, aga alles alates hetkest, kui toimus kontakt kohalikega. Loo algus minu jaoks venis, putitati muudkui kosmoselaeva ja seda viisil, et isegi mina sain aru, et tehnoloogia seisukohalt (aga ainult selles osas) on lugu lootusetult vananenud.
Solaris tundub tehniliselt tugevamana. Hea kujutlusv玫ime korral on v玫imalik kaasa kolada m枚枚da t眉hje, kajavaid, kosmosejaama koridore, kohtuda millegi t盲iesti arusaamatuga, m玫ista, mis toimub Kelvini peas ja tunda, kuidas ihukarvad ligihiilivast 玫udusest liigutavad 鈥edenis on ka hirmu盲ratavaid kohti, kuid minus v玫rreldavat emotsiooni ei tekitanud.
Suures plaanis arutleb Lem m玫lemas lood 眉hest ja samast: inimese/ inimkonna kontakti v玫imalikkuse 眉le m玫ne teise, meist t盲iesti erineva, aruka olendi v玫i substantsiga. Solaris tekitab m玫tlemisainet mitmel teemal. Nt et inimesel on loomulik kujutleda, et arukas olend on indiviid ja seda, et meie oleme need, kes uurivad. Aga kui ei ole, kui arukas olend on substants, mis individuaalsust ei evi? Kui kogu tema olemus, nii f眉眉siline kui mentaalne, on hoopis teine? Kui meie f眉眉sika ja loogika ei t枚枚ta, mis siis? Mul l盲heb m玫istus katki juba 眉ksi sellele m玫eldes, r盲盲kimata olukorrast, kui m玫istmisest midagi s玫ltub. Eeden on selles m玫ttes lihtsam, et seal ongi p玫liselanikud indiviidid ja 眉hine keel leitakse. Seal on peamine k眉simus mu meelest selles, et hullult tahaks selle vanainimese n眉眉d 眉le t盲nava aidata, vahet ei ole, kas tal sinna teisele poole asja ka on. Ehk et kas peab sekkuma, kui tundub, et peaks kuid tegelikult ei m玫ista (nt v玫玫rliigi v玫i v玫玫ra tsivilisatsiooni elukorraldust, selle kujunemist, ajaloolisi vm p玫hjusi jpm). Et oma reeglitega v玫玫rasse kloostrisse 鈥�
Solarises on veel see ka, et tekib k眉simus, kes keda seal 眉ldse uuris. Kui vaadata Ookeani seisukohalt, siis 鈥� siis saabusid mingid mini-satikad lendava kilukarbiga. Kas nad on arukad? Kas nad on ohtlikud? Kui sa oled planeedi ainus elusolend, siis tegelikult tahaks ju k眉lalistega maha istuda ja teed juua, uurida, kuidas seal on, kerast paremal ja vasakul, kaugel, 眉眉ratus pimeduses. Aga kuidas? V玫ibolla Ookean proovis, v玫ibolla olid fantoomid tema viis k眉lalistele kingitus teha? V玫i siis ikka ei olnud, v玫ibolla hoopis inimesed sundisid teda selleks kuidagi, sundisid (alateadlikult) ilmutama oma (alateadlike) soove. St 鈥� ilmselt peab seda raamatut lugema rohkem, kui korra. Selles on palju ja rohkem veel. Mulle v盲ga meeldis.
May 18, 2022
Kuidas suhelda v玫玫raga?
February 13, 2025
Solaris ennem kui Eeden, aga m玫lemal oli poeesiat ja inimese kimbatust parajal m盲盲ral. Samas mimoidide ja v盲ledike kirjeldused kippusid tempot alla v玫tma; sama maastike ja mehhanismide l玫igud Eedenis. T玫lge oli leidlik, aga lihtsalt ei k盲ivitanud alati kujutlusv玫imet. L盲bivaks on inimeste komme m玫玫ta, tajuda ja anal眉眉sida k玫ike l盲bi iseenda.
February 26, 2020
Kaks natuke eri-ilmelist lugu, mis m玫neti on sarnased. V玫ibolla need intelligentsed olendid, kes v盲ljaspool Maakera on 盲kki olemas, on hoopis teistsugused kui me oskame m玫elda. Kas me saame neid haarata oma m玫ttemaailma juures. v盲ltides n盲htuste kirjeldamist oma tausts眉steemist.
September 1, 2023
This novel deserves more readers imho. Very interesting story of contact with alien civilization given that the technology of the story isn鈥檛 very advanced by modern standards.
December 9, 2020
The book contains Solaris and Eden by Stanislaw Lem.
