Roadside Picnic

Tale of the Troika

245 pages

English language

Published Jan. 1, 1977 by Macmillan.

ISBN:
978-0-02-615170-2
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OCLC Number:
2910972
Goodreads:
3885738

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4 stars (5 reviews)

Roadside Picnic is set in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial event called the Visitation that took place in several locations around the Earth, simultaneously, over a two-day period. Neither the Visitors themselves nor their means of arrival or departure were ever seen by the local populations who lived inside the relatively small areas, each a few square kilometers, of the six Visitation Zones. The zones exhibit strange and dangerous phenomena not understood by humans, and contain artifacts with inexplicable properties. The title of the novel derives from an analogy proposed by the character Dr. Valentine Pilman, who compares the Visitation to a picnic.

4 editions

Thought provoking and unique take on the first contact trope

4 stars

Roadside Picnic is one of the most unique books of science fiction I have read. A first contact story where we don’t get whats going on, things happen too quickly, and the aliens leave without further to do, and the world keeps spinning.

The only trace of their Visit is some areas known as The Zones, where strange phenomena and dangerous traps can ben found at every corner, as well as strange objects and alien technology beyond human understanding, that lies there for whoever is willing to take it.

Those who venture inside the Zone to scavenge those goods are known as stalkers. The artifacts they find they then sell to whoever is willing to pay, making it a lucrative, if dangerous job. Of course, the government is trying to investigate and find a use for those objects as well, so being a stalker is very much illegal.

In this …

Very interesting and intriguing

4 stars

I enjoyed this a lot. It's surprising the level of world building that's achieved here given the length. The chapters are long and few, and each one gives you something different to take away about the Zone, how it affects regular people, and how some have learned to take advantage of it.

Review of 'Roadside Picnic' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

If I had to pick one word to describe Roadside Picnic, it would be clever. All about this book feels rascalous, chaotic, full of energy and vitality. I think the main theme here is how people and culture can adapt to almost anything. No matter how bleak, odd or desperate the situation, the spark of life can be found in the most unexpected of places and that's something I'd gladly take to my heart from this book, especially in these trying times.

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rated it

2 stars
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rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • Science fiction