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Fiasco

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SKU:
930
Condition:
Very Good - Clean, crisp and unmarked pages with the exception of the previous owner's name written on the inside front cover.
Format:
Paperback, 322 pages
Publisher:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1988
Edition:
First Harvest/HBJ Edition, Second Printing
The planet Quinta is pocked by ugly mounds and covered by a spiderweb-like network draped from spindly poles. It is a kingdom of phantoms and of a beauty afflicted by madness. In stark contrast, the crew of the spaceship Hermes represents a sensitive, knowledge-seeking Earth. They all have the best of intentions toward their "brothers in intelligence" as they approach Quinta. But the Quintans are locked in a "star-wars" escalation gone berserk. As the crew is attacked in different and mysterious ways, they find that their responses are determined not by their technology but by primitive instincts portended in strange images and symbols. A dark poetry take over and leads them into a nightmare of misunderstanding. Fiasco: a stunning space adventure and tale of lost innocence. The planet Quinta is pocked by ugly mounds and covered by a spiderweb-like network draped from spindly poles. It is a kingdom of phantoms and of a beauty afflicted by madness. In stark contrast, the crew of the spaceship Hermes represents a sensitive, knowledge-seeking Earth. They all have the best of intentions toward their "brothers in intelligence" as they approach Quinta. But the Quintans are locked in a "star-wars" escalation gone berserk. As the crew is attacked in different and mysterious ways, they find that their responses are determined not by their technology but by primitive instincts portended in strange images and symbols. A dark poetry take over and leads them into a nightmare of misunderstanding. Fiasco: a stunning space adventure and tale of lost innocence. Translated from the Polish by Michael Kandel

The planet Quinta is pocked by ugly mounds and covered by a spiderweb-like network draped from spindly poles.  It is a kingdom of phantoms and of a beauty afflicted by madness.  In stark contrast, the crew of the spaceship Hermes represents a sensitive, knowledge-seeking Earth.  They all have the best of intentions toward their "brothers in intelligence" as they approach Quinta.  But the Quintans are locked in a "star-wars" escalation gone berserk.  As the crew is attacked in different and mysterious ways, they find that their responses are determined not by their technology but by primitive instincts portended in strange images and symbols.  A dark poetry take over and leads them into a nightmare of misunderstanding.

Fiasco: a stunning space adventure and tale of lost innocence.

Translated from the Polish by Michael Kandel

Editorial Reviews

"Brilliant and demanding, this is one of Lem's best novels." --Publishers Weekly

"Lem's greatest achievement in many years." --The Village Voice

About the Author

Stanislaw Lem (1921-2006) was the most widely translated and best known science fiction author writing outside of the English language. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he was a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker, and the author of numerous works, including Solaris.