Science Fiction

Hard to Be a God

Hard to Be a God

  • Downloads：4268
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-18 06:53:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Arkady Strugatsky
  • ISBN：1473208297
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Summary

Anton is an undercover operative from future Earth， who travels to an alien world whose culture has not progressed beyond the Middle Ages。 Although in possession of far more advanced knowledge than the society around him， he is forbidden to interfere with the natural progress of history。 His place is to observe rather than interfere - but can he remain aloof in the face of so much cruelty and injustice 。。。？

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Reviews

Eda Naz ，

I love it when sci-fi novels focus more on the sociological and psychological aspects of futuristic worlds （well， this one is not technically set in a futuristic world， yet it is set in the future）。 That`s the main reason why I am so captivated by Ursula Le Guin`s work， and seeing how she praised this book， it`s no wonder I enjoyed reading it as well。 Only if the characters， specifically female characters， were given more depth， this book would have easily been 5 stars。 I love it when sci-fi novels focus more on the sociological and psychological aspects of futuristic worlds （well， this one is not technically set in a futuristic world， yet it is set in the future）。 That`s the main reason why I am so captivated by Ursula Le Guin`s work， and seeing how she praised this book， it`s no wonder I enjoyed reading it as well。 Only if the characters， specifically female characters， were given more depth， this book would have easily been 5 stars。 。。。more

Arttu Malek ，

It's hard to be a god。 And this book's story is a perfect example of why it is so。 It follows the path of a future communist Earth historian， Anton， who takes part in the historical sequence research experiment living undercover as a noble on the planet that is currently on the medieval level in its historical development。The country he is in is currently undergoing the process of anti-intellectual repressions and cleansing that slowly leads to its stagnation and deterioration。 It is hurtful for It's hard to be a god。 And this book's story is a perfect example of why it is so。 It follows the path of a future communist Earth historian， Anton， who takes part in the historical sequence research experiment living undercover as a noble on the planet that is currently on the medieval level in its historical development。The country he is in is currently undergoing the process of anti-intellectual repressions and cleansing that slowly leads to its stagnation and deterioration。 It is hurtful for this historian to see what is going on and how good and bright people are getting killed， exiled， and made to flee by the ignorant grey masses led by a new noble who took over the king's court。 Historian wants to do something about that but he is troubled by the morality of intervention on the scale of history， the rules of the organization that planted him here， and the difference between his real personality on Earth and the noble he has to impersonate。 In the end， he makes a decision， or rather， is forced to act。 "Hard to be a god" is a great book and a deep psychological inquiry in the issues of history and morality and most importantly a clear showcase of why power， be it the power of mind or pure strength， itself is not enough to solve the complex problems of entire societies and civilizations。 Sometimes， you just have to leave the mortals alone， no matter how much they hurt each other。 。。。more

Maga Torres ，

Me gustó mucho， aunque es una lectura difícil， debido a los cambios de tono， a la oscuridad que rodea ciertas situaciones y a lo poco acostumbrada que estoy a la narrativa rusa。 No logro asir al personaje principal y La introducción me parece desconcertante。 A pesar de todo eso， logró engancharme bastante， con un manejo del suspenso bastante intrigante y cierto tono irónico que aligera los momentos más duros。 Pero además， mantiene una postura filosófica y un análisis político profundos y conscie Me gustó mucho， aunque es una lectura difícil， debido a los cambios de tono， a la oscuridad que rodea ciertas situaciones y a lo poco acostumbrada que estoy a la narrativa rusa。 No logro asir al personaje principal y La introducción me parece desconcertante。 A pesar de todo eso， logró engancharme bastante， con un manejo del suspenso bastante intrigante y cierto tono irónico que aligera los momentos más duros。 Pero además， mantiene una postura filosófica y un análisis político profundos y conscientes a lo largo de toda la obra。 En definitiva， lo disfruté mucho。 。。。more

