The Truth and Other Stories

The Truth and Other Stories

Containing twelve hard science fiction stories, The Truth and Other Stories is like peering into the future through the lens of the past. Most of the stories were written in the late 1950s to mid-1960s with one from 1976 and another from 1993. Many are amazingly prescient with their guesses of what will exist in the future (with many already extant today).

Nine of these stories are newly translated from the original Polish of Stanislaw Lem, the author of Solaris. The translations are done well.

All of the tales focus on humans meeting other sentient beings for the first time. Despite the unifying theme, the stories vary tremendously. My personal favorites are The Friend and One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Seconds, which both contain unusual adversaries. I also enjoyed the humor within Invasion from Aldebaran.

If you want to turn back the clock several decades to a simpler time, The Truth and Other Stories is an excellent way to do it. It contains many thought-provoking tales. 4 stars!

Thanks to MIT Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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