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Wow, I flew through this book. I adored (yes - adored!) the central concept � aliens visited our planet, but appear to have ignored us, as we might insects and small animals, when stopping for a roadside picnic. And just like we would, they left behind all sorts of flotsam and jetsam. The Zones where they visited are filled with hazardous (often deadly) phenomena and objects with unearthly properties. This book was published in 1972 and after all the science fiction where aliens arrive to invade us or probe us or even help us, to me the concept that they just might ignore us, seems more realistic than any other first contact scenario. The plot and backstory are slowly revealed and had me begging for more (even after the ending) � what are the zones like, what are the objects, what implications will it all have on humanity?

And here’s the real magic, Arkady & Boris Stugatsky tell the story through everyday characters. It’s about people who venture into the Zones to recover the artifacts. The characters and the atmosphere are gritty and intriguingly depressing. It felt like they borrowed from gold rush mining towns where most gold-fever miners lose their fortune or even their life seeking fortune and the only people that benefit are the bar & shop owners. I loved the slow reveal and the fact that we experience this world though relatively common people. We don’t get the General, or the Senator, or the crack military squad, we get the prospectors who are course and vulgar, and just trying to make a buck.

I will admit there were a few times where I felt lost or confused, but I pushed through and found solid ground soon enough. I chalked this up to either the Russian to English translation, or maybe my own failures in reading too fast and not enough paying attention to details.

Being a Russian work, I’m sure there are deeper interpretations, but to me, it was simply a fantastic and creative exploration of what first contact might be like. Although, it’s less about the contact (or lack thereof) and more about the implications of what was left behind. Five glowing, slimy, levitating stars for this unique Russian Science Fiction classic.