Alexander BelayevBesprekingen

Fantastický, příběh, který byl sice vývojem, Gagarinovým vzletem do vesmíru, zatím překonán, ale nepozbyl tím zajímavosti pro mladé čtenáře-zájemce o astronautiku; podložen odbornými znalostmi líčí přípravy meziplanetárního letu, jímž chce několik kapitalistů uniknout spravedlivým důsledkům na Zemi probíhající socialistické revoluce, i jeho průběh a pobyt prvních astronautů na Venuši..

Fantastický román, který je možno označit jako „horror“. V chirurgické laboratoři, tajena před veřejností, stojí pod skleněným poklopem hlava, která napojena na živné roztoky žije a myslí. Nová asistentka laboratoře v ní poznává hlavu svého zemřelého profesora. Jednou, chtíc rozřešit znepokojující záhadu, otevře zapovězený ventil a hlava promluví. A to je začátek neuvěřitelných událostí..

`Quién pensaría que un incidente de tan poca importancia decidiría mi destino! En aquel tiempo yo era soltero y vivía en la casa de los colaboradores científicos. En uno de los atardeceres primaverales de Leningrado, estaba yo sentado en la ventana abierta de mi habitación y admiraba los árboles del boulevar, cubiertos de pelusa verde claro. Los pisos superiores de las casas ardían en los rayos pajizos del crepúsculo, mientras los bajos se sumergían en azules sombras.`

`El trasatlántico se llamaba Leviatán y, desde luego, tenía derecho a llamarse así. Era una verdadera ciudad flotante con calles, parques, plazas, cines y teatros, salas de conciertos, surtidores y piscinas, campos de deportes y jardines invernaderos con plantas tropicales. Por las mullidas alfombras de los corredores se deslizaban silenciosamente bien adiestrados lacayos de uniforme. En las puertas de los camarotes, paredes y paneles recubiertos de pulida madera roja, relucían los detalles de cobre. Los departamentos ocupados por los viajeros exhalaban un original olor, mezcla de perfumes caros, jabones, cigarros, maletas de cuero y el sutil pero penetrante aliento del océano.`

This was published as part of the Theodore Sturgeon edited Russian Science Fiction series. B/c this series published multiple bks by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky & Vladimir Savchenko's "Self-Discovery", I love the whole shebang - even the ones that don't live up to those just mentioned. Having grown up in the "Cold War" era, it's refreshing to see SF used as an avenue for introducing Russian writing in the US - this bk was from 1980 so it was pretty late in the game, but, still, a valuable internationalist service was performed by SF publishers.

This collection from the early 1950s is of interest to Western readers for two things primarily; an early appearance by the Strugatsky brothers, and the first airing of the thought (now generally discredited, even amongst sf fans) that the Tunguska event of 1905 might have been an exploding alien spacecraft. That this particular story (the title story, by Alexander Kazantsev) is written in an exceptionally turgid example of the 'Now tell me, Professor' style, does not help matters.

This book is part of a five volume collection of science fiction stories by the Russian author Alexander Belayev.

This volume includes:
A Leap to Nothingness,
The Golden Mountain.

(note: I couldn't find the names of the stories in English, so I translated them myself)

This book is part of a five volume collection of science fiction stories by the Russian author Alexander Belayev.

This volume includes:
The Man who Lost his Face,
The Inventions of Proffesor Wagner,
Amba,
Hoiti-Toiti,
The Instinct of the Ancients,
Blind Flight,
Open, Sesame!,
Mister Laughter,
Neither Life nor Death.

(note: I couldn't find the names of the stories in English, so I translated them myself)

This book is part of a five volume collection of science fiction stories by the Russian author Alexander Belayev.

This volume includes:
The Ruler of the World,
Ariel.

(note: I couldn't find the names of the stories in English, so I translated them myself)

This book is part of a five volume collection of science fiction stories by the Russian author Alexander Belayev.

This volume includes:
The Amphibian,
The Last Man of Atlantis
and two short stories.

(note: I couldn't find the names of the stories in English, so I translated them myself)

This book is part of a five volume collection of science fiction stories by the Russian author Alexander Belayev.

This volume includes:
A short biography of Alexander Belayev,
Proffesor Dowell's Head,
The Island of Wrecked Ships.

(note: I couldn't find the names of the stories in English, so I translated them myself)

Read.½