A tough one to rate, because while some of the messages about authoritarianism and environmental devastation resonate, the writing here is dense and lacks the flair of the usual work from the Strugatsky brothers, who I adore. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite thing I’ve read from them, and as it’s rather long, it became a bit tedious to finish.

In a nutshell, a futuristic Soviet cosmonaut crash lands on an alien planet, an “inhabited island,” and there finds a world being destroyed by nuclear war, and ruled by an ominous group of “Unknown Fathers.” An insidious network of towers exist ostensibly to defend against ballistic missiles, but in reality to transmit radiation that compels citizens to be obedient and nationalistic. Whipped into a patriotic frenzy, they attack an underground network of peopled deemed “degenerates,” and people who live in the rugged south. The cosmonaut’s rocket has been destroyed and as he has no hope of returning to the Earth, he assimilates, and finds himself fighting for one side and then the other.

There is so much corruption, shady dealing, and inhumanity here that it’s depressing (though obviously quite a commentary on the real world), and as it takes place under an authoritarian government, astonishing to me that it was published in the Soviet Union in 1969. As Boris Strugatsky explains in the Afterword, a part of how that was possible was in removing Russian references, and so we see several places which link the oppressive regime to German fascism instead of Soviet communism.

At its strongest, the writing condemns the madness of blind nationalism on this “graveyard planet on which the flame of rational life was just barely flickering” – and more importantly, just how depraved the powerful are in keeping the masses under their control. Replace the broadcast towers here with hate-filled propaganda in social media today, and the Unknown Fathers with the oligarchs and ultra-wealthy in countries all over our own planet, and it’s easy to get the chills while reading this.

At its weakest, however, the writing bloats into lengthy sections of interior monologues, and describes the actions of its characters in ways that are a little confusing. Maybe that’s part of the point – that in a world with spies and an underground resistance (or in war in general) it’s messy and chaotic – but it doesn’t make for enjoyable reading. The concept is certainly compelling, but I found myself wishing for a cleaner, more focused narrative. ( )

The Inhabited Island by Arkady and Boris Strugatskyis a very highly recommended classic grim science fiction dystopian story set on a post-apocalyptic planet.

"When Maxim Kammerer, a young space explorer from twenty-second-century Earth, crash-lands on an uncharted world, he thinks of himself as a latter-day Robinson Crusoe. Eager to establish first contact with the planet’s humanlike inhabitants, he finds himself increasingly entangled in their primitive way of life. After his experiences in their nightmarish military, criminal justice, and mental health systems, Maxim begins to realize that his sojourn on this radioactive and war-scarred world will not be a walk in the park."

It is a pleasure to read the 2020 edition, which is a new translation of the original Strugatsky brother's novel released by Chicago Review Press. The original novel was published in the magazine Neva in 1969. The first published book form of the novel was in 1971, but that edition had many changes that were demanded by the state censor in the Soviet Union. The English translation, Prisoners of Power, was released in 1977, but this edition was based on the censored version of the novel. There was also a film based on the novel called Dark Planet. Once you have read The Inhabited Island you will know why the original novel was censored - assuming that you know and understand world political history. This is a fine example of social allegory disguised as a science fiction novel so the Strugatsky's criticism against the Soviet Union would be disguised as literature. The bonus to the new translation is that it better captures the richness of the original novel.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Chicago Review Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/01/the-inhabited-island.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3164896852 ( )