This is the last novel of the trilogy by this famous Russian author. Fascinating, fast-paced action brings the reader into the mystical world where ancient and modern world converge.

This well-written book vividly illustrates the various aspects of urban life in Saint Petersburg before World War I. The photographs are stunning. They help the reader see the great contrasts between the various classes of Petersburg's people. While one might enjoy the fine views of the city's palaces and pictures of the Tsars and other members of the upper classes, the vivid pictures of the city's flophouses (dross houses) remind the reader of the hideous gap between the rich and the poor classes. This book is a must read for history buffs who want to see what life was like in pre-World War I Russia. It is entirely suitable for the family--the pictures will surely grab the attention of school-age children, while the older readers will enjoy the highly readable texts which accompany the photographs. The last photograph in this book is quite poignant. It shows Tsar Nicholas II at the balcony of his palace at the start of Russia's participation in World War I. One can tell, from Nicholas' face, that his decision to participate in that war would be, in the end, a fatal one. World War I would help hasten the end of the Russian monarchy and the coming of the Soviet regime.

These radio episodes have an effective way of keeping the listener at the edge of their seat. Lucille Ball's performance was no exception. Here, she comes out of the ditsy housewife roles she's so famous for and plays a conniving seducing witch who will stop at nothing to get her way. I highly recommend listening to these with the lights turned off or down low.

This is a non-measure theoretic treatment of probability whose scope is similar to the first volume of Feller. Although each topic begins with a few simple but insightful examples, what they result is somewhat in-depth discussion. There are minor problems in writing and editing, but I found none so serious. This is another amazing Russian mathematics book that begins at an elementary level but ends with some real treatment, and this book is totally accessible to those who did not rigorously study analysis or measure theory. Highly recommend this to those who seriously desire to study probability.

What is also apparent as a feature of this book is that Gnedenko often notes the details of history. He spends a 70-page-appendix for this purpose besides many little footnotes. The author often integrates historical evidences as a part of the treatment. I believe one still benefits a lot from this historical notes, even if already familiar with the subject.

This book has chapters on the author's specialty topics: limit theorems and infinitely divisible distributions. This book also has a chapter on stochastic processes and elements of statistics, the latter which Feller's first volume does not touch. However, these brief treatments are only for introductions to each subject.

This is the best book in my collection. I read it over and over again, and it is The Wellspring of Good for every person who reads it. It brings me closer to the Master and the Truth. In reading this book, you can feel that it is indeed food for the soul.

This is a really nice book on the Slav. I find myself using it more than Sadler's book. It has 76 well-annotated games, a great introductory chapter on ideas of the Slav, and a nice index of variations at the end. The whole thing is just very well-done. The authors are "two Siberian masters" who really know their stuff, and are quite intense about it.

{Based on the English translation from the Russian original, which several reviewers have said is a quite credible representation...} A friend insisted we get out of our mystery thriller rut and read a book he described as science fantasy. Having never read anything sci-fi, this was quite an adventure! Things get going quickly with an interesting premise: extra-terrestrials have apparently visited earth (for a picnic) and left behind many unusual items, of which the earthlings have little or no clue of their origin or intended purpose. The items become hot commodities, and despite the danger in retrieving them from "The Zone", a massive black market arises, enough to propel the lives of the characters in the story.

The plot mostly traces the life of one "stalker", Red Schuhart, who goes after this stuff at various periods over several years. While the storyline is not really a nice tidy recounting of how he starts out and how he ends up, it provides a very allegorical account of the oppressive conditions in Soviet Russia (early 1970's). Indeed, the real meat of the book is the discussion of issues about life and freedom expressed indirectly through tracing the development of the lead characters.

The book is not really a typical sci-fi thriller that entertains with weird beings, strange places, and made-up gimmicks. Rather, this is a thought-provoking probe of a (to us) foreign way of living and a controlling society that governs everyday social interaction. That the authors could pull this off 30-some years ago, in a tightly censored environment, makes the book all the more amazing. For sure not a light reading session, "Roadside Picnic" may not entertain as much as some might like, particularly with the fairly abrupt ending, but insight into the human condition awaits.

