Hard to Be a God

Is it easy to act as an observer when evil is all around and you can’t interfere—can’t put things right, can’t protect? The main character of this novel is Don Rumata (an Earthman, Anton), who finds himself on the planet Arkanar within an experimental world. On this planet, medieval cruelty rules: falseness, and a struggle for power. But Rumata must not interfere. He is a scientist conducting an experiment. Yet the person inside him triumphs over the scientist—his heart overcomes his reason. How can one calmly watch as evil defeats good, as talent is trampled, and as justice doesn’t exist? The hero can’t manage that…
The fantastic story by the Strugatsky brothers makes you think about many things. Evil is contagious, and when battling monsters, it’s important not to lose your human form yourself. The novel reads in one sitting. It has sparkling humor, adventurous daring, and an element of a philosophical parable. At the same time, the simplicity of the presentation and the engaging plot make the Strugatskys’ work universal, popular, and many-layered. Each subsequent reading lets you discover something new.
This book makes you become better and more humane; it lets you look at human weaknesses from the outside. Hidden within it is an astonishing and mysterious impulse that urges change.