After I finished reading all the novels of Polish science-fiction writer Janusz Zajdel, I wanted to stay with the genre a little longer. I found another, lesser-known Polish author who wrote in the 1960s and 1970s. This time it was a disappointment for me.
The introduction and plot promise to be very interesting. The main character, who has just returned from a space mission to Earth, learns that any day now an experiment to heal our planet will begin. All inhabitants will be put to sleep for 80 years to give nature a moment of respite and an opportunity to rebirth, after thousands of years of its exploitation by the human species. A handful of technicians, including our protagonist, will be awakened at 20-year intervals to inspect and supervise the procedure. A very pro-environmental plot idea, especially surprising given that at the time this novel was written (early 1970s) it was not a popular topic in communist Poland.
Unfortunately, this great idea also became the biggest flaw. There are a lot of logical errors and ill-considered decisions that the main character makes. An additional thread here is his mental state, which under the influence of the title silence gradually degrades. Around this plot element a lot of dialogues and plot points are constructed. In my opinion, these elements are a bit ridiculous - people have lived in similar conditions for thousands of years of evolution - without the sounds of crowds, industry and city noise. The idea of falling into gradual insanity of the protagonist due to staying a few weeks in conditions of relative silence seems to me a big stretch.
To sum up - a great idea for a plot, which was unfortunately badly guided plot-wise.