10/10

I’m finishing the Strugatskys, only a few books left. Of course, «Tale» should be read right after «Monday Begins on Saturday»: the context stays fresh, and you remember every character and their quirks far better.

I didn’t live in Soviet times, but it seems not much has changed: bureaucracy, a lack of critical thinking, blind obedience to protocol. Sure, procedure matters, but shouldn’t you also use your head? 🙂

TPRUNYA, the book’s one-stop “state services” window, is sheer absurdity; you can only laugh at the nonsense that happens there.

In fact, the book perfectly illustrates the saying, “Ask a man to bring you a skullcap and he’ll knock your whole head off.”

The fantastical side doesn’t disappoint either: the “Chatterbox Bug” defending its own civilization, debates with Fedya the Snowman, and intellectual battles with the octopus “Spiridon.”

If you want a good laugh and to relax, this is the book for you.

And beneath the humor lie some very deep ideas—about nothing less than humanity’s future.

By the way, has anyone read The Tale of the Troika-2? Online sources say it’s the uncensored original version of the story. If you have, what did you think?