The Heart of the Serpent: Soviet Science Fiction [Paperback]

Ivan Yefremov (Author), Strugatsky Arkady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2002

Professor Ivan Yefremov (born 1907) is well known both as a tireless fossil hunter and a talented science-fiction writer. His fantasy ranges between the mysteries of times long bygone and the distant future. His novels include The Land of Foam, where the scene is set in ancient Egypt and Greece, and the world-renowned Andromeda, in which his fantasy roams two thousand years ahead. The Heart of the Serpent, given in this volume, was written in 1959. Its subject is related to that of Andromeda. Anatoly Dnieprov (born 1919), the author of Siema, which he wrote in 1958, is a distinguished physicist who works at an institute of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. His first book appeared in 1946. His favorite subject is cybernetics - its amazing achievements to date and its breathtaking potentialities. Scientific authenticity is a salient feature of his writings. Victor Separin (born 1905), a journalist by profession, is editor of the Soviet popular geographic magazine Around the World. His fiction, which treats of present-day scientific and technical problems, is amazingly realistic. In this volume he is represented by The Trial of Tantalus, a story dealing with prospects of microbiology. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, authors of The Six Matches, are frequent contributors to Soviet popular science periodicals. Few readers know, however, that the two brothers are not professional writers. Boris Strugatsky (born 1933) is an astronomer and works at the computer laboratory of Pulknovo Observatory. Arkady (born 1925) is a linguist and translator specializing in Japanese. Valentina Zhuravleva (born 1933) is a comparatively recent graduate of the Azerbaijan Medical Institute. She was probably prompted to try her hand at scientific fiction by the almost fantastic possibilities offering in the field of medicine. The bold flights of fancy in her scientific thinking make her stories particularly noteworthy. Bio-automation is the theme of her Stone from the Stars, written in

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410100413
• ISBN-13: 978-1410100412
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,222,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun little stories, December 18, 2007

By 

Ingolf Lewis - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of the Serpent: Soviet Science Fiction (Paperback)

Science fiction does not tend to age well, but these five Soviet era authors wrote stories in 1958 and 1959 that are fun and shockingly relevant to today. Easy and fun to read.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic soviet short story collection, May 4, 2009

By 

Jari Aalto (Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of the Serpent: Soviet Science Fiction (Paperback)

In this collection of Soviet Science Fiction Short Stories, the main story, Heart of Serpent describes an alien First Contact. The two spaceship crews meet and speculations about the motives are in turmoil. Is the other party hostile? Should the destroy all space charts to prevent invading the home planet? In the end harmony is found and information exchange can be initiated.

The other stories deal with lots of paleontology and speculation of earth being visited some 70 million years ago, when the distance to the core of milky way was at the closest. A dead dinosaur's bone sliced to pretty pieces and an artifact, holographic face figure frozen in crystal alloy seems to indicate that way.

One (1) star. These short stories are product of their time. Mysteries of times long bygone and the distant future. The reader can almost touch the archaic and nostalgic science from the sentences and stories that remind about Buck Rogers (an important part of American pop culture of the 1930's). In contrast, the soviet version here is rooted in solid science. One can admire the spirit of these pioneers, but it needs a hobbyist to appreciate these dusted SF wheels.