Mattie ，

In Ken MacLeod's introduction to this edition， he talks about being unable to finish the novel when he first tried to read it due to the translation: "something in the prose […] knocked me back，" he says， but "[n]o reader of this fine new translation will have that reaction。"Hmm。 Well， I did finish it， but I have to admit that I sometimes found it an opaque experience。 I think it's partly the fine Russian literary tradition of every character having several names to keep track of （though this is In Ken MacLeod's introduction to this edition， he talks about being unable to finish the novel when he first tried to read it due to the translation: "something in the prose […] knocked me back，" he says， but "[n]o reader of this fine new translation will have that reaction。"Hmm。 Well， I did finish it， but I have to admit that I sometimes found it an opaque experience。 I think it's partly the fine Russian literary tradition of every character having several names to keep track of （though this isn't quite Tolstoy levels）; everyone's a Baron or a Don， sometimes people also have additional official titles， some people are spies with dual identities， others are mentioned once early on and then brought back later seemingly with faith in the reader to remember who the hell they are。 Maybe if you read it all in one go this wouldn't be an issue， but I certainly didn't。 There's also an awful lot of courtly intrigue， which I struggle with at the best of times。I'm very happy to read a novel which is mostly atmosphere and world-building without a lot of plot， which is exactly what this is， but here I felt like there was a lot of information and backstory with little momentum。 The pacing is odd: things really start happening maybe halfway in， and then they happen very quickly。None of this is to say that this is a bad book。 It's actually a very， very interesting book。 I'm just trying to explain why I， personally， struggled with it。 The experience was ultimately a rewarding one， and I'm glad I stuck with it。 It's full of interesting ideas and incredibly poignant passages。When I was introduced to the Strugatskys' work， the comparison made was with 'Star Trek'， and that certainly makes sense， but I was more often reminded of 'Left Hand of Darkness'。 There's a quote from Le Guin on the cover of the book， and this definitely feels more like a bag than a stick。 Indeed， Rumata （our hero） is a man who is wrestling with being forced to approach his work with a bag rather than a stick—gather data and observe rather than intervene （in what does indeed seem like an analogue of the Prime Directive）， as he watches the world he has been sent to as an undercover historian descend into fascism before his eyes。The epilogue by Boris about the development of the idea is definitely illuminating， and backs up an idea which I think I first came across in an essay by Cory Doctorow （though I'm sure it precedes him）， which is that science fiction is always less about the future than it is about the present。 Notes from Arkady's journals and letters show how the circumstances the brothers were working in changed this from a light-hearted， swashbuckling romp to a poignant meditation on the human condition and the question of what we owe to each other。 。。。more

Z。 ，

[NOTE: buy this for W。]

Lucas Rizoli ，

While reading Hard to be a God， in which a time-traveling historian from a utopian Communist future studies a brutish， anti-intellectual medieval period ruled by violence and disease， I was not disposed to be charitable and patient with others。 It's ugly and full of frustration。There is a sort of figure–ground illusion in it I found interesting。 A lot of its description of a far-future utopian Communism seems to me a way to give in to the pressures put on mid-60's cultural production to be posit While reading Hard to be a God， in which a time-traveling historian from a utopian Communist future studies a brutish， anti-intellectual medieval period ruled by violence and disease， I was not disposed to be charitable and patient with others。 It's ugly and full of frustration。There is a sort of figure–ground illusion in it I found interesting。 A lot of its description of a far-future utopian Communism seems to me a way to give in to the pressures put on mid-60's cultural production to be positive about the Soviet project， as is the contrast with the abject and hateful medieval setting—but it does not take much effort to also read the latter as poking at the pain and hopelessness of the authors immediate circumstance in Soviet Russia， and the former as a ridiculous and unreachable state to imagine as a future。 。。。more

Simon Vozick-Levinson ，

Dark， wry， philosophical SF with a Marxist twist: An observer from Earth is plunked down onto a feudal planet， trying to subtly guide its people toward an enlightened Soviet future but finding that much harder than it seems。 Recommended for fans of Le Guin。

Narek ，

Теперь не уходят из жизни， Теперь из жизни уводят。 И если кто-нибудь даже Захочет， чтоб было иначе， Бессильный и неумелый， Опустит слабые руки， Не зная， где сердце спрута И есть ли у спрута сердце…

