“Hard to Be a God” is one of the Strugatskys’ most popular books; it contains an enchanting adventure plot, a reflection of a totalitarian society with recognizable features of our recent past, and moral-philosophical themes.
On a planet where everything follows medieval laws, there are Earthling observers. They are here to study the mechanisms of society’s development and must not interfere in the process of development. The central figure is the noble Don Rumata, also known as Anton — a researcher from the Institute of Experimental History. And around him is the uncouth world of the Middle Ages. A world of battles, executions and torture, pain and suffering, cruelty and anarchy.