Solaris, of course, is one of the most famous works of sci-fi. The eponymous planet is inhabited by a sentient ocean which, after decades of study, remains completely incomprehensible to humanity. The main character arrives at an orbital research station, to find it in a dilapidated state, and the inhabitants on the verge of insanity. He finds out why when he is visited by his long dead wife.
A great start. Spooky and weird, although hampered by the awkward prose. But then, nothing happens. The main character does nothing, either related to his job or to the plot, and just sort of waits for the events to sort themselves out. It's meant to be a "psychological" novel, I imagine, but unfortunately our hero is not a very interesting case study due to being an apathetic sponge. When he arrives he finds out that all the robots have been stashed away into storage, and that is touted as a potential plot point, so he makes up his mind to investigate what that's about. Then doesn't. He finds a recording from a dead man addressed to him, which is bound to shed some light on the whole affair. Doesn't listen to it. He realises he likes his ghost wife more than the real thing, and vows to spend his life with her. Then, does nothing to bring those plans to fruition.
The other characters aren't much better. Everyone seems to be visited by the object of their yearning, which I suppose would be a bit unsettling, but their reaction -- hide the visitor from everyone until they figure out a way to kill it -- seems a bit odd. If the visitor hinted at some dark, terrible secret in their lives, perhaps that would be a valid response, but there is very little in the book to indicate that.
Ultimately, I believe it is the idea of Solaris, rather than the book itself, that has staying power. A giant, sentient ocean. Neither friendly nor malevolent nor even uncaring. Simply beyond our comprehension, as we are of its. I feel it could have made for a better story than it did.
Eden tells the tale of a group of astronauts stranded on a planet called Eden. They are stock characters, referred to by their trade -- Doctor, Coordinator, Physicist, etc -- rather than their name. Except the Engineer, who is also called Heinrich. It is not clear whether the fact that he alone has a name is plot significant or not. The prose is even clunkier, and I had to reread many a passage several times to figure out what was going on, and the characters (especially the Doctor) are asinine. However, the weirdness of the setting to a great extent makes up for it.
Unfortunately, as the events get ever weirder and the remaining pages ever thinner, it inevitably dawns on the reader that the author has no idea where he is going with this, and there won't be a satisfactory denouement. And indeed, in the end it all turns out to be 1984. Unfortunately, putting a mediocre novel in space does not make it any more interesting.
Solaris, of course, is one of the most famous works of sci-fi. The eponymous planet is inhabited by a sentient ocean which, after decades of study, remains completely incomprehensible to humanity. The main character arrives at an orbital research station, to find it in a dilapidated state, and the inhabitants on the verge of insanity. He finds out why when he is visited by his long dead wife.
A great start. Spooky and weird, although hampered by the awkward prose. But then, nothing happens. The main character does nothing, either related to his job or to the plot, and just sort of waits for the events to sort themselves out. It's meant to be a "psychological" novel, I imagine, but unfortunately our hero is not a very interesting case study due to being an apathetic sponge. When he arrives he finds out that all the robots have been stashed away into storage, and that is touted as a potential plot point, so he makes up his mind to investigate what that's about. Then doesn't. He finds a recording from a dead man addressed to him, which is bound to shed some light on the whole affair. Doesn't listen to it. He realises he likes his ghost wife more than the real thing, and vows to spend his life with her. Then, does nothing to bring those plans to fruition.
The other characters aren't much better. Everyone seems to be visited by the object of their yearning, which I suppose would be a bit unsettling, but their reaction -- hide the visitor from everyone until they figure out a way to kill it -- seems a bit odd. If the visitor hinted at some dark, terrible secret in their lives, perhaps that would be a valid response, but there is very little in the book to indicate that.
Ultimately, I believe it is the idea of Solaris, rather than the book itself, that has staying power. A giant, sentient ocean. Neither friendly nor malevolent nor even uncaring. Simply beyond our comprehension, as we are of its. I feel it could have made for a better story than it did.
Eden tells the tale of a group of astronauts stranded on a planet called Eden. They are stock characters, referred to by their trade -- Doctor, Coordinator, Physicist, etc -- rather than their name. Except the Engineer, who is also called Heinrich. It is not clear whether the fact that he alone has a name is plot significant or not. The prose is even clunkier, and I had to reread many a passage several times to figure out what was going on, and the characters (especially the Doctor) are asinine. However, the weirdness of the setting to a great extent makes up for it.
Unfortunately, as the events get ever weirder and the remaining pages ever thinner, it inevitably dawns on the reader that the author has no idea where he is going with this, and there won't be a satisfactory denouement. And indeed, in the end it all turns out to be 1984. Unfortunately, putting a mediocre novel in space does not make it any more interesting.
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