Imaginary Magnitude

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 appropriately 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.