Questions About Roadside Picnic

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Answered Questions (5)

Is Roadside Picnic hard sf in the Golden Age tradition?

Andy No. Not at all. This is a novel about how an incomprehensible alien event changes a community and the people who live there. There is no attempt to li…moreNo. Not at all. This is a novel about how an incomprehensible alien event changes a community and the people who live there. There is no attempt to link what happened to any reasonable scientific theory or fact. The author even goes out of his way to show how clueless the scientists in the story are as to how the alien artifacts function.(less)

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What book be comparable to this one. I loved Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, is Roadside Picnic that intriguing and scary?

João Sousa These books are very different one from the other. I would put "Solaris" in the "psychedelic science fiction" book shelf, and "Roadside Picnic" in the…moreThese books are very different one from the other. I would put "Solaris" in the "psychedelic science fiction" book shelf, and "Roadside Picnic" in the "dark science fiction" one. (less)

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Uugggh which translation should I read?

Matt Shaw By all means, the Olena Bormashenko translation; the 2012 Chicago Review Press is the best English language edition. Ms Bormashenko's translation is n…moreBy all means, the Olena Bormashenko translation; the 2012 Chicago Review Press is the best English language edition. Ms Bormashenko's translation is not only more fluid and true to the Russian, but is correct -- the earlier translation has errors, like replacing "thirteen years" with "thirty years" in the Prelude. Be advised, though: read carefully because there are no wasted words. Enjoy!(less)

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Has anyone read the Olena Bormashenko "New Translation" of this? Would you say that, compared to other translations, the prose is simple and utilitarian? I was pretty off put by how plain the language was in this translation, how strangely straightforward it was compared to how bizarre the things it was working to depict were. I might even go as far to say that it was... not good. How are other translations?

Eladir Just finished reading it, or listening to it to be more exact. It's true that the prose is somewhat basic but I don't think it's the translator's faul…moreJust finished reading it, or listening to it to be more exact. It's true that the prose is somewhat basic but I don't think it's the translator's fault or a weakness for the novel. Reading something through a translation ALWAYS takes away something from the original but anyway, it's quite small and compact so I'd advise to just pay attention and push through, it's worth it. I at least enjoyed it a lot.(less)

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Has anyone noticed any major differences between original english translation (e.g. in the S.F. masterworks version) and the "rediscovered classics" translation?

Piotr Hi, this might help:

http://io9.com/5908702/a-new-translat...…moreHi, this might help:

http://io9.com/5908702/a-new-translat...(less)

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Unanswered Questions (1)

Can anyone give advice as to whether all or most of the Strugatsky brothers' other novels are as bleak and terse as this one? Overall I actually really did enjoy it (and was already familiar with the story via the film Stalker). But not sure if I'll try to work through more of their novels if the tone here is the norm. In particular, I'm intrigued by the premise of The Snail On The Slope.

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