The Doomed City

By: Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky, Andrew Bromfield - Translator

Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are widely considered the greatest of Russian science fiction masters, yet the novel they worked hardest on, the one that was their own favorite and that listeners worldwide have acclaimed their magnum opus, has never before been published in English. The Doomed City was so politically risky that the Strugatskys kept its existence a secret even from their closest friends for 16 years. It was only published in Russia during perestroika in the late 1980s, the last of their works to see publication.

The Doomed City is set in an experimental city whose sun gets switched on in the morning and off at night, a city bordered by an abyss on one side and an impossibly high wall on the other. Its inhabitants are people plucked from 20th-century history at various times and places and left to govern themselves under conditions established by Mentors whose purpose seems inscrutable.

Andrei Voronin, a young astronomer taken from Leningrad in the 1950s, is a die-hard believer in the Experiment, even though his first job in the city is as a garbage collector. As increasingly nightmarish scenarios begin to affect the city, Voronin rises through the political hierarchy, with devastating effect.

©2016 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Amazing book

This book was amazing probably my favorite one from The Great Strugatsky brothers. The performance from the narrator was top notch, a highly recommend it.

Great Book

A great book if you're a fan of the authors but please skip the introduction as it contains minor spoilers.

still amazing

when you fall under the spell of these brothers writing, you'll search out everything available. smart strong thoughtful witty biting and fun. This novel in particular is layered and although it has a timestamp of cold war era in the background, still feels fresh and relevant in the current world environment.

shocked!

this book took me so long to finish but it was worth it! love the Strugatsky’s so much!

I would have enjoyed it at 22

The Doomed City is brilliant. But I found it so damn boring. The first half was intriguing and engaging but then it went on and on and on. The real "problem" is that as a 21st century nihilist, I didn't find anything new in it. Ten years ago, when I was 22 and confused by moral relativism, I would have loved every second of it.

The narrator has a tough job getting the accents right and he acquits himself admirably. Unfortunately, he doesn't manage to do so while keeping the voices significantly different. When characters were from anywhere in Eastern Europe they sounded the same. Ditto Asia and America.

rad book

I really liked "a roadside picnic" so I decided to listen to this since they share the same author. it's a good book but I feel that the ideological conversations can be a bit long winded but not unusual for the main character.