Lala Lena ，

Для поколінь майбутнього ми зараз усе іще як арканарці， хочеться вірити， що людство не припинить дорослішати。 Не воювати， а розвиватись， не сліпо ненавидіти， а розуміти， мати жагу до знань і опановувати з кожним поколінням все краще просто вміння бути людьми。 Так ніяких богів і не треба буде。

Johan Wilbur ，

Para nada mal， le pasa que el primer tramo hasta que te enteras de qué va la cosa es un poco pan sin sal。。。 Incluso cuando ya se sabe es de estas historias que importa e impacta más el entorno que los personajes en si。 De nuevo， los hermanos Strugaski me han recordado más a Bradbury que a Asimov， en cuanto a Sci-Fi se refiere。 Tirando más por la critica disfrazada de Sci-Fi que Sci-Fi en si misma。 Me quedo con Stalker， indudablemente， pero no ha sido mala lectura ni mucho menos。

Charlotte Kelly ，

DNF @ page 89I don't know if it's the translation or what， but this is virtually unreadable to me。 I made it 3 chapters in and had literally no idea what was happening DNF @ page 89I don't know if it's the translation or what， but this is virtually unreadable to me。 I made it 3 chapters in and had literally no idea what was happening 。。。more

Can ，

Hiç beklentin olmaksızın bir kitaba başlamak ve okudukça gelen müthiş bir beğeni ve tatmin hissi， sanırım hayattaki en büyük keyiflerimden birisi。 Strugatsky biraderler bir macera romanı yazmaya başlıyorlar fakat içinde yaşadıkları dönem ve olaylar onları bu kitabı yazmaya itiyor。 Ortaçağ， karizmatik dük， silahşor， masum genç kız， zalim monarşi， engizisyon-şeriat karanlığı， bunlar tanıdık ve sık sık yan yana gelen unsurlar。 Fakat işin içine başka bir uygarlıktan gelen bir elçi girince， kendi yaş Hiç beklentin olmaksızın bir kitaba başlamak ve okudukça gelen müthiş bir beğeni ve tatmin hissi， sanırım hayattaki en büyük keyiflerimden birisi。 Strugatsky biraderler bir macera romanı yazmaya başlıyorlar fakat içinde yaşadıkları dönem ve olaylar onları bu kitabı yazmaya itiyor。 Ortaçağ， karizmatik dük， silahşor， masum genç kız， zalim monarşi， engizisyon-şeriat karanlığı， bunlar tanıdık ve sık sık yan yana gelen unsurlar。 Fakat işin içine başka bir uygarlıktan gelen bir elçi girince， kendi yaşadığı ikilemleri harika yansıtınca， sadece vurdu kırdı romanı olmaktan çıkıp， saydığım bütün bu nüanslar üzerinden de düşünce egzersizlerine girilince müthiş bir iş çıkmış ortaya。 Zaman zaman garipleştiği ve bocaladığı yerler de oldu fakat genel olarak çok sevdim。 Özellikle Rumata ve Budah arasındaki tanrı ile kulu arasında geçen diyalog ve bir tanrıdan şimşeklerini ödünç isteyen Arata bölümlerine bayıldım。 Klişe yerler mevcuttu fakat bunu bilerek okuyorsunuz zaten。 Okuduğum için çok mutlu olduğum bir eser oldu。 。。。more

Jagna ，

It was a nice， light read， but it did not rock my world。

Andrew ，

Recently on Twitter someone quipped that the finest minds of our age were getting 3。77 stars on Goodreads and I thought if you write a dull book， you write a dull book and if you want to enter a popularity contest take up singing on TV。 The best books are not for everyone and page turners sell but are they really written by the finest minds of our age？ Anyway I finished this。I have a system I've followed for well over a decade of what I give one， two， three， four， or five stars。 Sometimes I reco Recently on Twitter someone quipped that the finest minds of our age were getting 3。77 stars on Goodreads and I thought if you write a dull book， you write a dull book and if you want to enter a popularity contest take up singing on TV。 The best books are not for everyone and page turners sell but are they really written by the finest minds of our age？ Anyway I finished this。I have a system I've followed for well over a decade of what I give one， two， three， four， or five stars。 Sometimes I reconsider a song I've rated years later and maybe someday I'll reconsider this book。 Was it better than the last book I read， not really， would it make any list of my all time favourite novels， no。 If I could only recommend one book in the world， would this be it， no。 So if you view art or social media as a popularity contest， maybe you don't want my attention or opinion。 But if you write， whether a novel or a tweet and expect no one to have a single negative opinion of anything you say， you may be in for a surprise。 。。。more

