Starmaker

In most science fiction, stories are told from the point of view of the most relatable characters. Scrappy human freedom fighters, rebels, and malcontents overthrow the unknowable invaders, aliens, or machine overlords to preserve humanity as they know it. Rarely though, a novel comes along that takes this tradition idea and reverses it, instead relating a narrative from the point of view of the alien. This presents a unique story for readers, and a special challenge for writers. How does one write from an alien point of view when one is human? How does an alien mind think? What would motivate an alien protagonist versus a human one? All of these questions must be answered in sufficient detail not only to maintain the suspension of disbelief, …show more content…
It’s narrator is human, but that is merely a minor detail in the intricate and compelling descriptions of alien intellects and alien cultures. The story follows the protagonist on a journey through time and space with various alien companions whose existence, beliefs, and ideas are far beyond the scope and scale of traditional tropes of science fiction. This exceptionally creative work is dense, and it is not for the faint of heart in terms of challenging reading. However, if you are willing to put the time in, this is possibly one of the best novels of its …show more content…
The story centers around an alien organism that spans an entire ocean, and can read human thoughts and emotions, eventually creating its own projections of human beings and events from a person’s life. Chronicling the interactions between a human being researcher and this new neutrino based life form on the planet Solaris, this novel explores alien intelligence in a way that can only be termed as intimate and intensely personal. SOLARIS is as much a personal exploration as it is a portrayal of alien intelligence making contact with the human