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mwalsh97's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
It’s beautiful, it’s dark, it fucking weird. And it was utterly amazing. This is the kind of book that should be in high school English classes.
Add-on as of 7/3: I have not been able to stop thinking about this book. I like it more and more as it marinates in my brain.
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
speir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy
sunn_bleach's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
However, the book itself is... kind of boring. Perhaps this is because it's so short, at less than 200 pages for most modern editions. You have an initial foray into the Zone, but it's bookended by lots of talking and drinking with what felt like cursory examination of the weirdness that comes from the Zone. And I'm not convinced that banality is its own point; "Roadside Picnic" isn't a character study, as bolstered by Boris Strugatsky's own afterword. Dialogue feels mismatched, and chapters stop right as events start t move. For a book about the Zone and people's relationship to it, there's an awful lot of puttering about.
The high point is the conversation between Pillman and Noonan. The former's theory about aliens having the eponymous roadside picnic and leaving their trash for smaller creatures to obsess over is an absolutely fascinating postmodern outlook on man's purpose in the universe. The Strugatskys knocked those 10 or 15 pages out of the Zone's garage.
I'm glad I read this for the influence on some media that I adore, but it would be a hard sell to someone who isn't deeply invested in the history of Russian science fiction or just wants to get more out of the "Stalker" media.
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Sexism, and Pregnancy
linnybear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tl;dr it's fine I guess? read Lem instead
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia and Sexism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Pregnancy
mlewis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and War
Minor: Pregnancy and Pandemic/Epidemic
kellyofcali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Pregnancy
gilnean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, and Pregnancy