I've seen the Solaris movie with George Clooney a few times. My son has never seen it, but one day recommended this book to me.
This story, written in 1961, deals with one of the most unique forms of alien life ever explored in science fiction. An entire ocean-like planet that might be conscious, but in a way no human can comprehend. That aspect of the story was not explored in the film at all. The film does a better job of exploring the emotional angst between the main character and his wife, so there are pros on both sides. I might next watch the Russion version of the film from the 1970s for comparison.
One annoyance of the book is the author goes to great lengths to describe certain behaviors of the ocean planet in painstaking detail. Once you get past that, it's an interesting read. It's not super fulfilling in terms of resolution or world-building that you could latch onto. Overall I'd give it a passing grade, a solid C.
This story, written in 1961, deals with one of the most unique forms of alien life ever explored in science fiction. An entire ocean-like planet that might be conscious, but in a way no human can comprehend. That aspect of the story was not explored in the film at all. The film does a better job of exploring the emotional angst between the main character and his wife, so there are pros on both sides. I might next watch the Russion version of the film from the 1970s for comparison.
One annoyance of the book is the author goes to great lengths to describe certain behaviors of the ocean planet in painstaking detail. Once you get past that, it's an interesting read. It's not super fulfilling in terms of resolution or world-building that you could latch onto. Overall I'd give it a passing grade, a solid C.