Solaris

I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices. Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read

For me, some of the best books I read this year, are: - Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one. - Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0]. - The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book. - Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding. - Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas. - The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.…

Solaris is a classic, and anything else by Stanislaw Lem is probably good. Not Russian, but he wrote in Polish in the USSR.

Solaris got me into sci-fi and it is still one of my favorite.

I'd not heard of The Invincible, but Solaris had a transformative effect on me and you've convinced me to read the first two items on your list. Didn't Roadside Picnic become Tarkovsky's Stalker?

"Blindsight" by Peter Watts "Solaris" and "Summa Technologiae" by Stanislav Lem "Dune" by Frank Herbert "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson

I love Solaris. I think it's deep and thought-provoking, and more than a bit unsettling. I wouldn't say it's lighthearted and fun, though.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem Permutation City by Greg Egan Ubik by Philip K. Dick

An amazing short story. A lot of the themes can be found in other of Lems books. If you haven't picked up Solaris yet you really should. It is a great book, and probably the best sci-fi book I've read. Of course there's also his silly short stories 'The Cyberiad' where the stupidest thinking robot appears.

Solaris by Stanisław Lem. Well, maybe the loneliest might be a more accurate description.

Since the OP asked about books not authors my favourite book is "Foundation and Earth" (Isaac Asimov), "Childhood's End" (A.C. Clarke) and Solaris (Stainslaw Lem).

It's a tie between two strange books. Alfred Bester's _The Stars My Destination_: It's deeply flawed, wackily 1950s, has ridiculous tech, and is one of the most entertaining books I have read. Stanislaw Lem's _Solaris_: Strange, dry, bordering on boring, breaks every single law about overusing exposition I can think of...and somehow turns that into a riveting meditation on the nature of guilt and consciousness.

Stanislaw lem.. i agree... Solaris was special.. and most purists seemed to suggest the translation from Polish was bad!... Olaf stapledon's last and first men, starMaker were both stunning... Ursula le guin also come to mind

depends on the subgenre :) Superhuman: Slan by A.E. Van Vogt More Than Human by Theodore STurgeon Odd John by Olaf Stapledon Post Apocalyptic: The Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham Earth Abides by George R. Stewart A Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember Space Opera/Adventure: any of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks The Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember Hyperion series by Dan Simmons To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer Dystopian: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World But the Absolute Best would be anything by: Stanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris) Alfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man) or Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova) oh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great. Some of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :) almost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.