Roadside Picnic (Rediscovered Classics)

The book is too short; I understand the issues of the Soviet system and it is just a cracking good story, but I felt another 200 pages would have fleshed out the societal views a little more.and made a little more of the interesting minor characters.

I have started a campaign of reading early SF and fantasy classics. This is an outstanding example of the former. It is well translated. The story does not rely on mere gimmicks of the future, all exactingly portrayed, but is firmly grounded in a strong plot and believable, well developed characters. A great purchase.

The Big Idea of this classic science fiction story isn't revealed until almost the end. You get unexplicated hints all along the way, of course. They keep you reading, trying to figure out the puzzle. But the solution came rather late for me. There's too much preceding material, however artful. Shows how much our attention spans have shortened since the book was published in 1971. It's a cynical Idea, but it lingers as wry humor, the notion that visiting aliens were so uninterested in us that they simply picnicked and left. Cuts us down to size. I'm told it also has an anti-Soviet subtext, but I missed it, and I doubt it's essential to understand it. What sticks with me yet is the tragedy of the Stalker's daughter. It also cuts, and deeper, too.

This is a difficult book to rate. Well written. Some good ideas. Very original. Well drawn characters.

But somehow it fell a little flat for me. Given all the accolades, I kept looking for greater meaning, but did not find any. The randomness and lack of purpose of all the objects that are found in the Zone renders the book a bit shallow. There is some interesting stuff late in the book about intellectual freedom, but I could not discern an actual point of view.

I actually found the afterward, written by one of the authors about the challenges they faced in getting the book published in the Soviet Union, more interesting than the book itself. Its hard to imagine a time and place where so many bureaucrats had a say, and so many changes had to be made to appease various state committees. A good history lesson.

A wonderful science fiction novel that deals with alien artifacts, where one never encounters the actual aliens. It is also interesting to note that the protagonists are not scientists or military members but scavengers.

This isn't standard science fiction. There are no scantily clad aliens, and nothing blows up. It also takes place entirely on earth. It's very Russian, very creepy, very atmospheric in a way that's all the more impressive because it's a translation of a decades-old novel originally written in Russia.

Set in one of the Baltic Republics, perhaps, it follows the story of a young man who grew up traversing the spaces left when aliens stopped, as if for a roadside picnic, leaving some very odd, and sometimes very dangerous trash behind. He spends a lot of time questioning his life, and asking if he is a good person. It's like reading Chekov, at points, too, because not much happens, and it's definitely fatalistic.

I loved it because I'm the sort of person who occasionally reads Dostoevski for fun; it can be read in about five hours. If you like Russian fiction, it's well worth the trip.

This is great science fiction. It has inspired many other works in both books and video games. The best praise I can offer is that I am reading it a second time a few months after reading it for the first time.

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Extremely inventive and engaging, especially poignant given the circumstances under which it was written. Also, in the mode of the best sci-fi/speculative fiction, the story is focused on real people and the gamut of personal and societal reactions to forces beyond their reckoning. A must for any modern literature enthusiast, sci-fi or otherwise.

I have had the Strugatsky brothers on my reading list for some time, and finally purchased this book (having had difficulty finding them at nearby libraries). The intro by LeGuin was also a big draw, as she's one of my favorite authors. I had no idea this story inspired so many other media! An essential SciFi book.

Roadside Picnic was a very interesting novel of science fiction. I can see the resemblance from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and the writing was relatively easy and enjoyable. Short and sweet, leaves much to the imagination - but in a good way, as it lays the groundwork for you. Good read.

Entertaining read and suspenseful. Lots of open ends and if you are looking for answers to what happened with the aliens or what any of the stuff left behind is or why it was left or why it is so deadly you will not get them. This is a personal story about Red and how he deals with his life. Living under Russian ideology analogy is apparent.

Great, enthralling and extremely interesting especially with it's relationship with the Stalker series games. I found myself thinking about the paths and dangers I would have to avoid, the gaseous swamps and so on... its really dark and enveloping.

If you hate books that end with unanswered questions, especially ones that have no chance of ever being answered in a sequel, steer far clear of this one. Otherwise a great, short read with very few dry spots.

Although not a huge science fiction fan, I was intrigued by the description of this book and the timing of its original publication. It is a different take on alien visitation, which was interesting. As far as the writing goes, at least one reviewer complained about the translation. I always felt that I was reading something written by a Russian, but did not find that to be a drawback. Definitely not my favorite book, but I did enjoy reading it.

Although not a huge science fiction fan, I was intrigued by the description of this book and the timing of its original publication. It is a different take on alien visitation, which was interesting. As far as the writing goes, at least one reviewer complained about the translation. I always felt that I was reading something written by a Russian, but did not find that to be a drawback. Definitely not my favorite book, but I did enjoy reading it.

Feels like watching a mediocre made-for-TV Soviet era film where you see nothing else but people smoking, drinking and complaining about stuff. Most of the time they talk about inconsequential matters hardly ever relating to the big and potentially profound ideas of the main theme.

It's a true mark of a genius that Tarkovsky saw through the rubbish to create his masterpiece.

This is definitely an interesting look at contact with aliens - unique, even. Even though this is a new translation, I still find the language somewhat unnatural. It's distracting and that's why I gave it 4. Wish I read Russian.

Roadside Picnic is a great story about how one man deals with a recent alien visitation to Earth. There are two versions of this story floating around, one was cut up by the Soviet censor, and the other is the work as it was meant to be read; the former is not a bad read, but the latter is far better.

Science fiction doesn't get much better. Fun and brutal in equal measure. Roadside Picnic is so easy to read and such a solid adventure that it almost seems to trick you into reexamining the world. Hell of a book.

If you've managed to get here without knowing the entire premise of Roadside Picnic: stop reading reviews, buy this or some other edition, reserve a couple hours (it's a quick read), and when you start reading *skip any "forward" the book has*. The novel is great, but I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't already know what to expect.