From Publishers Weekly
Lem's latest futuristic satire sends his redoubtable protagonist Ijon Tichy-hero of The Futurological Congress, among other works-to the moon, which has been given over to intelligent, self-evolving war machines in a kind of super-detente. Weapons are banned on Earth, while each nation's robot army runs an arms race on the moon. When the governments of Earth become concerned that the machines are planning an invasion of the mother world, the Lunar Agency dispatches Tichy and several remote-controlled robots to investigate. What Tichy finds on the moon provides Lem with a first-class opportunity to skewer military thinking and arms-race politics (it's to the author's credit that his deft takeoff of the Cold War in no way seems dated). Even stranger, however, is what happens to Tichy himself-a bizarre encounter with an unusual weapon results in a unique twist on the theme of split personalities. Humor and a breathless pace create a delightful and thought-provoking read. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
While engaged in a clandestine operation on the moon's surface, agent Ijon Tichy suffers a mishap that severs the connections between his right and left brains, rendering himself his own worst enemy. Poland's premier sf writer offers a resounding send-up of modern society in his latest novel. Readers familiar with the author's wildly funny yet discerningly articulate speculations will not be disappointed. A good choice for general and sf collections.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
For die-hard Lem fans, any new work featuring his lovably hapless hero, Ijon Tichy, of Star Diaries fame, is a welcome treat. Here, the legendary polymath and veteran of uncountable universe-spanning misadventures stays closer to home, on a mission to uncover secret information about the reigning superpowers' new breed of intelligent, entirely autonomous weapons. While visiting the moon, where all nations' military arsenals are now located, one high-tech weapon slices through Tichy's corpus callosum, severing the left and right hemispheres of his brain. So now Tichy can type only with his right hand, while his left pinches women's behinds and otherwise acts with a mind of its own. Not only that, but Tichy's memories of what happened on the moon are hidden away in the mischievous right side of his brain, and the fate of nations may depend on their secrets. As usual, Tichy's dilemmas become a fascinating forum for Lem's often brilliant speculations, this time on the future of military technology. Another gem from one of sf's towering geniuses. Carl Hays


From Kirkus Reviews
This third appearance for imperturbable astronaut Ijon Tichy (following The Futurological Congress, 1974) extends the horrifying notions on future weapons and warfare that Lem advanced in One Human Minute (1986). The governments of Earth have banished the arms race to the moon, where miniaturized, self-replicating weapons equipped with artificial instincts were provided the means to evolve and compete in utter secrecy--the intended outcome being a self-adjusting stalemate. However, the meddlesome Lunar Agency, among other interested parties, soon evinces an overwhelming desire to discover what's going on, and the experienced Tichy is given the job. After numerous inexplicable experiences, he runs afoul of a tightly focused ray that surgically severs his right brain from his left. Back on Earth, his left brain functions much as usual; his right brain cannot read, likes to pinch women's behinds, and keeps trying to communicate in Morse code. And when Earth's computers abruptly fall silent, Tichy finds that the lunar weapons have used him to mount a successful terrestrial invasion. One of science fiction's true intellectuals, Lem doesn't so much write novels as conduct thought experiments. His complex, witty narratives, while often--as here--lacking visceral clout, attack the outermost limits of logic and reason. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Ijon Tichy is the only human who knows for sure whether the self-programming robots on the moon are plotting a terrestrial invasion. But a highly focused ray severs his corpus collosum. Now his left brain can’t remember the secret and his uncooperative right brain won’t tell. Tichy struggles for control of the lost memory and of his own two warring sides. Translated by Elinor Ford with Michael Kandel. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Polish


About the Author
Stanislaw Lem is the most widely translated and best known science fiction author writing outside of the English language. Winner of the Kafka Prize, he is a contributor to many magazines, including the New Yorker, and he is the author of numerous works, including Solaris.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lem's hilarious send-up of militarism, espionage, scientists, and psychiatrists goes to unprecedented extremes as Ijon Tichy, unflappable as always, fights for truth and justice in a world gone mad. While relieving himself behind a boulder in the Sea of Serenity - there are no urinals on the moon - Ijon Tichy was callotomized by remote ultrasound, probably from one of those superweapons invented by the invisible war robots. His corpus callosum, that is, was severed, the two hemispheres of his brain separated, which is why now, writing this on the typewriter, he can type only with his right hand. The left has to be tied down; it won't listen to reason; it keeps pulling the page out of the typewriter. But what, you ask, was Tichy doing on the moon in the first place, and in the vicinity of self-evolving, autonomous, intelligent weapons? He was sent on a mission by the Lunar Agency to save the world. He saved the world - but saved it too well, alas. For what he did (it wasn't his fault) he might receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and then again he might be shot for treason.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Lem's latest futuristic satire sends his redoubtable protagonist Ijon Tichy-hero of The Futurological Congress, among other works-to the moon, which has been given over to intelligent, self-evolving war machines in a kind of super-detente. Weapons are banned on Earth, while each nation's robot army runs an arms race on the moon. When the governments of Earth become concerned that the machines are planning an invasion of the mother world, the Lunar Agency dispatches Tichy and several remote-controlled robots to investigate. What Tichy finds on the moon provides Lem with a first-class opportunity to skewer military thinking and arms-race politics (it's to the author's credit that his deft takeoff of the Cold War in no way seems dated). Even stranger, however, is what happens to Tichy himself-a bizarre encounter with an unusual weapon results in a unique twist on the theme of split personalities. Humor and a breathless pace create a delightful and thought-provoking read. (Sept.)

Library Journal