Arkady and Boris Strugatsky: ROADSIDE PICNIC

Roadside Picnic, the book that inspired Andrei Tarkovsky's visually stunning film, Stalker, is the story of the so-called stalkers. These stalkers illegally enter the Zone to collect mysterious artifacts (believed to have been) left behind by visiting aliens. The black market pays a good price for such artifacts. But, Red Schuhart, a stalker, in one of his 'trips' to Zone, accompanied by another stalker, experiences the unexpected. Something goes wrong.

I saw the film adaptation (Stalker) two weeks ago and I liked it, if only for the visually stunning images. Having seen that film made me interested to read the book it was based from. This book. The film is not faithful to the book; it only gets the idea of the book. But it still manages to be an excellent work of art. I like the book, too, with all the important details in the back stories of the characters that matter.

As far as I can recall, this is my first attempt to read science fiction. I can't say I'll be a fan. But, it was worth my time. I enjoyed reading Roadside Picnic.

Rating: 4.0/5.0