Shiny Doom Forum

fate · Uber-Karma Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1178

I remember mentioning this story at game night the other time. It was written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in 1971. Since then there has been a movie made based on it in russian. The game "Stalker" is also based on this story.

After the Chernobyl disaster, people used terms from this book to describe the affected zone and the people who venture into it.

This is the only translation I could find online:

http://www.russiansifiction.com/translated/strugazckie/picnic/index.php

It's rather liberal with its editing of the original language with a trend to make the text and characters much more polite then they actually are. If anyone can find a better translation please let me know because this one kinda pisses me off.

The original russian text can be found here alongside with the above translation although the text is blue on blue(nothing that can't be fixed with a little html editing though):

http://www.shnaresys.com/roadside/picnic/parallel.htm
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People's whole lives do pass before their eyes before they die. The process is called living.

Most of the time its easier to get along with people before you get to know them.

Jastermereel · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:57 am Post subject:

Are the links for the pages after the 6th broken for others? I'm looking forward to reading this but I'd rather like to make sure I can finish it before I start.
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The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.

fate · Uber-Karma Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1178

It seems like they're broken from the first page but work from other pages?

Weird.

The side by side link does have the entirety of the text(in neon blue).

EDIT: oh now i see. Their index is wrong i think. Chapter 6 has the ending.
_________________
People's whole lives do pass before their eyes before they die. The process is called living.

Most of the time its easier to get along with people before you get to know them.

Jastermereel · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:55 pm Post subject:

Ah! Thanks for that.

I'd gotten a wee bit nervous about trying it when I clicked a random chapter and got that error.
_________________
The old Jastermereel account seems to have been killed in an unfortunate email changing accident. I am an illegal clone manufactured on a little known island state off the coast of...well...never you mind. Pretend nothing happened and you won't have to face the combined wrath of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the League of Awesomeness.