The Strugatsky brothers are Soviet writers, co-authors, classics of science and social science fiction. It is recommended to start acquaintance with the authors from their very first works, which are called “The Country of the Crimson Clouds” and “Monday Starts on Saturday” (by the way, you can read about them here). Compared to other stories, “Monday starts on Saturday” is easier to read.
“Picnic on the sidelines” is a classic, it is recommended that everyone read it. It is read quickly and enthusiastically, most likely, you will be satisfied that you spent time on a fantastic story.
It is noteworthy that many who were not fans of science fiction loved it after the Strugatsky books. If you are not already familiar with their work and are taking the first steps into the unknown world, we will help you do it right. The selection contains a rating of the top 10 best books of the Strugatsky brothers - choose from which list you will begin your acquaintance with these successful writers!
10. Waves dampen the wind
Year of writing: 1984
The main characters of the book "The waves quench the wind"- Maxim Kammerer and his student Toivo Glumov, who appeared in episodic roles, while still young, of the previous books of the World of Noon, (the science fiction universe of the Strugatsky, named after the book of the series" Noon, XXII Century "). The novel completes the Strugatsky trilogy about Maxim Kammerer.
The work is so fascinating and addictive that you stop noticing what is happening around. It is truly talented, multifaceted, it has subtle philosophical considerations.
The era of the Inhabited Island has come to an end, the strange story of Beetle in the Anthill has ended. New times provide new puzzles and questions, times when "Waves quench the wind" ...
9. An attempt to escape
Year of writing: 1962
«Attempt to escape"- the first of the works of the Strugatsky brothers, where three times intersect at once: the Past, the Future and the Present.
The topic of ethical intervention of a highly developed civilization arose in order to help in the development of a lower civilization. 2250 year. Noon (communism). (“Noon of the XXII Century”). Two friends are at the spaceport, they are going to fly. But their plans are changing because a certain Saul appears in front of them, voicing a tempting offer - to fly to the unexplored planet “Saul”. Friends fly to the planet and find civilization there ...
8. Snail on the slope
Year of writing: 1965
«Snail on the slope"- the work is very mysterious, full of philosophical thoughts. Nowadays, it has become even more relevant, you just need to shift the emphasis - move them from satire to the Soviet system and send them to talk about the values of various communities. From the first pages, the reader plunges into the grotesque world, total madness.
The Strugatsky probably wanted to speculate on one interesting topic - what happens to those who find themselves in absurd, delusional situations, where there is no way out?
The main characters of the book fall into a crazy world where trees die, bitchy “friends” disappear under the onslaught of the forest. A person loses the ability to think, and understands this in short instants of "enlightenment."
7. The country of crimson clouds
Year of writing: 1959
Composition "The country of crimson clouds"Very strong, but not beloved by the Strugatsky themselves.
The end of the 20th century. The specialist in nuclear-powered machines, Bykov, has the opportunity to go to Venus, becoming a member of the expedition. Previous expeditions were unsuccessful, from the very beginning it is clear that it is difficult - physically and mentally.
In flight, the crew faces various difficulties, but landing on Venus is successful. Together with commander Ermakov, the group begins to explore the planet, and sets landing lighthouses. In the process, tragedies happen: Ermakov dies, Spitsyn disappears somewhere. Bulls with other members of the group returns to the ship, after which they arrive back to Earth.
6. Inhabited island
Year of writing: 1969
«Inhabited island"Boris and Arkady Strugatsky is one of the most remarkable works of Russian literature. Its main theme is the honor and dignity of man. The novel tells about a man who is lost in a cruel and alien world. The authors call a man all his moral and moral qualities, which pass a series of tests.
Earthman Maxim Kammerer finds himself on a planet called Saraksh, where he encounters meanness, cynicism and cruelty. Maxim will have to make a difficult choice between such opposite things as truth and falsehood, honor and dishonor, betrayal and duty.
5. It's hard to be a god
Year of writing: 1963
The action of the work "It's hard to be a god"Happens in the future. Medieval planet. Earth-historians live on it. Anton has been living in the kingdom of Arkanar for 5 years, posing as the noble Don Rumat of Estonia. Despite the fact that he is surrounded by atrocities, Anton wants to find the sparks of the future, according to the familiar vague image of the good-natured communist Earth.
As a historian, he knows that good people, accustomed to honesty, cannot escape suffering. He can save, being a representative of the Earth, some, but not all. And this is eating him.
4. Monday starts on Saturday
Year of writing: 1965
“Monday starts on Saturday“, The action takes place in the 60s of the XX century. Leningrad programmer Alexander Privalov travels by car, at the same time performing a service to two employees of the Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry, bringing them up. They arrange it to spend the night in the museum of the institute - the Hut on chicken legs, which is located on Lukomorye Street.
Strange events take place at this institute, but Privalov takes them for granted. He is not surprised that there is a huge talking cat, strange dreams that do not differ from reality, etc. All this only arouses his curiosity ... With the help of the employees whom he decided to give a ride, the programmer enters the mysterious magical world.
3. The Ugly Swans
Year of writing: 1967
Events in the book "Ugly swans»Occur in an unknown country at an unknown time. In one country, it is raining in a provincial town. He never stops. In this country there live people who correspond to the weather: gloomy, gloomy. And they don’t feel anything, indifferent.
Viktor Banev is a writer who observes the mysterious forces that are gradually changing the atmosphere of a provincial town, and quietly affect its inhabitants. Mutant intellectuals (the second name is biting midges) are under government control. They bring up the children of the town, creating from them geeks. As a result, these children sentenced adults who live in a world of lies and deceit. They decide to leave the city ...
2. City Doomed
Year of writing: 1972
In the anti-utopian novel "City Doomed»Strugatsky actions take place on an unknown planet, where the inhabitants of the Earth of the XX century are gathered. These people voluntarily decided to become participants in an unknown experiment, leaving their home country and their time.
Astronomer Andrei Voronin - the main character, has gone from an honest Komsomol member to an apolitical statesman. The scientist’s instinct does not allow him to degrade, and he goes on a dangerous expedition to explore the long-abandoned places by the inhabitants of the city. There, the astronomer meets his copy, shoots at it, kills himself and ends up in Leningrad at the time in which he lived before.
This is one of the most mysterious books of writers, the genre and purpose of which each reader defines for himself.
1. Roadside picnic
Year of writing: 1971
«Roadside Picnic"Was written spontaneously. Once the Strugatsky walked in the forest thicket and ended up on an abandoned site where garbage was scattered. From this picture, the idea of the zone that the alien creatures left was born. So, from the dump, a product of unprecedented psychological and philosophical depth was obtained, drawing readers' attention to seemingly insignificant details.
“Picnic on the sidelines” can be re-read endlessly, you won’t feel satiety because of this, because every time new meanings are revealed. The reader does not just plunge into another world, but also begins to indulge in thoughts about the world, the society that surrounds him and, of course, about himself.