At least it has a pretty front cover ...
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A pretty front cover is worth a lot in selling a book. Fortunately I got my copy from the library. Online ordering is cool. However, I found the book to be disjointed, leaping from one character to another, and leaping around chronologically too. The main character, Red Schuhart, spends quite a bit of time in prison, but not that much time! Red is a sort of sci-fi version of the protagonist of 'The Catcher in the Rye': twisted, whinging, and generally unpleasant. Perhaps his environment, experiences and responsibilities have made him 'hostile'. I guess you have to be a teenager to 'get' where he's coming from (as with Catcher). Red is a guy with the kind of head you DON'T want to get inside. That said, it's interesting to see where the world of Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl came from. While this book is supposedly set in Canada, Martin Cruz Smith's 'Wolves eat dogs' is the real deal, with much of the action set in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl.
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Roadside Picnic
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One of the best pieces of sci-fi fiction in the last few decades, "Roadside Picnic" tells the story of a Stalker, one of the few who dare to enter a zone of suspended disbelief that is the remnant of a possible alien visitation. Stalkers venture into the deadly realm for artifacts, which are sometimes useful, sometimes enigmatic, sometimes life-threatening, in order to survive in the oppressive, broken social climate surrounding the zone.
Anybody who's ever played the video-game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl" will recognise the very concise plot; those who've read "Nova Swing" by M. J. Harrison will have also come across one of the many pieces of fiction inspired by this short novel.
The writing is terse and superbly descriptive, shifting from a first-person narritive to third partway through. The change is expertly handled by the Strugatsky brothers, who are masters at the hard under-stated personalities that frequent Soviet fiction - think the protagonist from "Solaris", if you've read it, and you'll know what I mean.
Some have critisised the novel for being "too much sociology and not enough sci-fi", that is to say, not what they were expecting. However if you get exactly what you expected in a novel, you probably just read pulp or a 1960s comic book. "Roadside Picnic" is a beautifully written, inspiring read, with strong, desperate characters and a thrilling premise.
The only downside is that it is perhaps too short: the potential for other aspects of the story to be played out - like the original of the zones, further applications of artifacts, scientific or unanticipated, or the continued stories of some of the characters - are put aside in favour of a delicious form of mystery that will keep you reading right up until the fantastic thought-provoking denoument.
Unmissable.
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Intelligent and human
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Like some other reviewers, my interest in "Roadside Picnic" came from seeing the 1979 Russian film "Stalker" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Whilst "Stalker" and "Roadside Picnic" are similar, they are also worlds apart. The film is very much in the Arthouse tradition, enigmatic, deeply philosophical and beautiful to watch.
The novel that inspired Tarkovsky's film is truly exceptional. It is science fiction in the sense that it deals with certain key SF themes and ideas which "connect" in the mind of the reader, and stimulate a fascination with the story. Like Philip K. Dick however, the narrative is always character-driven, and the focus of the story is upon people, how they cope with and adapt to a changing environment.
There are some wonderfully imaginative ideas in this book, which are hinted at early on, to arouse our curiosity: burning fluff, witches jelly, full empties. Crucially, "Roadside Picnic" is highly believable because the characters are genuinely human - flawed, frightened, courageous, loyal, vulnerable, manipulated, alienated, etc. The story is very much a vehicle for the authors to assert some important social, political and philosophical arguments, without weighing down heavily on the story, which is as much a mystery as a science fiction tale.
As some other reviewers have noted, the flavour of this book is distinctly Russian, which creates an atmosphere of stark, post-industrial austerity and authoritarianism. There is a sparse beauty to "Roadside Picnic" which makes it very effective, without being cold or indifferent. Ultimately, this story has a great premise. The ideas at the core of this book make it essential for anyone who is remotely interested in science fiction or philosophy.
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Highly recommended
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This book is Sciend Fiction at it's best, being both intelligent and literate. One of the best in the SF masterworks series.
There is no nothing hi tech about the plot, the characters are not sophisticated city types (it is set in a backwoods town in Canada), but are rather ordinary (and even thugish) types. The time setting is tomorrow.
This is not 'star wars' or even 'hi tech' style sci fi. The main character spends most of his time is seedy bars, run down offices and crawling through muddy ditches.
If you do have an interest in sci fi as literature, then you must read this.
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A must
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Sci-fi and philosophy in a successful, fascinating 2-in-1. If you can see past the "fi" and into the true meaning of things you will understand why the authors were far from being favourites of the Soviet government . If you are after a bloody hacking of mutants/ invading aliens/giant bugs- better leave it. If you like a book with a meaning - drop all the other things you are doing, read it!
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