Stanislaw Lem's "The Investigation": RGBIB Ep. 78

[@donaldkelly3983]

Finished The Investigation. It was funny and a good read. Lem managed to sustain interest by his storytelling gift. It's a parody of police procedurals with no real crime!

[@Scottmbradfield]

Yeah, I think that's right. It sticks with me more favorably than almost anything by Lem... tho I want to reread The Invincible... and Cyberiad! s

[@Luzt.]

Huge fan of Lem and a Pole here. I absolutely love Eden and Invincible. I read them in Polish and listened to in English and German. There's a lot of Lem in English on YT and some very good adaptations in German. Thank you and have a good day Sir.

[@Scottmbradfield]

Thanks, Luzt. You remind me that one of the many authors staring me in the face for more bathtub time is Lem. I've a got a shelf full of his stuff I want to read or reread, and don't think I ever did read Eden. Soon! Stay safe! s

[@BeachLover6571]

Great talk! Lem is one of my favorite sci-if authors. He’s the master, in my book, when it comes to detailed descriptions of alien worlds.

[@Scottmbradfield]

Thanks and welcome to the bathtub, Over 50 Mom! Now go stay safe with your Under 50 (I'm assuming) kids! Lem is Lemerrific!

[@isolationdisorder]

AWESOME! HUGE Lem fan here!

[@AndalusianIrish]

Great stuff as usual and another writer I had never heard of. Thanks Scott!

[@Scottmbradfield]

Andy McKinney Definitely try Lem's Cyberiad, Andy. It's your kind of book. S

[@AndalusianIrish]

@@Scottmbradfield Thanks!

[@CoKaNee]

Try Invincible and Solaris. Great stuff.

[@iananderson3799]

Enjoyed the book. But introducing a new character ten pages from the end of the story, as the perpetrator sorta felt like cheating by the author.

[@Scottmbradfield]

I can't even remember the ending anymore, Ian. I just remember how fun it was trying to keep up with the detective's crazy theories. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! Have a great New Year in the bathtub! s

[@iananderson3799]

@Scottmbradfield It was less the detective's theories that were the issue, than all the baseless psychobabble being poured into his ears by other characters. Gregory was just a regular plodding cop, trying to make sense of facts and evidence. As for the ending - imagine how let down you would feel if Agatha Christie suddenly introduced the villain into the plot of The Mousetrap five minutes from the end of the show.

[@MissPerriwinkle]

how long do the face scars last? i need to have that done too.....best 2 ya

[@yossarian9985]

I love Lem, as a matter of fact I thought the whole bath tub thing might be an allusion to Memoirs From a Bathtub. I love Tarkosvky, and I thing you are referring to Stalker, not Tracker, which is an adaptation of Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers (a really good read). Solaris is probably my least favorite book of his.

[@Scottmbradfield]

Oh thanks for the Tracker/Stalker correction. Did you know the print translation of SOLARIS is considered terrible-it was from Polish to French and then French to English. The BETTER translation, they say, is the e-book-only one. I plan to take that into the bathtub eventually but no, I wasn't referring to Lem's MEMOIRS. I was referring to my personal bathtub! Keep bathing!

[@yossarian9985]

Thanks for the info on Solaris, might give it another go. Also, on a TOTALLY different track, what do you think of William Tanner Vollmann?