Širšė Širšė ，

Ilgai nežinojau， ką pasakyti， apie šią knygą， tačiau netikėtai radau jai alternatyvą， kuri man labiau patiko ir leido sudėlioti dalykus。Taigi "Sunku būti dievu" （SBD） vs B。 Sanderson "Paskutinė imperija" （PI）Trys muškietininkai。 SBD。 Primityvi versija: lėbaujantys draugeliai， kartais įsiveliantys į dvaro intrigas。 Iš esmės vienas personažas， į kurio vidinę kovą su savimi įtraukiamas skaitytojas。 Kiti veikėjai visiškai šalutiniai papildiniai。PI。 Išplėsta versija， didesnė komanda， bet kas sakė， ka Ilgai nežinojau， ką pasakyti， apie šią knygą， tačiau netikėtai radau jai alternatyvą， kuri man labiau patiko ir leido sudėlioti dalykus。Taigi "Sunku būti dievu" （SBD） vs B。 Sanderson "Paskutinė imperija" （PI）Trys muškietininkai。 SBD。 Primityvi versija: lėbaujantys draugeliai， kartais įsiveliantys į dvaro intrigas。 Iš esmės vienas personažas， į kurio vidinę kovą su savimi įtraukiamas skaitytojas。 Kiti veikėjai visiškai šalutiniai papildiniai。PI。 Išplėsta versija， didesnė komanda， bet kas sakė， kad muškietininkai negali būti šeši ar aštuoni， jei tik išlaikoma dvasia „vienas už visus ir visi už vieną“。 Keli pagrindiniai veikėjai。 Portretai aiškūs， gana paprasti， vidiniai pokyčiai susieti su išorinėmis aplinkybėmis， jokios itin klampios filosofijos ar egzistencinių klausimųPasaulis。SBD。 Feodalizmas， luomai， imperatorius， kilmingieji， engiamieji， ministerijos。 PI。 Feodalizmas， luomai， imperatorius， kilmingieji， engiamieji， ministerijos。 Bonus magiškos būtybės/sutvėrimai， dalyvaujantys socialiniame gyvenime。Plėšikai/ vagys/ maištininkaiSBD。 YraPI。 YraMaištasSBD。 Vyksta， veikėjas daugiausiai pasyvus stebėtojas， todėl įsitraukimas minimalus。PI。 Vyksta， veikėjai aktyvūs dalyviai， todėl daug įsitraukimo ir daug su tuo susijusio veiksmo。MoterysSBD。 Nėra （tų statisčių， atnešančių vyno， ar pasitarnaujančių už objektą， neskaičiuoju）PI。 Pagrindinė veikėja Magija/ mokslasSBD。 Kažkokie ateities išradimai， kurie kitų suprantami kaip magiški daiktai。 Labiau papildantis elementas。PI。 Pilnas komplektas puikiai išdirbtos， įdomios magijos， kuria naudojasi veikėjai ir kuri turi labai aiškius dėsnius， poveikius ir yra viena knygos ašių。Filosofija。SBD。 Pagrindinis veikėjas įsitikinęs， kad jį supantys žmonės yra primityvūs， o jis – aukštesnė gyvybės forma。 Bėda， kad tas skirtumas baisiai menkas， veik neapčiuopiamas， praktiškai apsiribojantis maudymosi dažniu。 Ir kažkokiais svaičiojimais apie „didį ateities žmogų“ gal truputį komjaunuolį， plius keli filosofiniai dialogai， apie tai， kaip dievas （ne）galėtų palengvinti žmonių gyvenimą。 Esminis trūkumas tame， kad ši filosofija lyg ir turėtų būti viena iš knygos ašių， pateikti kažką naujo， bet。。。PI。 Vyraujantis filosofinis klausimas: kas ką turėtų valdyti。 Ypatingai naujų įžvalgų tuo klausimu nėra， tačiau šia filosofija nelošiama kaip pagrindine korta， ji tėra svarus argumentas ir motyvas， be pretenzijų į kažkokį savarankišką knygos elementą。Siužetas。SBD。 Kadangi veikėjas yra daugiau stebėtojas， tai palyginus su PI čia veiksmas yra labiau „susidūrimai su pasauliu“。PI。 Labai aiški išvystyta nuosekli siužetinė linija。 KontekstaiSBD。 Susipažinus su knygos parašymo aplinkybėmis ir laikmečiu， romane galima įžvelgti papildomų elementų， kurie šiaip nėra ryškūs （arba suprantami）PI。 Papildomai aiškinimai nereikalingi。PaveikumasSBD。 Tiesiogiai priklauso nuo to， kiek gali išvystyti pagrindines idėjas ir jas priartinti prie savęs （ką pakeitus， žmonija būtų laiminga， ką dėl žmonių galėtų padaryti dievas， kad palengvintų jų būtį？） ir kiek jos yra aktualios asmeniškai。PI。 Pramoginė knyga， nepretenduoja į „akis atveriančios“ literatūros kategoriją。Mano bėda su SBD yra ta， kad dėl įvairių priežasčių aš neradau sąlyčio su jos „filosofija“， o be to ji negali pasigirti kažkokiais ypatingais privalumais。 Jei norisi kažką paskaityti dėl pramogos – tada PI。 Jei norisi kažką pamąstymui – galima rizikuoti su SBD – gal „suskambės“。。。 。。。more

