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The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy Paperback – October 28, 1985

by Stanislaw Lem (Author)

80 customer reviews

Book 3 of 4 in the From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy Series

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Bringing his twin gifts of scientific speculation and scathing satire to bear on that hapless planet, Earth, Lem sends his unlucky cosmonaut, Ijon Tichy, to the Eighth Futurological Congress. Caught up in local revolution, Tichy is shot and so critically wounded that he is flashfrozen to await a future cure. Translated by Michael Kandel.

The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The futurologists of the world have gathered at their Eighth World Congress at the Costa Rica Hilton to discuss the problem of overpopulation. Their deliberations, however, are interrupted by a revolution which the government attempts to quell with chemical weapons. The air and water are laden with "benignimizers" and other exotic drags which send futurologist Tichy careening into a hallucinatory tomorrow. Lem's view of the overcrowded future is original and disturbing. A pessimistic, mordantly funny book, well translated from the Polish by Michael Kandel. (Kirkus Reviews ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, Polish (translation)

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Product details

Series: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (October 28, 1985)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0156340402
ISBN-13: 978-0156340403
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 80 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3476 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Science Fiction
- #10199 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

5 star		70%
4 star		16%
3 star		5%
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Top customer reviews

Quite a trip... Stick with it to the end.

ByT. Nelsonon January 31, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a preface, I started "The Futurological Congress" not knowing what to expect. Although I am a fan of science fiction, I had not read any of Lem's other works before.

As most books from this genre do, "The Futurological Congress" hurls you into a bizarre world from page 1. The story, based in Costa Rica at a conference of futurologists, takes the reader through many hallucinogen-fueled narratives. At many times, it was difficult to understand what was reality and what was a product of the LTN (love-thy-neighbor) chemicals in the air; this, however, is one of the most fascinating aspects of the tale.

Lem does a great job creating a world very different from our own but grounded in concepts we all understand. He also, quite successfully, fosters a sense of uncertainty in the reader; this uncertainly mirrors that experienced by the narrator and welcomes the reader to guess at what might happen later in the story.

I will not give any of the story away, but I would advise you to stick with this book through the end. At the onset, I was confused about what was happening and how the story would come together; I was not drawn to the writing style (the English translation is good but not perfect), but by the end, I couldn't put it down.

This is a great exploration of human character and a riveting read. However, if you are not familiar with Lem's works, I might suggest starting with "Solaris" so you get a good introduction to his style. I would definitely recommend "The Futurological Congress" if you're interested in a quirky, dynamic science fiction read.

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The Futurological Congress

ByAnnaon March 20, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a delightfully surreal book. I have just recently discovered Lem and I find that each one of his books that I have read so far is refreshing, at times hilarious, and yet gives the reader plenty of serious matter to think about. This book struck me in that though it has been written before I was born, it reads like it could have been penned yesterday: it touches on a multitude of topics that are now more than ever deserving of serious consideration, such as poverty, the rise to immense power of companies driven solely by profit, government control, free will, the growing population problem, terrorism, morality, and ethics in medicine. For such a little book, it covers a lot of ground but does so in a thought-provoking and oddly entertaining way. I will definitely seek out more works by this truly gifted author!

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Top dystopian scifi

ByMarcoson December 31, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is the best dystopian scifi of them all. All others take the subject too seriously. This is the only one that takes it frivously. You end up completely perplexed about the future which is even worst than what Tichy lives on. A must read, short and entertaining. It's way better than the old brazilian portuguese version I read years ago. Great care into adapting the neologisms.

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But half way into the book it went down like a roller coaster making you cling to the story

Bytnpurdonon February 10, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

For the simple minded one. I will be honest. At first I was confused on what the heck was going on. It started very slow for me and the words were a bit to wordy. But half way into the book it went down like a roller coaster making you cling to the story. What a ride and how insane and scary it is to what we might become as in the future. I only picked up this book do the comment that was made about the movie called The Congress. It takes Metrix and The Congress to a whole another level. It's beautifully well written and man it's scary. Just scary in the essence of how remarkably close it's coming to our future.

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Paroxysms of laughter, pure fun!

ByKathyon February 8, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I must say I warily downloaded this book and put off reading it for some time. I thought it could be as bleak as the recent Russian sci-fi translation I read. I guess I didn't read the reviews carefully enough. This was one of the funniest books I ever read. Lem is brilliant, with such a sense of humor. There were parts where I had to close my Kindle, while I tried to get the guffaws under control. Luckily I was reading in bed and only my hubbie could see me.

While Lem is wonderfully creative and you could tell he had a great time penning this story, I was also blown away by the translator. This novel is so much about word play, and you could not tell it was written in a foreign language. It was impecably translated and didn't suffer a bit. I can't wait to try more of Lem's books. While very funny and short, there was also a scary message here.

Even if you are not a sci-fi fan, you are in for a treat with this book. It would take anyone out of a reading slump or maybe even a deep depression. Get it and enjoy, now!

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

The Pharmacological Time Machine

ByW. Reichardon December 17, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Wow. What can you really say about this except for that? This is wittier, funnier, and far more terrifying than the Matrix could have dreamed of being. And hats off to the translators...that must have been some job.

A bit slow to get going, but once it does...hold on. Worth reading simply for its pure inventiveness, but there's also a real story arc here, weird as it may be.

Just...wow. I may never be the same again.

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Nonsense and nonsensibility

ByAdelia Rochaon October 26, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is one of the most impressive books I've read. It is intelligent and incredibly witty. It is hilarious...and so true about the present, as the future it speaks about is our present, I think. When Stanislaw Lem died, it was said that he hadn't received a Nobel Prize, because he wrote science ficion. In other words, he didn't write Literature, but Paraliterature. I dare say, "who cares about a Nobel Prize?". SL was/ is a great writer. That is something that not all Nobel Prizes can boast of. I absolutely recommend it.

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Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

For the true sci- fi reader. Not to be made into an action-packed slick thriller. Use your brain.

Published 21 days ago by Virginia Ann Garbowski

An hilarious journey in a world ruled by brain control drugs

An hilarious journey in a scary world ruled by brain control drugs, because, in the end, all which matters is what our brain perceives.

Published 9 months ago by Zaid EL-HOIYDI

A fun, easy sci-fi dystopian that grapples with some serious issues

Ok, so I don't want to give too much away here. This short book, almost a novella really, takes you on quite a ride, and I really enjoyed not knowing where it was going, so I'm...Read more

Published 1 year ago by C. Ada

Five Stars

Funny book and a lot of witty thoughts and philosophy.

Published 1 year ago by Yelena P. Francis

Yuck

I am a huge Lem fan. However, this is just a gobbledy-gook of verbosity. Some things are cleverly written, after all this is Lem, but it was almost impossible to read and did not...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Rick Alexander

Definitely recommended!

While the book may be a tad old, this is definitely the best science fiction novel I've read all year!Read more

Published 1 year ago by Rich M.

Get into the rhythm...

This satire has a particular patter, very fast, and once you go with it, the ribald 'ride' becomes immensely enjoyable.

Published 1 year ago by James Igoe

Four Stars

Good book, worth the read. Especially if you are a conspiracy nut.

Published 1 year ago by Muleears

Spetacular

Superb... One of the best novels I ever read. Definitely recommend it, specially to those who like distopic future stories.

Published 1 year ago by Amazon Customer

Fiction or portrait?

A disturbing vision of the future (present?) of mankind, revealing the low tolerance to frustration of society.Read more

Published 1 year ago by JORGE A TORREAO DAU

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