The Arrival
- Kris Kelvin, our hero, gets in a cramped rocket and heads toward the station. Exciting science fantasy awaits… not.
- He's tight in a little rocket and can't really see anything. Welcome to claustrophobia city. (Maybe Lem should have called the novel "Claustrophobia City"?)
- Kelvin tries to call the Solaris station, and gets an automatic response in return. He's surprised; why isn't anyone greeting him? Aren't they excited to get a visitor? Don't they love him?
- And on the landing bay, nobody's there to greet him. A lot of the description in this part seems kind of boring—not much is happening—which is intentional: If you are not bored, you're not doing it right.
- The station is untidy. What have they all been doing, anyway?
- Finally Kelvin gets to a cabin with a guy inside. It's the cyberneticist Snow. He is completely freaked out by seeing Kelvin, though, which is strange, since we've already more or less figured out that Kelvin is not a guy to inspire strong emotion of any sort.
- Kelvin says he's there to see Gibarian, Snow gets all stuttery, but also seems somewhat relieved that Kelvin's there for Gibarian.
- Finally Kelvin tells Snow he's come from Earth, and Snow remembers he was supposed to be expecting him and apologizes for being a weirdo.
- There's more cranky back and forth as Kelvin asks after Gibarian.
- Then Snow tells him Gibarian died that morning. Doesn't Kelvin feel like a jerk now for asking all those questions?
- But Kelvin more or less keeps pressing on—he's a cold fish, that Kelvin.
- Snow mentions the other scientist, Sartorius.
- He warns Kelvin that Kelvin's going to see something or someone, and that someone or something will be real and Kelvin shouldn't attack it.
- Kelvin gets flustered and speaks disparagingly of ghosts and hallucinations, but Snow won't say any more.
- When Kelvin leaves, he notices that Snow has blood on his hands. Cue creepy music, end chapter.