Chris Browning ，

On one level this is the most accessible I’ve found a Strugatsky brothers book， but it doesn’t take much poking about in the inner workings to realise it’s just as challenging and fascinating as their other classics。 The afterword by Boris Strugatsky is particularly fascinating， revealing a romp that slowly but surely sours into something darker and sadder and angrier。 As polemicists， the Strugatskys always understood that without a strong narrative any subtext - political or otherwise - means n On one level this is the most accessible I’ve found a Strugatsky brothers book， but it doesn’t take much poking about in the inner workings to realise it’s just as challenging and fascinating as their other classics。 The afterword by Boris Strugatsky is particularly fascinating， revealing a romp that slowly but surely sours into something darker and sadder and angrier。 As polemicists， the Strugatskys always understood that without a strong narrative any subtext - political or otherwise - means nothing。 It’s a remarkable book 。。。more

Denys Sham ，

As I said， reading brothers' bibliography in chronological order is a very time-consuming joy。 But rather fancy than boring。The first period （everything before this book） is a happy traveling into Soviet space utopia。 Brave tovarishch leading other spacemen to explore Venus。 For sure， to expand outer space communism。The second period is endless "doubting" on a political vector that country is going。 With hidden criticism， bible references， and inner demons。And the final period （starting from Roa As I said， reading brothers' bibliography in chronological order is a very time-consuming joy。 But rather fancy than boring。The first period （everything before this book） is a happy traveling into Soviet space utopia。 Brave tovarishch leading other spacemen to explore Venus。 For sure， to expand outer space communism。The second period is endless "doubting" on a political vector that country is going。 With hidden criticism， bible references， and inner demons。And the final period （starting from Roadside Picnic） is a complete letdown， disappointment， and despair。This is the first "serious" book by brothers about Earth scientists who went to the Mideevel-like planet。 This crook business aims to anonymously guide folks， avoiding mistakes （that humans did in their history）。 It started good， but the more Earth intruders got deep into a foreign culture， the harder it was to stay neutral。It's hard to get all the allusions and senses that brothers put into this book。 The main coward Don Reba is an identical twin to Lavrentiy Beria （ideologist of Stalin's terror）。 The combination of hell happening on the planet and distant peace on Earth makes the atmosphere nearly identical to Soviet Russia （with tales of happy communism， and Khrushchev saying that Soviet painters are faggots）。To be honest， I think this is the first book on the list that I truly think is worth reading。 Thinking that brothers made an international masterpiece living in a communist ghetto makes me think how genius they were。 。。。more

