Reviews

Red Schuhart makes his living salvaging extraterrestrial tech from The Zone: a landscape of alien detritus leftover from a brief alien visit a few years prior. The problem is that entering The Zone is risky: many of Red’s fellow salvagers are maimed or dead. Red’s own daughter carries hereditary birth defects caused by her father’s exposure to The Zone’s hazards. The story concerns Red’s life, both in The Zone, and in the small desolate town bordering The Zone.

The authors are two Russian brothers who wrote in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. Roadside Picnic was published in 1972. The story isn’t set in Russia, and the text doesn’t explicitly locate Harmont, Red’s hometown on the edge of The Zone. A foreward, by Ursula Le Guin, speculates that the story is set in North America. This may be partly why Roadside Picnic wasn’t suppressed by the paranoid Soviet leadership of that era, and the Strugatsky brothers enjoyed success in Russia and abroad. I read a 2012 English translation by Olena Bormashenko. Highly recommended.

sabsey's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"I'll make it through, I'll make it through, thought Redrick. Not my first time, it's my life story: I'm deep in shit, and there's lightning above my head, that's how it's always been."

Completely floored. Can see why this is a classic and it absolutely holds up. I'll be sad to let Red go as a main character, and for a tiny novel this packs an overwhelming existential punch.

oddroad's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

captainhugz's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

newcombe74's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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