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Hard To Be A God

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( 17,898 ratings, 1,184 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Hard to Be a God is a gripping science fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It follows a futuristic Earth observer on an alien planet that's culturally stuck in medieval times. Tasked with avoiding interference, he struggles with the moral dilemma of watching brutal events unfold, pondering the complexities of progress and human nature.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're intrigued by the complexities of morality and the challenges of intervention in less advanced societies, this sci-fi novel offers a riveting exploration. You may enjoy the philosophical depth and the imaginative world-building that blends medieval settings with futuristic dilemmas, making it a thought-provoking read for fans of both science fiction and fantasy.

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Another SF Masterwork from the giants of Soviet science fiction, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Another SF Masterwork from the giants of Soviet science fiction, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Hard To Be A God follows the story of Anton, an undercover operative from future Earth, who journeys to an alien world where the culture remains entrenched in the Middle Ages.

Despite possessing knowledge far more advanced than the society that surrounds him, Anton is bound by strict orders to refrain from interfering with the natural progression of history. His role is to observe rather than engage with the world around him.

However, remaining a mere spectator becomes increasingly challenging as Anton confronts the pervasive cruelty and injustice of this primitive society. Can he truly remain aloof in such dire circumstances?

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Hard To Be A God is highly regarded, with reviewers noting that it comes from some of the best Soviet science fiction writers. It's praised for being robust, imaginative, and satisfying, while providing an enjoyable and exciting read.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781473208292

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 April 2015

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Gollancz

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 230g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Arkady Strugatsky (Author)

Arkady Strugatsky (1925-1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1931-2012)

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky began to collaborate in the early 1950s after Arkady had studied English and Japanese and worked as a technical translator and editor, and Boris was a computer mathematician at Pulkova astronomical observatory. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction describes them as 'the best Soviet SF writers' and works such as Hard to be a God, Definitely Maybe, The Snail on the Slope and Monday Begins on Saturday are powerful and poignant novels that continue to amaze and move readers. Andrei Tarkovsky's much admired film, Stalker, was based on their most famous work, Roadside Picnic.

Read more at http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/strugatski_arkady

Boris Strugatsky (Author)

Arkady Strugatsky (1925-1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1931-2012)

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky began to collaborate in the early 1950s after Arkady had studied English and Japanese and worked as a technical translator and editor, and Boris was a computer mathematician at Pulkova astronomical observatory. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction describes them as 'the best Soviet SF writers' and works such as Hard to be a God, Definitely Maybe, The Snail on the Slope and Monday Begins on Saturday are powerful and poignant novels that continue to amaze and move readers. Andrei Tarkovsky's much admired film, Stalker, was based on their most famous work, Roadside Picnic.

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