His Master's Voice

Brief Overview

«His Master's Voice» is a science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem, which tells the story of an international group of scientists attempting to decipher an extraterrestrial message received via a radio telescope. The message, dubbed «His Master's Voice», is a complex mathematical code that the scientists interpret as instructions for creating an unknown device. As they work on decoding it, they encounter philosophical and ethical questions concerning the nature of intelligence, communication, and humanity's responsibility towards potential extraterrestrial civilizations. The novel explores themes of uncertainty, the limitations of human knowledge, and the complexities of interstellar communication.