It was the first book of A.& B.Strugatsky I've read when I was 16. After that I have re-read it 5 or 6 times... Brilliant thing about the meaning of life, about the place of human being, about happiness and despair. We, Russians, use to call this style "social phantasy", not SF. You can understand this, if you understand in what country this book was written. Developing the theme of postcommunist society, authors have created their own world, and you can find a lot of analogies and heroes that are common for some other books of them. Yes, Picnic is one of the best, but don't stop - there are other exciting works...

If you know how to read, read this. If not, have someone read it to you. In the everspreading ocean of modern day sci-fi, this stands out on too many levels to mention here. Its more than great sci-fi, more than a skillfully and wonderfully written book, more than an amazing adventure, more than a deep insight into the very depths of human nature. Its just more. Believe someone who has read a lot of sci-fi in several languages: this is the ultimate of world science fiction. If you can read it in Russian, obviously do so; if you can't, read it in English or any other language you understand. And if possible, make it a point to find other books by these wonderful people, for these books belong to the rare category of books that will change the way you perceive the world forever.

There are rare occurences where a movie outshines the story on which it is based, such as with Bladerunner or 2001. In that vein, I have to give Charles Beaumont, Twilight Zone veteran and screenwriter for the film "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao", some real credit, as he completely transcended the source. Seeing the movie and then reading this book... well, there's no comparison.

I know that Charles Finney's novel "The Circus of Dr. Lao" is a cult classic and loved by many, but I have to offer the other side of the coin, as the book was a huge disappointment to me. The basic plot has a mysterious asian man appearing in the town of Abalone, AZ, to put on the strangest circus the residents have ever seen. Far from being populated by clowns, acrobats, and animals, Dr. Lao's circus is full of mythological beasts that provide insight into human nature. We are introduced to a cast of cardboard locals who, while serving as a vehicle to introduce the oddities of the circus they attend, play no worthwhile part in the story. Finney's writing style is uneven in the extreme - there are a few bits of brilliance that completely overshadow the predominantly unpolished text. It's almost as if the book is a collection of notes for what would have been a much larger novel, and it could be a work of art if expanded upon and given some direction. As the story is only ~100 pages, expansion would have been appreciated instead of the pointless appendix of characters, creatures, items, and study questions (!) which is oddly in-depth for a story with such lightweight content. The ending of the story is very abrupt and has no real explanation. Nothing is solved, and there is no conclusion: did anyone learn anything from their encounters? We never know.

As a final note, think twice before throwing this one at your kids: this is not a book for children, and while some of the situations may seem somewhat tame by today's trash novel standards, it's obvious that the objective was to titillate readers in 1938. So, if you want something with real focus and a message, I recommend that you view the movie "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao" instead of reading the source material. The only reason I hold on to this book is because of my love for the movie, as well as the beautiful illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff.

A definite must-read for anyone who appreciates real literature.

This is a truly fantastic book. It's amazing that something written so many years ago can make such an engaging read today. The relevance and staying power of this intriguing book is a testament to the author's brilliance. In fact, there are few contemporary American authors I have read that can match Finney's skill and mastery of the English language. The subtleties in the dialogues, the multi-faceted characters, and Finney's brilliant economy of words make it difficult to put this book down.

The story is a timeless one, it is set in an unknown small Arizona town but Finney brings the events magically to life.

I found this a brilliant work that doesn't necessarily fit the modern science fiction genre. It's a refreshing and intellectual break from tired "classics" like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

I first read "The Circus of Dr. Lao" as a teenager and it's characters and events have stayed in my mind all these years. I'm very pleased to see it in print again, and I hope to see more of Finney's works on the shelves soon. He obviously deserves to take his place among the "greats" of American literature.

