title and writer of book needed

[Fiji]

this seems as good a place as any.

I once read a SF book written by a Czech(oslowakian)
I'd really like to know the title and/or the writer

The title was the name of the ship the story centered on "invincible" or "courageous" or some such inspiring name.
The ship is sent to investigate why her sistership has gone silent.
The find the other ship on some planet that used to be home to a large population all of whom are long dead now.
The ship has little damage but the entire crew is dead anyway.
They learn that there are tint machines on the planet that were progammed to kill the "enemy" and to survive.
These machine don't kill people but in stead erase their minds causing the victims to starve since they lack the basic knowledge to open a tin can.
there's a great big battle between these machines and some uber-tank (which the tank looses miserably)
in the end the crew of the title ship descide the best they can do is head home and declare the planet a reserve.

written late 70s I vaguely remember

does this ring a bell?
anyone?

 

[Prunesquallor]

Sounds to mne like THE INVINCIBLE by the Polish writer, Stanislaw Lem, but it's over 20 years since I read it and I've never been a great Lem fan...

 

[valio_98]

Stanislaw Lem, The invinsible

Sounds to mne like THE INVINCIBLE by the Polish writer, Stanislaw Lem, but it's over 20 years since I read it and I've never been a great Lem fan...

I second that.

 

[valio_98]

Stanislaw Lem, The invinsible

Sounds to mne like THE INVINCIBLE by the Polish writer, Stanislaw Lem, but it's over 20 years since I read it and I've never been a great Lem fan...

I second that.

 

[zoomar]

It's definitely Stanislaw Lem, but I'm not sure about the name. Maybe it had a different name in the US. I thought it was very fascinating - but too plodding in its narrative for my tastes.

 

[Fiji]

POLISH?

and here I was thinking it was a Czech

But, yes, the name Lem does ring a bell as does "the invincible"
he makes a bit of a joke about the ship's name in one of the last lines, which is why I remember.

I quite liked the writing style, in most SF, the writer expects you to marvel at the wonderfull things the charaters are doing.
In this book, the characters are just there, doing their day to day job ... which just happens to be rather amazing to us, the readers.