Reviews

"Nowhere do they live more stupidly."

According to the afterword in the English edition, the Strugatsky brothers wanted The Inhabited Island to be "unadulterated, toothless entertainment." They then went on to write something as toothless and entertaining as a Tyrannosaurus. A Communist super-man from the future Soviet Union crash-lands on the rump of a defeated empire, populated by brainwashed prisoners who treat each other even more cruelly than the paranoid, belligerent state. It cuts right to the bone.

"And there are many such spheres in existence on which people live far worse than you do, and some on which they live far better. But nowhere do they live more stupidly."

mwchief's review against another edition

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1.0

Tried to read it twice, the first time was in middle school, but after fifty pages or so decided that either book is bad or I am too young to understand it. So I returned it to the library. The second time I picked it up was much later, after graduating from university, and after reading about half of the book, I realized that my first impression was correct - the book is absolute crap.

oratorat's review

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ithaka2022's review against another edition

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5.0

А мы-то думали, что это Войнович пророк.

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