- Paperback
- Publisher: Pocket (1 Sep 1982)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671458426
- ISBN-13: 978-0671458423
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.4 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The scenario is that extraterrestrials have visited our planet, and departed without apparently noticing us. The place they visited (in Canada) has become the "Zone". What they leave behind is to us inexplicable, and makes the Zone a place of danger and possibility. The narrator makes his living as a "stalker" - an illegal guide through this weird landscape.
The tone of the novel is quite bleak (though not without humour) - never mind trying to understand the alien, we can't even sort out our own human mess. And yet the moving ending sees the cynical hero putting his trust in the miraculous to put things right.
An extraordinary novel.
The tone of the novel is quite bleak (though not without humour) - never mind trying to understand the alien, we can't even sort out our own human mess. And yet the moving ending sees the cynical hero putting his trust in the miraculous to put things right.
An extraordinary novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a really good book, probably one of the best that I've read. It's a bit sad that so much misfortune happens to the protagonist, but in the end he's got only himself to blame for it. I think the women are characterized a bit old-fashioned, they are basically living in a patriarchal society. Other than that, the story is really really good, the characters are made of flesh and blood, and the Zone is really weird and sometimes terrifying...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Peace and Happiness for Everyone
I absolutely loved this book!
The writing style is new to me, but I found it refreshing. The writer did not go off on three-page explainations about certain things... Read more
The writing style is new to me, but I found it refreshing. The writer did not go off on three-page explainations about certain things... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Mr. A. McMullan
Good, but not very exciting
This is one of those books where the blurb on the back (like the Product Description here) tells the reader what's going to happen about 75% of the way through the book. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Dr. Andrew Phillips
certainly not empty - its full but of what ?
A quick and exciting read - but I had a growing sense it was a metophor, a fable : but what was the hidden meaning, what is it really about ? Read more
Published 3 months ago by knocked out in 1973 just woke up
Finding a full empty.
I love the movie Stalker and decided to buy this book to discover the `written word' influence behind the movie. And wow! It opened up so many other aspects of the movie for me. Read more
Published 8 months ago by R. Bentley
Flawed Genius
As someone who is keen on hard SF I found this a satisfying read. There is a rich variety of future technology, rendered even more spooky by the suggestion that it was just... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Bob Firth
A surprising, tantalizing sci-fi
Roadside Picnic is not your conventional science fiction. I could go into the politics behind it, the indicators of its Russian authors and their perspective - but there's plenty... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Charlotte Nash
Original SF novel
Like I suspect a lot of people, I bought this to read the inspiration for Tarkovsky's film. There are of course huge differences between the two, but the core metaphysical message... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Robert A. Kensit
related to the STALKER game, but not that closely
I have a vague feeling I might have read this from a library, long ago, but I can't be sure.
It's okay for science fiction, but nothing really exceptional, and it is... Read more
It's okay for science fiction, but nothing really exceptional, and it is... Read more
Published on 15 May 2010 by R. Court
Interesting and relevant.
Just finished this. I haven't seen 'stalker' but I saw it referenced in a book and it piqued my interest. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by W. Gold
Outstanding SF
This work was very readable, captivating and unique. A great book for any age and any background, Science Fiction or not.
Published on 16 Jan 2010 by David R. Ryle
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