The Futurological Congress
Author: Stanislaw Lem
Genre: Science Fiction
Year: 1974
Rating: 8 of 10
At first I wasn’t enjoying this book but it was one of those stories that got stronger and better as it progressed. Absurd and satirical with tons of interesting word play (how did the translator do it?) all of which paint a picture of a world fully controlled by pharmaceuticals. I can’t help but think that some of the satire was culturally over my head, but none the less the book was quite funny. The first half almost seemed stream-of-conscious and I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere, but Lem ties it all together and we see, as the story unfolds, that it was deliberate after-all. Having read a handful of Lem’s books I am impressed by the variety of his themes and subjects, proving again and again that he is a writer who can smoothly transition between styles. One has to wonder how the Soviet writers were able to slip their criticisms through the walls of censorship, and it makes me think that science fiction was probably the perfect platform for dissent since it imagines “other” societies. Worth a read if you want something different and strange.
Purchase: Buy!