04/21/2014
Bormashenko’s rewarding new translation of this slim 1964 novel makes available a regrettably obscure Cold War–era hybrid of SF and satire. Anton is disguised as aristocratic Don Rumata and sent to the archaic planet Arkanar by enlightened Communist historians from the future. Anton is instructed to only observe and not intervene (“like a god”) as cruel Don Reba, First Minister to the King, orders the murder of intellectuals and artists whose individuality threatens state authority. This dark allegory of unrestrained governmental power lauds the pens that battle swords. Communism is unsubtly attacked beneath a veneer of escapism. While some overly adolescent humor minimizes emotional intensity, themes of culpability and responsibility remain effective. The Strugatsky brothers (Roadside Picnic) use Anton’s struggle between impartiality and interfering as the emotional bridge connecting time travel whimsy with mature soul-searching. The unadorned prose cloaks rich ideas, illustrating the ability of imaginative literature to probe troubling moral questions. This edition includes an informative introduction by Hari Kunzru and an afterword by Boris Strugatsky. (June)

"An enjoyable, exciting, and gratifying novel.”  —New York Times

“A thoroughly good book . . . robust, imaginative, satisfying.”  —Ursula K. Le Guin

“One of the most skillfully written, heavily freighted science fiction novels I have ever read. . . . The writing is well paced and the narrative is beautifully structured.”  —Theodore Sturgeon

“[A] rewarding new translation.” —Publishers Weekly


"A quick, fun read." —Shepherd Express

“This is a crisp, new translation of a highly influential 1964 Russian sf novel by the Strugatsky brothers… the story and themes will resonate as much with modern audiences as they did with readers in the mid-1960s.” —Library Journal

“This long-overdue translation will reintroduce one of the most profound Soviet-era novels to an eager audience.” —Literalab

“Hard to be a God is at once a plucky adventure novel and an anxious, sensitive vision of rising totalitarianism...sandwiched between an excellent introduction from novelist Hari Kunzru and an enlightening afterword from coauthor Boris Strugatsky, Hard to be a God is a worthwhile read, one that entertains even as it provokes.” —Weekly Alibi