Marius Plečkaitis ，

knyga flirtuoja su komunizmu ir sykiu vogčiom jį kritikuoja。 kaip elgtųsi mokslo ir kultūros atsikandęs， su lazerių fizika susipažinęs žmogus viduramžių visuomenėje？ kokia aukštesnio išsivystymo lygio civilizacijos rolė kitų pasaulių augime？ kas yra moralu stebėtojui， ar stebėti ir kontroliuoti ar nekontroliuoti！ apskritai yra geras pasirinkimas？ knyga nukalta su gerais filosofiniais opusais， tik pasigedau tikslesnio ir gilesnio viduramžių pasaulio išpildymo （aišku， jei palyginsim šių dienų info knyga flirtuoja su komunizmu ir sykiu vogčiom jį kritikuoja。 kaip elgtųsi mokslo ir kultūros atsikandęs， su lazerių fizika susipažinęs žmogus viduramžių visuomenėje？ kokia aukštesnio išsivystymo lygio civilizacijos rolė kitų pasaulių augime？ kas yra moralu stebėtojui， ar stebėti ir kontroliuoti ar nekontroliuoti！ apskritai yra geras pasirinkimas？ knyga nukalta su gerais filosofiniais opusais， tik pasigedau tikslesnio ir gilesnio viduramžių pasaulio išpildymo （aišku， jei palyginsim šių dienų informacijos kiekį ir prieinamumą ir tarybų sąjungos enciklopedijas prieš penkiasdešimt metų。。。）。 taip pat šiek tiek nuvylė finalas， bet čia iš tos serijos， kai kūrinys savaime stiprus， ir kažkokių Ooo iš pabaigos reikalauti nederėtų。 šiaip smagus， originalus kūrinys， iš esmės must-readas。 。。。more

Dina Boukhchtaber ，

For many years， being Strugastky brothers one of my favorite authors of all times， this novel was probably one of my least favorites。 I blame it on the fact that I read it as a child， expecting mystery and new planets and weird alien species and space travel and what I got instead what an incredibly human story。 With time， starting to enjoy historical fiction， I felt much more compelled to return to it with mature eyes and having done it so， today， I can say I was left completely encaptivated an For many years， being Strugastky brothers one of my favorite authors of all times， this novel was probably one of my least favorites。 I blame it on the fact that I read it as a child， expecting mystery and new planets and weird alien species and space travel and what I got instead what an incredibly human story。 With time， starting to enjoy historical fiction， I felt much more compelled to return to it with mature eyes and having done it so， today， I can say I was left completely encaptivated and emotional after reading it。 It's premise is simple。 Set in the 'noon world'， where humanity has reached the utopic social evolutionary stage， where a technological advancement met a brightening of minds and humanistic life purposes， men now travel to planets with civilizations less advanced then our Earth， to infiltrate as part of their society and protect the minds that need protection and help nudge the civilization into social progress。 Through the book we are faced with multiple conversations between men like Rumata， who is an Earthman posing as a powerful noble， and the natives of this world， both those who were born ahead of times， filled with ideas and inventions， and those who are still trapped into the filthy， ignorant and passive mindsets of their times。 This is a wonderful philosophical essay， hidden among a very straightforward conversation， delivering what I feel science fiction and fantasy do best， the raw nature of the most obvious of truths， without trying to hide behind a pretentious writing style。 This is a glimpse into ourselves， into the ugliest truths of our society， of our beliefs， of our history and our present。 Beautiful， heartfelt and honest， the novel deserves all the love and praise it gets and more， and remains just as relevant today as when published nearly 60 years ago。 5/5 stars。P。S。 Read the Olena Bormashenko translation of this book （I have read it in Russian， so I cannot say if this translation is best， but based on what many people say I will take this as a consensus and recommend it as well） 。。。more

Shatterlings ，

I liked this interesting take on the traveller to an alternative universe trope， though I didn’t get how the prologue relates to the story until the very end， I don’t know if that was meant to be clear earlier。

