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The Invincible
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<h2 id="plot-summary">Plot summary</h2> <p>A heavily armed interstellar spacecraft called <i>Invincible</i> lands on the planet Regis III, which seems uninhabited and bleak, to investigate the loss of her sister ship, <i>Condor</i>. During the investigation, the crew finds evidence of a form of quasi-life, born through evolution of autonomous, <a href="/facts/Self-replicating_machine/c95FbumY">self-replicating machines</a>, apparently left behind by an alien civilization ship which landed on Regis III a very long time ago. </p><p>The protagonists come to speculate that a kind of evolution must have taken place under the <a href="/facts/Selection_pressure/8zrwXR50">selection pressures</a> of "<a href="/facts/List_of_fictional_military_robots/GTIKcV8J">robot wars</a>", with the only surviving form being swarms of minuscule, insect-like <a href="/facts/Micromachine/FIGvxbv9">micromachines</a>. Individually, or in small groups, they are quite harmless and capable of only very simple behavior. When threatened, they can assemble into huge clouds, travel at a high speed, and even climb to the top of the <a href="/facts/Troposphere/JPDQq8cL">troposphere</a>. These swarms display complex behavior arising from <a href="/facts/Self-organization/NSGBKxUa">self-organization</a> and can incapacitate any intelligent threat by a powerful surge of <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_interference/gv3DlKNr">electromagnetic interference</a>. <i>Condor</i>'s crew suffered a complete memory erasure as a consequence of attacks from these "clouds". The swarm, however, is reactive. It lacks intelligence and cannot formulate attack strategies proactively. </p><p><i>Invincible</i>'s crew mounts an escalating series of attacks on the perceived enemy, but eventually recognizes the futility of their efforts. The robotic "fauna", dubbed "necrosphere", has become part of the planet's <a href="/facts/Ecology/YE8upuJU">ecology</a>, and would require a disruption on a planetary scale to be destroyed. </p><p>In the face of defeat and imminent withdrawal of the <i>Invincible</i>, Rohan, the spaceship's first navigator, undertakes a trip into the "enemy area" in search of four crew members who went missing in action – an attempt which he and the <i>Invincible</i>'s commander Horpach see as certainly futile, but necessary for moral reasons. Rohan wanders into canyons covered by metallic "shrubs" and "insects", and finds some of the missing crewmen dead. He gathers some evidence and returns to the ship unharmed, thanks partially to a device that cloaks his brain activity and partially to his calm and nonthreatening behavior. Rohan expresses his intention to petition for preservation of the planet's artificial ecosystem, which fascinates him. </p> <h2 id="commentary">Commentary</h2> <p>The novel turns into an analysis of the relationship between different life domains, and their place in the <a href="/facts/Universe/XbfpnDmM">Universe</a>. In particular, it is an imaginary experiment to demonstrate that evolution may not necessarily lead to dominance by intellectually superior life forms.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>The plot also involves a philosophical dilemma, juxtaposing the values of humanity and the efficiency of mechanical insects. Jarzębski comments that the novel demonstrates that the advantage of humans is not in the ability to annihilate the enemy but in the "ability to stop", to overcome the Darwinian instinct of struggle for an advantage.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Theodore_Sturgeon/dHN32bJe">Theodore Sturgeon</a> praised <i>The Invincible</i> as "SF in the grand tradition", saying "The science is hard. The descriptions are vivid and powerful."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>The idea of an "ultimate weapon system" was finalized by Lem <a href="/facts/Stanis%25C5%2582aw_Lem%2527s_fictitious_criticism_of_nonexisting_books/QvekgvxM">in his 1983/1986 fictitious review</a> "Weapon Systems of the Twenty First Century or The Upside-down Evolution".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The themes of microrobots and smart dust from his faux review were used <i>verbatim</i> in his 1985 novel <a href="/facts/Peace_on_Earth_(novel)/r2fMqT7c"><i>Peace on Earth</i></a>, where <a href="/facts/Ijon_Tichy/cQoTqxp7">Ijon Tichy</a> reads chapters from the (faux) book. </p> <h2 id="adaptations">Adaptations</h2> <ul><li>In the late 1960s, <a href="/facts/Michael_Redstone/cXNAXXML">Michael Redstone</a> acquired the rights to a film adaptation of the novel, but he failed to find producers. In his usual grumpy manner Lem commented that "it would probably have been awful, but I did earn a lot".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li> <li>In 1991, Swedish author <a href="/facts/Kerstin_Ekman/45D5PLCF">Kerstin Ekman</a> created an educational computer game titled <i>Rymdresa</i>, which is mainly based on <i>The Invincible</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li> <li>In 2019, Rafał Mikołajczyk published the <a href="/facts/Comic_book/xGFkPrMT">comic book</a> <i>Niezwyciężony</i> [<i>The Invincible</i>], <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9788395521409. Reviewers note the faithful rendering of Lem's original novel by Mikołajczyk in a different medium.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li> <li>In 2020, Polish video game developer Starward Industries announced <a href="/facts/The_Invincible_(video_game)/6IYgl7br">a video game adaptation</a> of <i>The Invincible</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> According to the developer, the adaptation is designed for PC, <a href="/facts/PlayStation_5/vJ2ahUoK">PlayStation 5</a> and <a href="/facts/Xbox_Series_X%2fS/gkN9VjV2">Xbox Series X/S</a> consoles.