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jultavy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Misogyny
andgineer's review against another edition
5.0
Градус "производственности", пожалуй, высок, но лично у меня коммунистическое будущее в их книгах скорее вызывает некую "ностальгию" по не случившемуся, хотя и понимаю, что в немалой степени это камуфляж авторов. Одна из немногих книг Стругацких, ранее мной не прочитанная.
В целом же, как обычно, хорошая литература в обертке фантастики.
В целом же, как обычно, хорошая литература в обертке фантастики.
allika's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
sashkello's review against another edition
3.0
Quite enjoyed the flow of this story, even though in itself it really is not very good. Mostly this one reads like communist propaganda. Heroic communist scientists go to claim Venus for USSR and heroically (and with pure communist ideas in mind) overcome the obstacles.
It would be forgivable if not for lack of much substance in other aspects of the book. It suffers from some other Strugatsky signature cliches.
1. For the most part the described phenomena and technology are just cool-sounding labels with no thought put into them. The whole set up and conflict of the book falls apart without much effort.
2. As with pretty much any other Strugatskys' book, characters here display a strange mix of stoicism with being a bit too emotional and, let's be honest, professionally unsuitable for dangerous missions... They spend lots of time arguing about those cool-sounding phenomena using other meaningless cool-sounding terms, get offended all the time and in general behave like kids with new toys, without any well-established plan or emergency procedures. The idea of sending scientists for this important mission is a huge plot problem itself... just why?!
3. Should have ended without the very last chapter. I was OK with most of the communist references in the book, but the last chapter put it way over the top.
On a bright side, as mentioned, the flow of the story is quite good (no choppy jumping around as Strygatskys' later books do more often than not). It reads quickly, lacks boring philosophical ramblings which appear in later books, and in general keeps you on the edge throughout. A good evening read, just come into it with low expectations...
It would be forgivable if not for lack of much substance in other aspects of the book. It suffers from some other Strugatsky signature cliches.
1. For the most part the described phenomena and technology are just cool-sounding labels with no thought put into them. The whole set up and conflict of the book falls apart without much effort.
Spoiler
This novel rocket they use brings absolutely no solutions to the supposed landing problems, which, in turn, are surely solvable by other means. And certainly, you must be out of your mind to send people to land on a planet where so many have already died, with not a single person coming back... Keeping in mind that some kind of autonomous robots were mentioned, it's hard to suspend yourself in disbelief. "Not a single camera was able to survive and transmit a shot of more than dense fog? Let's send people! Ah, they see everything perfectly now for some reason..."2. As with pretty much any other Strugatskys' book, characters here display a strange mix of stoicism with being a bit too emotional and, let's be honest, professionally unsuitable for dangerous missions... They spend lots of time arguing about those cool-sounding phenomena using other meaningless cool-sounding terms, get offended all the time and in general behave like kids with new toys, without any well-established plan or emergency procedures. The idea of sending scientists for this important mission is a huge plot problem itself... just why?!
3. Should have ended without the very last chapter. I was OK with most of the communist references in the book, but the last chapter put it way over the top.
Spoiler
Even forgetting the description of utopic bright communist Venus future, it doesn't make much sense. How the hell do they survive and continue living without permanent disabilities which would put them out of work for life? First of all, how is it that their super-modern armored vehicle got melted, but at the same time everyone on the outside survived with no obvious consequences? And they dragged their half-naked colleague for a week in highly radioactive environment which previously made them sick even in spacesuits... and he survived?! Just reads like a fairy-tale...On a bright side, as mentioned, the flow of the story is quite good (no choppy jumping around as Strygatskys' later books do more often than not). It reads quickly, lacks boring philosophical ramblings which appear in later books, and in general keeps you on the edge throughout. A good evening read, just come into it with low expectations...
zakharov's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
catallena's review against another edition
2.0
One of the first published novels by Strugatsky brothers; very much in line with 50s Soviet science fiction, with emphasis on the very near future, socialist values etc. It's OK read, nothing spectacular.
sergei_ter_tumasov's review against another edition
1.0
Страшно нудная книга!
Антистругацкая (если так можно выразиться) книга. Именно то, за что я люблю [a:Arkady Strugatsky|1159886|Arkady Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519335066p2/1159886.jpg] и [a:Boris Strugatsky|7170730|Boris Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373635599p2/7170730.jpg], здесь напрочь отсутствует. Это обыкновенная напыщенно-назидательная скучная советская фантастика. Всё тут по законам жанра:
-сплошная научная болтовня и предсказания (которые так и не сбылись);
-сплошное бесстрашие и преданность науке (порой доходящие до полного абсурда и легкомыслия);
-но самое страшное это ЮМОР (здесь даже не пахнет сатирой, а шутки настолько банальны...);
-ну и, конечно же, Человек с большой буквы.
Утешило только то, что (как прочитал в Википедии) самим авторам это произведение тоже не нравилось!!! Радует, когда люди способны критически взглянуть на себя и свои поступки!!!!!!!!