Ewelina ，

2。5

Melike Davasli ，

Çok parlak bir fikir üzerine kurgulanmış olsa da hikayenin içine giremedim。

Martin Iguaran ，

La novela transcurre en un planeta anclado en la Edad Media。 Con las descripciones de la corte y las costumbres， bien podríamos encontrarnos en la Francia del siglo XV。 Pero no es la Tierra， es otro planeta y nuestro protagonista-esto se aclara desde el principio-es un científico de la Tierra， enviado para observar el desarrollo de esa sociedad e intentar influir para hacerla avanzar más rápido。 Tiene un tópico común a otras obras de los Strugatsky， y es que no se puede obligar a la sociedad a a La novela transcurre en un planeta anclado en la Edad Media。 Con las descripciones de la corte y las costumbres， bien podríamos encontrarnos en la Francia del siglo XV。 Pero no es la Tierra， es otro planeta y nuestro protagonista-esto se aclara desde el principio-es un científico de la Tierra， enviado para observar el desarrollo de esa sociedad e intentar influir para hacerla avanzar más rápido。 Tiene un tópico común a otras obras de los Strugatsky， y es que no se puede obligar a la sociedad a avanzar más rápido que el ritmo histórico: si nos presentamos ante un hombre de las cavernas con un helicóptero， por más que intentemos explicarlo pensará que somos dioses。 Algo similar sucede en la novela。 Además， hay un sub-texto de crítica política en el personaje del villano principal， cuyo apellido recuerda a un personaje muy oscuro de la URSS。 ¡Muy recomendable！ 。。。more

Rafal Jasinski ，

"Piknik na skraju drogi" i "Poniedziałek zaczyna się w sobotę" nieco osłabiły mój entuzjazm do nieznanej mi wcześniej twórczości braci Strugackich。 Lektura "Trudno być bogiem" przynosi diametralną zmianę。 Ta książka nie ma słabego punktu。 Znakomity pomysł wyjściowy - historyk Anton， przedstawiciel naszej cywilizacji （na wyższym niż obecnie poziomie technologicznym i ideowym） zostaje wysłany na odległą planetę， której mieszkańcy są na etapie rozwoju mniej więcej ziemskiego średniowiecza。 Jego rol "Piknik na skraju drogi" i "Poniedziałek zaczyna się w sobotę" nieco osłabiły mój entuzjazm do nieznanej mi wcześniej twórczości braci Strugackich。 Lektura "Trudno być bogiem" przynosi diametralną zmianę。 Ta książka nie ma słabego punktu。 Znakomity pomysł wyjściowy - historyk Anton， przedstawiciel naszej cywilizacji （na wyższym niż obecnie poziomie technologicznym i ideowym） zostaje wysłany na odległą planetę， której mieszkańcy są na etapie rozwoju mniej więcej ziemskiego średniowiecza。 Jego rolą jest obserwacja społeczeństwa i analiza prądów historycznych。 Jakakolwiek poważniejsza Ingerencja i ujawnienie istnienia innej cywilizacji oraz swojego pochodzenia są （w zasadzie） zakazane。。。Mimo， iż dzięki przewadze technologicznej i naukowej udaje mu się ustawić się w roli otoczonego szacunkiem i posiadającego znaczące wpływy szlachcica， wszelkie próby zainicjowania przełomu， który przyniósł by oświecenie i wyrwałby autochtonów z "mroków średniowiecza"， tłamszone są przez małostkowość， egoizm i podłość rządzących a z drugiej strony przez zasadniczy brak wyższych ideałów i ponad przyziemnych pragnień u rządzonych。 Władza przechodzi z rąk do rąk a wszelcy pojawiający się wolnomyśliciele， innowatorzy， filozofowie czy naukowcy - którym mimo nałożonych nań ograniczeń Anton （Don Rumata） próbuje pomagać - niszczeni są przez ten czy inny system， oskarżani o czary i wywrotowe myśli。。。 Giną w lochach， na stosach， ich dzieła trawi ogień i zapomnienie。Książka pesymistyczna， acz niesamowita。 Ukazująca bezsilność jednostki - mimo jej teoretycznej przewagi technologicznej i znajomości mechanizmów historii - wobec najgorszych i najbardziej prymitywnych zapędów ludzkich， chciwości， pychy， krótkowzroczności i drzemiącego niemal w każdym zła。 Od "Trudno być bogiem" trudno się oderwać。 Uwodzi stylem， atmosferą i znakomicie nakreślonymi postaciami， z miotanym wątpliwościami， coraz bardziej zgorzkniałym Don Rumatą / Antonem na czele。 Polecam gorąco！ 。。。more

