'Roadside Picnic' by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky
'Roadside Picnic' by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky

The good

  • Intriguing premise: aliens visit earth briefly, leaving behind an area known as the Zone that is full of extraterrestrial artifacts and inexplicable phenomena. People wall off the zone, try to research it, while “stalkers” (a term coined in this book) trespass into the zone (at great risk to their own lives) to try to steal and sell those artifacts.

  • An even more intriguing explanation for why the book is called “Roadside Picnic.” I’ll avoid putting it here to avoid spoilers, but once you read that part, the basic idea sears itself into your mind.

  • Fun concepts of what alien technologies might be like.

  • Interesting & unpredictable characters.

  • The book evokes a powerful feeling of a desolate setting, full of danger and myster.

The not so good

  • The book is very short. You essentially get a few scenes in the Zone, and then it comes to an abrupt end, without any real explanation or bringing any of the subplots to a satisfying conclusion.

Rating: 4 stars