Search Results

They don't bring anyone to Earth. The persons of interest — scientists, astronomers, medics, artisans, poets, you name it — are not sent to Earth. They are re-routed to kingdoms that value their respe …

We don't know whether it was an arbalest or a crossbow. To quote (for the lack of a better source) Wikipedia: A large weapon, the arbalest had a steel prod ("bow"). Emphasis mine Taking that as the …

The original Russian version does not use any made-up or composite word for "anisotropic". "Anisotropic" is a real world present in English language; it is used in science, as well as technology. Brit …

Not really, unless you're willing to allow a lot of stretches and assumptions. We could scrape a motivation for Arata to have ordered the abduction. Firstly, it could be argued he had the motive: he h …

Original Authorial Intent: "Three Musketeers"-ish pre-Age-of-Discovery kinda-Spain-cum-Russia-or-France (sans muskets). Based on Boris Strugatsky's "Commentaries to the past" (which comments on mos …

All three of them are trying to seem more grown up than they really are. Running from their boarding school? With crossbows blazing? That doesn't sound like trying to be more grown up than they reall …

SPOILERS AHEAD! This answer may contain spoilers including hints to the major plot points of the book; sprinkled all over. References: all Beria facts below are basically from Russian Beria Wiki page …

First of all, as is usual with user-generated content, Wikipedia has glaring errors here. Here's what English Wikipedia page that caused you to ask the question says: Without Weapons (Без оружия, …

The subsequent text pretty clearly provides the context; and it's the one you suggested ("after they kill me for possessing it") — Напугал... Вам приходилось когда-нибудь жечь собственных детей? Что …

I interpreted the scene with the highway and the skeleton as a subtle bit of foreshadowing. It'll take some inference to get there, so bear with me if you will. The highway is the progress of history …

In the context of the Soviet Union, which is where the book was written and where the framing story is presumably taking place, a “fascist” is someone from the Axis, an enemy in a war that had an espe …

I would say this depends on the particular agent we're talking about. For some, I admit, being placed might be very difficult (see Don Condor), but for others solutions may be trivial. Bribery Ea …

Arbalest IS a type of crossbow with steel "bow". Wiki article for "арбалет" in English it is translated as "crossbow" - it seems that Russian language uses the name of specific type of crossbow as a g …

I've found a fragment of interview with Boris Strugatsky (in Polish) The relevant fragment: Our shallow look at the progressors and their ideas have been replaced with something deeper [...].Huma …