Olena ，

An unexpectedly touching schi-fi story。Strugatsky brothers were geniuses。

José Díaz-Bahamonde ，

Un reflexión sobre la naturaleza de la evolución social， el desarrollo y la superación de la barbarie。 El protagonista es un observador de una civilización avanzada que convive en un mundo medieval que se sumerge en la violencia y el oscurantismo。 La novela es un debate ético sobre la validez de intervenir o no en el proceso observado， y sobre qué es el bien y el mal。 Me costó leerla por los nombres rusos y por algunos giros en la redacción， pero es es un problema personal。 Recomendable。

Michael Tkach ，

It turns out that it really is hard to be a god！ A scientist is deeply embedded， posing as an arrogant noble， on another world that is at the start of its own dark ages。 Intellectuals， book worms and other artistic types are being killed to pave way for a docile population that wont resist the hard boot of the fascist theocracy on the way。What's a good communist to do？ It turns out that it really is hard to be a god！ A scientist is deeply embedded， posing as an arrogant noble， on another world that is at the start of its own dark ages。 Intellectuals， book worms and other artistic types are being killed to pave way for a docile population that wont resist the hard boot of the fascist theocracy on the way。What's a good communist to do？ 。。。more

Drew Caveney-holler ，

weak 4。 well written and interesting concepts

Murray ，

Bilimkurgu edebiyatının en bilinen eeserlerinden biri olmanın ötesinde gerçek bir modern klasik Zor Şey Tanrı Olmak。 Odağına aldığı çokça felsefi soru ve sosyal sorun bugün de bütün canlılığı ve aciliyeti ile ortada; otoriterizm， sosyal yozlaşma， cehaletin yüceltilmesi， toplumun genelinin duyarsızlığı。。。 Rusça baskısı 1964 yılında yapılmış， ama kitap bu yönüyle hala çok güncel。 Aynı zamanda etkileyici bir metin Zor Şey Tanrı Olmak。 Yazarlar biz Roumata karakterinin odağından olayları izler ve ka Bilimkurgu edebiyatının en bilinen eeserlerinden biri olmanın ötesinde gerçek bir modern klasik Zor Şey Tanrı Olmak。 Odağına aldığı çokça felsefi soru ve sosyal sorun bugün de bütün canlılığı ve aciliyeti ile ortada; otoriterizm， sosyal yozlaşma， cehaletin yüceltilmesi， toplumun genelinin duyarsızlığı。。。 Rusça baskısı 1964 yılında yapılmış， ama kitap bu yönüyle hala çok güncel。 Aynı zamanda etkileyici bir metin Zor Şey Tanrı Olmak。 Yazarlar biz Roumata karakterinin odağından olayları izler ve karakterin gelişimi/değişimini takip ederken kaçınılmaz sona gidişi bize hep hissttiriyorlar; 'şu ana kadar herşey yolunda'。 。。。more

Dustin Riccio ，

You know it's hard out here for a godWhen he tryin' to help Arkanar progressyou know this place is just a disgusting messBecause that done reba is a horrible fraudYou know it's hard out here for a godWhen he tryin' to help Arkanar progressyou know this place is just a disgusting messgonna have to duck the gray shirt squadIn my eyes I done seen some crazy thangs working for the institute You know it's hard out here for a godWhen he tryin' to help Arkanar progressyou know this place is just a disgusting messBecause that done reba is a horrible fraudYou know it's hard out here for a godWhen he tryin' to help Arkanar progressyou know this place is just a disgusting messgonna have to duck the gray shirt squadIn my eyes I done seen some crazy thangs working for the institute 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hard to Be a God

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hard to Be a God&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hard to Be a God&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0