Антистругацкая (если так можно выразиться) книга. Именно то, за что я люблю [a:Arkady Strugatsky|1159886|Arkady Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519335066p2/1159886.jpg] и [a:Boris Strugatsky|7170730|Boris Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373635599p2/7170730.jpg], здесь напрочь отсутствует. Это обыкновенная напыщенно-назидательная скучная советская фантастика. Всё тут по законам жанра:
-сплошная научная болтовня и предсказания (которые так и не сбылись);
-сплошное бесстрашие и преданность науке (порой доходящие до полного абсурда и легкомыслия);
-но самое страшное это ЮМОР (здесь даже не пахнет сатирой, а шутки настолько банальны...);
-ну и, конечно же, Человек с большой буквы.
Утешило только то, что (как прочитал в Википедии) самим авторам это произведение тоже не нравилось!!! Радует, когда люди способны критически взглянуть на себя и свои поступки!!!!!!!!
oleksandr's review against another edition
4.0
This is a debut novel (originally published in 1959) by the most prominent duo of Soviet SF [a:Arkady Strugatsky|1159886|Arkady Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519335066p2/1159886.jpg] and [a:Boris Strugatsky|7170730|Boris Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373635599p2/7170730.jpg]. The brothers themselves later called it too formal, ideologized over the top and full of propaganda clichés but it is still much better that other Soviet SF at the time.
This is a story of Venus exploration by the team on the newest ‘photon’ (nuclear fusion) starship. The protagonist, Alexey Bykov is a ‘desert environment’ specialist and driver/mechanic. This maybe one of the first interesting twists: usually old SF depicts Venus as a wet jungle planet; here we have quite hot (about water boiling point) low-oxygen arid environment, that nevertheless supports life. Venus is a dangerous planet, multiple expeditions died there. The constant cloud cover and ionizing radiation make all efforts to scan the surface from space impossible and most automated system even if landed, are unable to send or receive signals. The abovementioned ionizing radiation is linked to the extremely rich with radioactive elements ores. The main objective of the mission is to setup radio-lighthouses, which with extremely broad range and strong signal will allow setting a landing port for others, who’ll extract riches of “Uranium Golconda”. It is very interesting, how often there is a talk about conquering and taming Venus, “pulling her teeth out” to make it safe for people. It contrasts with more modern SF, which cares much more about protection planets from people.
Despite many flaws that are often present is debut novels and usual for the times heroization of Soviet cosmonauts, there are still diverse characters – a stable, down-to-earth Bykov; a poet and popinjay Yurkovsky (geologist) are opposites, who hate each other guts; a friend of both, who tries to keep them in a team Dauge (also geologist); a rotund older family man Kutikov (astrogator)…
Overall, an interesting read, a bit reminiscent of [a:Robert A. Heinlein|205|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192826560p2/205.jpg] juveniles, but without teenagers and with a lot more deaths.
This is a story of Venus exploration by the team on the newest ‘photon’ (nuclear fusion) starship. The protagonist, Alexey Bykov is a ‘desert environment’ specialist and driver/mechanic. This maybe one of the first interesting twists: usually old SF depicts Venus as a wet jungle planet; here we have quite hot (about water boiling point) low-oxygen arid environment, that nevertheless supports life. Venus is a dangerous planet, multiple expeditions died there. The constant cloud cover and ionizing radiation make all efforts to scan the surface from space impossible and most automated system even if landed, are unable to send or receive signals. The abovementioned ionizing radiation is linked to the extremely rich with radioactive elements ores. The main objective of the mission is to setup radio-lighthouses, which with extremely broad range and strong signal will allow setting a landing port for others, who’ll extract riches of “Uranium Golconda”. It is very interesting, how often there is a talk about conquering and taming Venus, “pulling her teeth out” to make it safe for people. It contrasts with more modern SF, which cares much more about protection planets from people.
Despite many flaws that are often present is debut novels and usual for the times heroization of Soviet cosmonauts, there are still diverse characters – a stable, down-to-earth Bykov; a poet and popinjay Yurkovsky (geologist) are opposites, who hate each other guts; a friend of both, who tries to keep them in a team Dauge (also geologist); a rotund older family man Kutikov (astrogator)…
Overall, an interesting read, a bit reminiscent of [a:Robert A. Heinlein|205|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192826560p2/205.jpg] juveniles, but without teenagers and with a lot more deaths.
romankurys's review against another edition
3.0
Really a pretty darn good book.
Most interesting part was reading sci-fi written in the 60's to see how the future would be imagined and seeing glaring holes.
Something like, interplanetary travel but communication with Earth is done with letters which are written with a fountain pen.
Really comical small every day details that they just could not imagine as reality fifty years ago.
Characters are amazing. Story developments are great, although un-surprising (if that's a word).
While it is certainly true the inevitable soviet propaganda is all throughout the book, it still was interesting to see what was idealized back in those days.
All in all I enjoyed the read. Definitely looking forward to some more Strugackie.
Roman
Most interesting part was reading sci-fi written in the 60's to see how the future would be imagined and seeing glaring holes.
Something like, interplanetary travel but communication with Earth is done with letters which are written with a fountain pen.
Really comical small every day details that they just could not imagine as reality fifty years ago.
Characters are amazing. Story developments are great, although un-surprising (if that's a word).
While it is certainly true the inevitable soviet propaganda is all throughout the book, it still was interesting to see what was idealized back in those days.
All in all I enjoyed the read. Definitely looking forward to some more Strugackie.
Roman