It is difficult to describe the wonder of this book. It is a short book of a little over a hundred pages. The category that it has been sold under is science fiction. The book has no plot but tells of a strange circus setting up in a small town. The owner of the circus Dr Lao is a Chinese man who changes between being a strange 1920's racist caricature to a person of the clear flowing oratory.

The book develops as the residents of the small town visit each of the exhibits. Each exhibit opens up a world of magic. The author attempts to satirise the residents of the town by contrasting their mundaneness with a world of passion and mystery.

The one exception to this is a dialogue between a sea monster and an office clerk. The sea monster is so large that it could destroy any other creature with a flip of its tale. Its power is dwarfed by the power of the clerk who is unremarkable but representative of the power of humanity as a collective mass.

The climax to the book is one of the most humours pieces of writing in science fiction. This book is now sadly out of print and will probably never be published again. Yet it is a work that deserves to endure for ever.

Excellent, well written thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night. The dialogue was terrific, if you don't care much for dialogue tags. As great as the tale was, however, I saw the end coming from about mid-book. Little innocuous details given are sometimes good for foreshadowing, but a huge, gaping hole that gets left uncovered is kind of hard to overlook.

Also, did anyone notice the shocking similarities to Thomas Harris' Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs? The Killer hanged one of his victims exactly like in "Silence," Red's marital woes, exactly like in "Red Dragon," the leaving of the silver spoon in the victim's mouths (In "Silence" it was a butterfly).

Anyway... this was a fantastic, intelligent read.

I first bought Boris Starling's "Storm", and liked it a lot. I then began looking for other books by Boris Starling and came across "Messiah". I don't know how people could go around bashing this book. I found it very educational and suspenseful. This book was about Detective Red Metcalfe following the blood trail of a serial killer. Although Red didn't have any likeable attributes, it didn't hamper the plot any. I felt that this book was a clever thriller that made the reader think and try to piece it all together. I didn't suspect the killer until the last minute. I had to read it again to pick up the little clues that the author left throughout the book. Overall I thought this was a very well written book, and that Boris Starling is a very talented writer.

Wow-whatta book! I didnt know exactly what to expect from this book....never read anything from the writer before so I was a bit wary. The first chapter easily took away any doubts that I wouldnt enjoy this book. A well-written and fast-paced book-good luck trying to put the book down and heading to bed! ;) There are some prerequisite ploit twists and turns....but very good and effective ones at least! I was most impressed by the authors effectiveness when it camr to the killer and all of his specificies......I was truly impressed at how intelligent and intruiging the crimes were and even more so when you find out just what the killers pattern is. Overall, this is one of the best books I've read all year, and definitely the best thriller! :O)

...the book itself, it is brilliantly written and skillfully translated. Masterfully developed plot kept my attention and the protagonist, Fandorin, is one of the most memorable characters in contemporary literature. The book has philosophical depth and humor, romance and mystery, lovable villains and laughable heroes, deceit and honor, greed and loyalty. In other words - a perfect novel. If you are very selective of what you read, it is the book for you. Enjoy it and recommend to your friends. And did I mention that it is perfectly suitable for older children and book clubs.

I can't speak for an English translation. From a couple of pages I read, it does seem that it does not give the book its justice.

Akunin is a wonderful writer in Russian, and the first one in the long time who created wonderful stories that are both enterteining and intellectual. Other books in the series are great. They do a great justice to the world of pre-revolutionary russia as seen through the modern eyes. Each novel has a different theme (one of the follow ups is based on anti-tzar terrorists active in 19th Russian -- the subject rarely discussed in Russian literature either contemporary or modern).

Definetely worth a read.

I read this book in Russian (I read all of Akunin's book about Fandorin). He is one of the best writers Russia has to offer right now. He is intelligent, writes with such great detail, that you'd think he lived in 1800's Russia. All of the books continue as Fandorin grows up, and becomes better at what he does. His methods, while common nowdays, are brand new to that era and generations. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the likes of Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, etc.

Also, a good book to learn about Czarist Russian.