Hard to Be a God

By: Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky, Hari Kunzru - introduction, Olena Bormashenko - translator

Narrated by: Matt Addis

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are widely known as the greatest Russian writers of science fiction, and their 1964 novel Hard to Be a God is considered one of the greatest of their works.

It tells the story of Don Rumata, who is sent from Earth to the medieval kingdom of Arkanar with instructions to observe and to influence, but never to directly interfere. Masquerading as an arrogant nobleman, a dueler and a brawler, Don Rumata is never defeated but can never kill. With his doubt and compassion, and his deep love for a local girl named Kira, Rumata wants to save the kingdom from the machinations of Don Reba, the First Minister to the king. But given his orders, what role can he play?

Hard to Be a God has inspired a computer role-playing game and two movies, including Aleksei German’s long-awaited swan song. Yet until now the only English version (out of print for over thirty years) was based on a German translation, and was full of errors, infelicities, and misunderstandings. This new edition—translated by Olena Bormashenko, whose translation of the authors’ Roadside Picnic has received widespread acclaim, and supplemented with a new foreword by Hari Kunzru and an afterword by Boris Strugatsky, both of which supply much-needed context—reintroduces one of the most profound Soviet-era novels to an eager audience.

Outstanding!

Outstanding story! Spectacular narration! Much to ponder. Sheds much light on the 2013 Russian movie Hard to be a God.

A fantastic read!

I finished it in three days, and it was only because I wanted the story to last. The ending may not be to everyone's liking, but I thought it was perfect. The meta-knowledge the observers have is incredibly compelling.

An interesting read

over all interesting Soviet era "Yankee in King Arthurs Court", the same translator as the version of Roadside Picnic I read which was A+. Overall the story is fine but leaves something to be desired.

Solid book but not as good as Roadside Picnic

I felt that the themes and symbolism in this were not as elegantly portrayed as in Roadside Picnic, the Strugatsky’s best book in my opinion. At times the references were a bit too “in your face” and repetitive such that they felt clunky and pulled me out of the story. I guess that this was partly due to the translation of this version, as the english version is translated from the german version, not from the original text. Nevertheless, I like the concept of the story but felt like it was not written as well as Roadside Picnic, possibly it was rushed out the door.