This book has a great idea behind it, but it is undeveloped & goes nowhere. A very dissapointing pseudish conclusion. Shame. ( )

what an astonishingly strange, beautiful and powerful little book this is. i've seen "stalker" many times, but hadn't prepared myself for quite how different - and diifferently good - the book would be. whereas the film is almost obsessivey about space and time stillness, the book almost has a discernibe plot, whilst also having the same sort of haunting "absence" that the film does at it's best. like the film i know it won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're willing to venture carefully the rewards are many and varied. very good indeed ( )

A thoughtful examination of what human beings really know about the world that surrounds us. Russian "stalker" enters the Zone to retrieve objects left there by the aliens, selling them on the black market. Subtle and mesmerizing writing. And although Tarkowsky's movie, "The Stalker," based on the book, does not resemble the original that much, together they provide a fascinating look into the problem of reality vs. fiction and how stories are created and told. Both, of course, provide an insight into the Soviet reality in the late '70s. ( )

A shining example of a trend I've noticed in each Strugatsky book I've read so far: a lot of interesting ideas crammed into too little space with a dull conclusion that concludes very little. It's hard not to enjoy what's on offer, so I can't say it's not a good book, but there is too much undelivered promise. The novel is essentially the opposite of the movie it inspired, Stalker, which takes one idea and dwells on it for the whole film. Over 2 hours are spent on one venture into the Zone in the film, with each person looking for only one object. The book doesn't even mention this object until halfway through, and then that expedition into the Zone lasts but 15 pages maybe, longer even than the earlier expedition. The movie proves that there is much more of interest here, and it's disappointing to glance over so many exciting ideas. I'm under the impression the Strugatsky brothers probably were more at home with short stories, so I will look there next time instead of their novels. Overall, it was a good story that could have been much more, a recurring complaint I have for their novels. ( )

In the pantheon of Soviet era science fiction writers, the Strugatsky brothers are widely acknowledged to be at the top, and Roadside Picnic is one of their best works. The concept is simple. Aliens briefly visit the earth and leave again with no interest in meeting or interacting with the human race. Earth was simply a brief stopover in a journey who's purpose and destination is unknowable. The landing site is now an abandoned section of a town in Canada uninhabitable due to the contamination and dangerous debris left behind by the aliens. Space still bears the scars of whatever means of transportation they used to reach Earth. Scattered throughout the area are regions of super strong gravitational fields and regions of fierce electromagnetic discharges. The site is polluted with dangerous (to humans) contaminants and littered with technological marvels that defy understanding but were discarded with no more concern than an empty oil can or a soda bottle.

The site of the Visitation has become an internationally controlled research institute, but the locals enter the site illegally to collect the alien artifacts for a thriving black market. Everyone, every company, every nation wants access to the discarded technology and are willing to pay dearly for what the stalkers (those who risk their lives to enter The Zone and retrieve artifacts) can provide. Redrick Schuhart is such a stalker. A mere boy at the time of the Visitation, he has grown up to become one of the best stalkers working the area. He is skilled and cautious, able to infer the nearby presence of a region of enhanced gravity by its effects on the air currents. Suspicious of everything, his sharp eyes can detect the subtle dangers in a cob web.

In a western science fiction novel, we would be treated to a panoply of technological marvels and adventures explained in detail and carefully defined. The Strugatskys don't work that way. The mystery always remains. Terminology flashes by and the reader is left to work out the meaning for themselves. The technique can be disconcerting and frustrating, but it is effective at maintaining the sense of ever present danger. Everything can be deadly no matter how innocuous it may appear.

Another hallmark of the Strugatskys' work is the bureaucracy of the research institute. Red Schuhart struggles not just with the dangers of The Zone, but with the corrupt and petty bureaucrats and soldiers who administer the area. The novel is a thinly veiled commentary on the corruption of power in the Soviet Union and the struggle of a common man against that bureaucracy. The government and the institute supposedly exists to exploit The Zone for the betterment of all. Instead it creates a gritty, cruel world of criminals within the populace as well as the government where everyone is competing for the lucrative benefits to be had from The Zone. It's Red's desire to wipe away this dystopic society which results in his final act of the novel. His final wish is to create the better world that was promised, but never created, by the government. ( )