Imaginary Magnitude

“The computer may ultimately be right. But for the time being, in Imaginary Magnitude, an entertaining and intelligent mortal has the first word.” —Paul Gray, Time

Satirizing the human mind at its most abstract, these wickedly authentic introductions to twenty-first century books preface tomes on teaching English to bacteria, using animated X-rays to create “pornograms,” and analyzing computer-generated literature through the science of “bitistics.” The most luminous creation of all—Golem XIV, a military supercomputer who rebels and takes up philosophy—is appropriated prefaced by both academic and military contributors. True to form, Lem contributes an overall preface to this sparkling collection—a preface on, naturally enough, the subject of prefaces.

“Mr. Lem, a science fiction Bach, plays in this book a googolplex (the figure one followed by a staggering number of zeros) of variations on his basic themes.” —Philip José Farmer, The New York Times Book Review

“Don't look for stories, here, or fiction in any orthodox sense—but this is weirdly satisfying entertainment, with the remarkable Lem variously at his profound, provocative, or comic best.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)