The Cyberiad, Stanislaw Lem

"Trurl and Klapaucius are the archrival constructor robots, who, ransacking myth, technology and the secrets of cybernetic generation, race to create an invention even more improbable than the last."

















The Cyberiad is a collection of translated short stories from Russian Sci-Fi master Stanislaw Lem, who's probably most famous for Solaris. It follows the tales (and tales within tales) of the inventor Trurl and his misadventures within the application of his craft.

Featuring everything from the invention of a beast that can defy death for a hunting party, to a storytelling machine telling stories of Trurl and the stories he knows. There's a sense of playful inventiveness on display which is wonderfully enjoyable. None of the stories outstay their welcome, at around 20 pages each they're very short indeed. Even the longest of them involves the sleight of hand trick of building stories into further stories, a trick that Lem adores.

There's a sheer joyfulness to the world building on display, a love of language and wordplay that means that every story features intricate puns and the vocal equivalent of sight gags. To say these are great stories undermines them, they show more regard for the subtleties and depth of English than most writers manage. That this is a translated work speaks to the power of the writing; I don't know quite how much of the original text survived here, but there are enough rhymes, half rhymes and flights of surreal connections to impress.

The person who lent this to me described it as a Polish Douglas Adams. That's a perfect comparison, and frankly, when that's the person that springs to mind, you're in a good place.

Also Try:
Sergei Lukyanko, Night Watch
Douglas Adams, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
Terry Pratchett, The Bromelliad Trilogy