It's a great concept book that reminds us of totalitarian regimes of the past (communist Poland) as well as predicts regimes of the present (China, Russia). It's very "lean" - there is hardly anything else except this concept - which can be an advantage for some but I wish there was more creative substance here.

Concept-wise it is perfect! Due to the context of its creation and how it needed to go through the censorship, it's kind of a meta-story - a medium and a message, that uses in real-life tricks described in the sci-fi world. It captures the idea and delivers everything necessary to understand it.

...and nothing else. I wish there was more texture or literary craft that would give something more for the imagination to work on. It's written in a very clear but at the same time plain and simple language. It doesn't provide any meaningful characters (including the protagonist), just empty shells to move the plot forward. The plot itself is pretty straightforward, halfway through a reader "gets it" and there is no twist or "a-ha moment" till the very end. And the conclusion of this book seems to be rushed and doesn't have the impact I was counting on.

It's certainly a book that more people should be familiar with, especially in Poland. I think that the story had more potential but I'm glad it was published at all, which seems to be a glitch of the system or miracle of some kind ;) ( )