pick#reread for #bookclub The book was a legend way before I read it for the first time, but now I believe I didn‘t appreciate the complexity and the clues between the lines, hidden from the Soviet censorship. The story is deep, dark, frightening and full of hate, but there are also sparkles of decency and love. The ending is somewhat hopeful, or at least open for interpretation
pickTo me this read sort of like an SF take on The Count of Monte Cristo, and while that structure can be compelling, I'm just not super into revenge stories. What I found most interesting about reading this one was noticing the ways it influenced later SF—I recognize some of its DNA in the worldbuilding of the early Expanse novels, for example. In the end, I did enjoy this book but it is very much a product of its time, with everything that implies.
pickSciFi • 1972 • 4 Stars
Roadside Picnic is set on Earth after alien "Visitations" leave mysterious Zones with bizarre artifacts. People called Stalkers, like Redrick Schuhart, illegally enter Zones to collect these artifacts, which have extraordinary and often hazardous properties. The narrative focuses on Redrick's life, from financial gain to personal loss and existential questioning, as he deals with the Zone's effects on society and himself.
pickDriving a tourist bus on the Moon, Pat Harris gets caught in a moonquake and his bus sinks in the Sea of Thirst's moondust. We follow the passengers and crew, the rescue team, and the journalists covering the story.
The moondust in the story doesn't actually exist, though it was a reasonable speculation at the time of writing. Yes, the characters were firmly rooted in the 1950s but the author still provided an exciting, suspenseful story.
TO BE THE SKIPPER of the only boat on the Moon was a distinction that Pat Harris enjoyed.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pick96/150 I loved this kind of book when I was young, hard science science fiction was my favorite genre. After 60+ years, it does feel a little dated, but it still holds up well. It still makes for a tense, exciting read as the rescue team struggles to save the passengers & crew of the Selene. Like any good disaster movie, just when the heroes think they've got things beat, a new problem comes along to gum up the works. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ClassicLSFBC
pickThis story about a tourist shuttle trapped in a sea of dust on the moon seemed somewhat dated, in that the roles of men and women reflect very much those of the time. However, it was still a very good hard science-fiction story with a lot of tension, as the shuttle's occupants and scientists on the outside work on a rescue.
#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella
#192025 #1961 @Librarybelle
