![]() ![]() Boris Strugatsky’s afterword describes how uneasy the manuscript made myopic Soviet bureaucrats it has survived triumphantly as a classic because it expresses humanity’s inarticulate rage and wonder at life’s frustrations and promises. Over-lapping narratives show stalker Red Schuhart’s struggle to master the Zone’s inexplicable treasures and terrors. While cautious people keep their distance, furtive explorers called “stalkers” enter the Zones to retrieve objects that are wonderful but unpredictably deadly. The action takes place in and near a Visit Zone, one of six areas suddenly scattered with incomprehensible artifacts and disturbing phenomena one baffled scientist ruefully suggests that aliens visited Earth like careless tourists and dumped their trash here. ![]() The Strugatsky brothers are infinitely curious about man more so than aliens, and use the genre to probe what it means to be human, and how our society both shapes, elevates and destroys us. As this vivid new translation demonstrates, it also remains a powerful study of human behavior in the presence of superhuman power. Roadside Picnic is a stupendous piece of SF, but it is not for everyone. Since its 1972 appearance in Russia, the Strugatsky brothers’ novel has been published worldwide, inspired Andrei Tarkovsky’s memorable film Stalker, and been the basis for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Explore: Forestparkgolfcourse is a website that writes about many topics of interest to you, its a blog that shares knowledge and insights useful to everyone in many fields. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |