Roadside Picnic: Boris Strugatsky & Arkady Strugatsky Paperback – 11 Oct. 2012

"Roadside Picnic" by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky is nothing short of a masterpiece. From its inception, this novel grabs you by the imagination and never lets go. The Strugatsky brothers weave a tale that is as intellectually stimulating as it is gripping, blending elements of science fiction with deep philosophical questions.The story, set in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial visit, explores the enigmatic and hazardous Zone left behind, where the laws of reality seem to bend and twist. The protagonist, Redrick "Red" Schuhart, is a "stalker" who navigates this perilous landscape in search of alien artifacts, each holding the potential to alter the fate of humanity. The narrative brilliantly combines the excitement of an adventure story with profound existential musings.What sets this novel apart is its richly layered narrative and the ethical dilemmas faced by its characters. The Strugatskys masterfully explore themes of human greed, the limits of knowledge, and the nature of hope and despair. Their depiction of the Zone is both awe-inspiring and terrifying, making it a symbol of the unknown and the unpredictable consequences of our actions.The writing is crisp and thought-provoking, pulling readers into a world where every discovery feels like a double-edged sword. The character development is also exceptional, with Red's journey being both a physical and emotional odyssey."Roadside Picnic" is not just a sci-fi novel; it’s a philosophical exploration wrapped in a thrilling adventure. It’s a book that leaves you pondering its implications long after you’ve turned the last page. If you appreciate science fiction that challenges your perceptions and makes you reflect on the bigger picture, this is a must-read. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a story that lingers in the mind and sparks deep contemplation.

This is a really superb piece of story telling, developing the idea of what would happen in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial visitation of the earth very well, it is a pretty tightly packed and short novel and this is both a strength and a weakness.It is a strength because there are a lot of ideas and very imaginative concepts here, none of which are over laboured or drawn out to the point at which the reader does not have to think much themselves, I love the minimal descriptions of burning fluff or mosquito mange. This is all done while remaining focused upon the character driven storyline of those who enter the zone and their home town.It is a weakness because there is quite a lot which remains undeveloped, unresolved or unconcluded and this gives the book an overall feeling of being unfinished or only just beginning. I was very disappointed with the finish in this respect, very disappointed, which is a shame in many ways because it has a great pace and build up until that point and really did not think that this book would be quite such a let down.Lots of aspects of this book really enthralled me while reading it, the speculation of the characters upon the nature of the alien artifacts within the zone, the nature of the visitation by extraterrestrials itself is pretty good and I wondered why I hadnt read anything of that kind before. It is simple but brilliant in its simplicity for the most part and provides the book with its title too. On the other hand I got the feeling that it was almost window dressing to the character driven plot, in the same way that description of the perils of the zone, inexplicable artifacts and consequences of encounters with the perils of the zone were all very engaging but almost incidentially deployed without being dwelt upon. All of which is fine and I've seen similar writing before in books such as Our Friends From Frolix 8 (GOLLANCZ S.F.) or The Cosmic Puppets but while the imaginative detail in this book is probably better than either of those PKD books I've got to say that I think PKD did a much better job of character development, character driven narratives and a rounded off conclusion for the characters too. In many respects I was reminded of Rogue Moon (S.F. MASTERWORKS) which I read more lately because there is a lot of descriptive detail of perilous adventure in it also and it had a similar disatisfying finish, although roadside picnic is definitely the much, much better of the two books. There is a possibility that it has inspired imitators, I remember reading a post-apocalyptic novel in which there is a technologically rich abandoned urban area which is picked over by slaves who are then executed for fear of spreading contamination, although the name of that novel escapes me.Despite its flaws I would really, really recommend this book, its a total page turner and will prove very pleasing, I suspect, for any firm fan of the sci fi genre or the general reader. The pace is good throughout, its never clunky and does not have any lulls or dull portions to skip (perhaps because it is such a short book). Recommended.

This book has been on my to read list for ages and considering the good things I'd heard about it I'm surprised it took me this long to finally read it. Well I have and I'm glad I did as it's a superb sci-fi read.The core concept is one I enjoy, it deals with a first contact situation but in an unusual way. In this instance the aliens don't seem to notice or care about our presence as they pass through. The analogy of the roadside picnic is a fun one. It also touches on an excession event (Ian M Banks covers a similar topic in his fabulous 'Excession') where the technology we discover from the alien's passing is way beyond our understanding. And this generates an interesting dynamic to how the world tries to deal with it in different ways.The focus on the story is about a stalker - someone who enters the zones looking for alien technology to recover and sell. For the most part the story comes from Red, one of the stalkers and is told in an almost stream of consciousness fashion which brings you close to his thoughts. He's a well rounded character, but not particuarly likeable and represents the underbelly of mankind's attempts to take advantage of the visitation.The writing is crisp and the pace quick making this a surprisingly easy read considering the subject matter. I would have liked to have discovered a bit more about the visitation itself. The drunken conversation with a scientist lays some tantalising clues and ideas. However the lack of detail maintains the mystery and also the danger in the process. Overall this is an excellent read and deserving of its classic status.