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> The game was released on November 6, 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://english.lem.pl/index.php/works/novels/the-invincible">About the novel</a> on the official Stanisław Lem website (in English)</li> <li><a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony">About the novel</a> on the official Stanisław Lem website (different content) (in Polish)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"CAŁY TEN ZŁOM" an afterword by prof. Jerzy Jarzębski <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony," target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony,</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Earlier, a concept similar to nanotechnology, called "micromechanical devices", was described in Lem's 1959 novel Eden. See "Nanotechnology in fiction" for still earlier examples. [2] <a href="/wiki/Nanotechnology" target="_blank">/wiki/Nanotechnology</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"CAŁY TEN ZŁOM" an afterword by prof. Jerzy Jarzębski <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony," target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony,</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"CAŁY TEN ZŁOM" an afterword by prof. Jerzy Jarzębski <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony," target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony,</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"CAŁY TEN ZŁOM" an afterword by prof. Jerzy Jarzębski <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony," target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony,</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Sturgeon, Theodore (November 1973). "Galaxy Bookshelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. Vol. 34, no. 2. p. 84 – via the Internet Archive. <a href="https://archive.org/details/Galaxy_v34n02_1973-11/page/n85/mode/2up" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/Galaxy_v34n02_1973-11/page/n85/mode/2up</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"CAŁY TEN ZŁOM" an afterword by prof. Jerzy Jarzębski <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony," target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/ksiazki/beletrystyka/niezwyciezony/96-poslowie-niezwyciezony,</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Łukasz Maciejewski,"Święty spokój", an interview with Lem <a href="https://solaris.lem.pl/home/czytelnia/wywiady/319-swiety-spokoj?start=2" target="_blank">https://solaris.lem.pl/home/czytelnia/wywiady/319-swiety-spokoj?start=2</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>With a digital focus on humanities, University of Gothenburg <a href="https://www.gu.se/en/news/with-a-digital-focus-on-humanities" target="_blank">https://www.gu.se/en/news/with-a-digital-focus-on-humanities</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Rymdresa (1991) playthrough, Internet Archive <a href="https://archive.org/details/rymdresa-playthrough" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/rymdresa-playthrough</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Rymdresa (1991)", June 19, 2023 <a href="https://theswedishgames.wordpress.com/2023/06/19/rymdresa-1991/" target="_blank">https://theswedishgames.wordpress.com/2023/06/19/rymdresa-1991/</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Piękno i groza. Recenzja komiksu Niezwyciężony", by Agnieszka Czoska, March 30, 2020 <a href="https://nerdheim.pl/post/recenzja-komiksu-niezwyciezony/" target="_blank">https://nerdheim.pl/post/recenzja-komiksu-niezwyciezony/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Niezwyciężony. Rafał Mikołajczyk – recenzja", Paweł Biegajski, February 25, 2020 <a href="http://kulturacja.pl/2020/02/niezwyciezony-recenzja/" target="_blank">http://kulturacja.pl/2020/02/niezwyciezony-recenzja/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Wywiad z Rafałem Mikołajczykiem, autorem Niezwyciężonego" ("An Interview with Rafał Mikołajczyk, the author of the Comic Book Niezwyciężony") by Dagmara Trembicka, September 22, 2019 <a href="https://pl.ign.com/komiks/25771/feature/wywiad-z-rafalem-mikolajczykiem-autorem-komiksu-niezwyciezony" target="_blank">https://pl.ign.com/komiks/25771/feature/wywiad-z-rafalem-mikolajczykiem-autorem-komiksu-niezwyciezony</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"Niezwyciężony (Invincible) - S. Lem, trailer, powieść graficzna.", YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPInHIe-h4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPInHIe-h4</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Maher, Cian (September 15, 2020). "The Invincible Is A Next-Gen Game Inspired By Stanislaw Lem, From Former Witcher Devs". TheGamer.com. The Gamer. Retrieved September 20, 2020. <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/the-invincible-stanislaw-lem-game-witcher/" target="_blank">https://www.thegamer.com/the-invincible-stanislaw-lem-game-witcher/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Maher, Cian (September 15, 2020). "The Invincible Is A Next-Gen Game Inspired By Stanislaw Lem, From Former Witcher Devs". TheGamer.com. The Gamer. Retrieved September 20, 2020. <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/the-invincible-stanislaw-lem-game-witcher/" target="_blank">https://www.thegamer.com/the-invincible-stanislaw-lem-game-witcher/</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"The Invincible Interview – Bringing Stanisław Lem's Sci-Fi Novel to Life with Unreal Engine 5", By Alessio Palumbo, October 2, 2020 <a href="https://wccftech.com/the-invincible-interview-bringing-stanislaw-lems-sci-fi-to-life-with-unreal-engine-5/" target="_blank">https://wccftech.com/the-invincible-interview-bringing-stanislaw-lems-sci-fi-to-life-with-unreal-engine-5/</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Cripe, Michael (June 12, 2022). "The Invincible Gets 5 Minutes of New Retrofuturistic Gameplay". The Escapist. Retrieved June 13, 2022. <a href="https://www.escapistmagazine.com/the-invincible-gets-5-minutes-of-new-retrofuturistic-gameplay/" target="_blank">https://www.escapistmagazine.com/the-invincible-gets-5-minutes-of-new-retrofuturistic-gameplay/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>