(Book Review)

“Intelligence is the ability of a living creature to perform pointless or unnatural acts.”

‘Roadside picnic’ is a novel by Soviet-Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, written in 1971 and published in 1972. It is the brothers’ most popular and most widely translated novel outside the former Soviet Union. As of 2003, Boris Strugatsky has counted 55 publications of “Picnic” in 22 countries. The 1979 film ‘Stalker’, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, is based on the novel, with a screenplay written by the Strugatsky brothers.

It’s a fiction story about something called ‘Visitation’, when aliens have visited the Earth, but then left, leaving behind a zone with some deadly anomalies. But there are also artifacts that aliens left too, which you can sell for decent money, if you survive during the trips into the zone. And the main character travels to the zone, despite the danger and risk, he leaves his family for some time.

This is the story from which it is impossible to tear yourself away, a real adventure with elements of science and philosophy. I did not find a single minus in it. I recommend reading this book at least once in your life.

“HAPPINESS FOR EVERYBODY, FREEDOM, AND NO ONE WILL GO AWAY UNSATISFIED!”