The novel “His Master’s Voice” (“Glos Pana”) by Stanislaw Lem was published for the first time in 1968. It was translated into English by Michael Kandel.
Peter Hogarth is a mathematician who joins a secret project under the aegis of the US government aimed at deciphering what is believed to be an alien message. Isolated along with many scientists from various disciplines, he must search for meaning in the neutrino wave detected on Earth.
Finding a key to the message is a priority that the scientists of the project, codenamed “His Master’s Voice,” pursue through various paths. The difficulties in understanding an alien language are compounded by the expectations of the Pentagon and politicians aware of the project, as well as the limitations of the scientists themselves.
“His Master’s Voice” can be considered a distillation of Stanislaw Lem’s philosophical ideas. The author wrote several novels in which the theme of the impossibility of communication between humans and an alien species is central. In this case, the aliens never appear and are referred to only as the Senders, referring to their message. That’s because of these mysterious aliens, there’s only a neutrino wave detected on Earth, which is interpreted as a message.
The story, told as a first-person account by mathematician Peter Hogarth, is decidedly more about humanity than the aliens and often highlights human flaws and limitations. Humans not only seem incapable of understanding an alien species, but also struggle to understand themselves and communicate with each other.
The first-person narrative helps to push certain characteristics typical of Stanislaw Lem to the extreme, starting with his philosophical and introspective approach. The plot, centered on the attempts to decode an alien message, really seems like an excuse to talk about something completely different. “His Master’s Voice” wasn’t the first science fiction story centered on a message from space, but Lem’s approach is likely unique.
Through Peter Hogarth’s narration, we actually see some discussion about the message’s characteristics and the possible keys to decoding the content of that neutrino wave. In this type of story, this is typically the central theme, but in this novel, Stanislaw Lem focuses on the actions, expectations, and reactions of the people involved in the project.
The novel also includes some negative comments about the science fiction genre, at least in the version you could read in pulp magazines, so it’s possible that the author wanted to develop this type of story in a completely different way. This also means starting the story when the project to decode the alien message has already begun.
When Peter Hogarth joins the project, he discovers that a result has already been achieved with the synthesis of a chemical substance with strange properties from a formula that is contained in the alien message. Two different groups of scientists arrived at that result independently, and for this reason, the substance was nicknamed “Frog Eggs” and “Lord of the Flies.”
The author uses a subtle irony regarding the attitude of at least some of the people involved in the project, and discussions regarding the substance created are used to highlight certain negative aspects of humanity. The military hopes to have discovered a new weapon, and many scientists are influenced by those expectations. When Peter Hogarth and a colleague reach unwelcome conclusions, they face petty criticism that has nothing to do with science.
Other parts of the novel show other negative aspects of scientists, the military, and politicians, too. During the early stages of his career, Stanislaw Lem faced censorship and ideological pressure from publishers and bureaucrats of the Polish communist regime. They may be among his sources of inspiration for the negative elements of humanity exposed in this novel.
“His Master’s Voice” is a difficult novel to read due to the complexities and subtleties of the many philosophical and introspective elements developed by Stanislaw Lem. Especially in the opening section, the impression that absolutely nothing is happening can discourage many readers. It’s a novel you should read, and perhaps reread, taking the proper amount of time, and on which you can reflect at length. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
