Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy

Well! That was NOT at all what I expected! I expected light and funny and simple...This was SO dark and complicated and sad!

To be honest, after my first watch, I wasn't entirely sure how I actually felt about A Town Called Mercy, and after seeing a few tweets and messages after it aired, it would appear that this episode is either completely love or completely hate...and there's a LOT of hate for it!

I do understand why--The message has been done again and again--but, thankfully, I've decided that I'm in the other camp.
I pretty much loved A Town Called Mercy.

HOWEVER!
It did have it's flaws...and many of them. It definitely wasn't a perfect episode.

For one-- Amy and Rory.
Um...why were they needed, exactly? They didn't do much of anything. At least not until Amy brought the Doctor back down to earth, which I'll get to in my recap.

Second--As mentioned above, the moral of the story has been don SO many times in Doctor Who. "I'm a monster, just like you are". Yeah, we get it. Why do they feel the need to keep reminding us of this?

Third--The western thing. It might just be me, but that felt so awkward. I LOVE westerns, but maybe they're not for Doctor Who. ;)


Okay! Lets get to it, shall we?

We begin with a voice over. A woman tells of her favourite story as a child, about a man who lived forever and fell from the stars.

We then see what appears to be a cyborg killing a man. The man asks if he's the 'last one'. The cyborg answers that there's one more. "The Doctor'.
Aaaaand, cue the opening sequence!
(This week the logo looks like an old wooden wall! Did you notice?)

The Doctor, Amy and Rory are in a town called, surprisingly, Mercy!
Although they were apparently supposed to be in Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations.

After the Doctor meets the townsfolk and gives his name, the react rather...oddly...and kick him out of the town. At gunpoint.
Luckily the Marshall comes along and puts things right...but not before we catch a glimpse of that same cyborg we saw in the opening.

The Marshall explains that the cyborg--The Gunslinger--showed up one day and won't let anyone (with food, I guess?) in or out of the town.
The Gunslinger wants 'the alien Doctor'....but not OUR alien Doctor.
The new Doctor, Kahler Jex, crashed just outside of Mercy, and he stayed on as the town Doctor.
He saved the town from a cholera breakout, and gave them electricity. The Marshall seems quite fond of his Doctor, and keeps him safe from the Gunslinger.

The Doctor has a plan to get to the TARDIS, load the town inside, and take everyone to safety.
With Rory and the Marshall playing decoy, the Doctor borrows a horse--a boy horse named Susan--and heads--not to the TARDIS, as planned, but where else? To the crashed spaceship!

Back at the Marshall's office, Jex and Amy have a bonding moment...which pretty much gave away some of the plot.
Did everyone guess that Jex had made the Gunslinger when Amy asked if he was a father?
Yeah? Me too.

The Doctor causes the alarm to go off in the spaceship, and when Jex realizes that the plan has changed, he gets rather upset.
He pulls a gun on Amy--to use her as a hostage while he tries to escape.
Luckily, the Marshall and Rory return in the nick of time.

Meanwhile, the Doctor enters the ship and sees things that make him...well, very upset. We hear screams coming from the monitor as the computer says that the names of the deceased can be found in the drop down menu.
And yet again, we see Angry, Vengeful Doctor.
Apparently Jex isn't what he seems.
As he exits the ship, the Gunslinger is waiting for him.
The Doctor tells the 'Slinger that he knows what happened. He doesn't understand why he hasn't gone into the town and just killed Jex.
The Gunslinger has an issue with killing innocents, and that's what's kept him out.
But now, he's done. The next person to step over the line will be killed.

The Doctor returns to Mercy, and he's VERY cross with Jex.
Have I mentioned yet how amazing Matt Smith plays the Doctor? He absolutely terrifies me when he's angry!

He explains to the Marshall, Amy and Rory that Jex experimented on people during a war and made them into cyborgs. Into killing machines.
Jex explains that when the war ended, the cyborgs were shut down--but one must have been damaged.
It hunted down the team that created it and killed them all. All but one. Jex.

Jex then compares himself to the Doctor and the Doctor loses it.
He shoves him out of the town and then PULLS A GUN on Jex!
This is NOT the Doctor we've come to know and love during the last 4 seasons!
This Doctor is much more like his Ninth incarnation. The one who'd just been through the Time War. The one who'd been travelling alone, full of hate and malice and despair and sadness.
The one who (as much as I hate to admit it!) Rose 'fixed' with her kindness and faith in him.
And we see that faith again, in Amy during this exchange--
"This is not how we roll and you know it. What's happened to you, Doctor? When did killing someone become an option?"
"Jex has to answer for his crimes."
"And what then? Are you going to hunt down everyone who's made a gun or a bullet or a bomb?"

"But they keep coming back. Don't you see? Every time I negotiate I try to understand. Well not today, no. Today, I honour the victims first. His, the Master's, the Daleks, all the people who've died because of MY MERCY."
"See, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well listen to me, Doctor, we can't be like him. We have to be better than him."
*long, long pause*
"Amelia Pond."
And, of course, she changes his mind, as she should. She's right.

The Gunslinger enters the town and just as he's about to shoot Jex, the Marshall pushes him out of the way and takes the bullet.
His dying wish is that the Doctor protect Jex and the town.
And so the Doctor becomes the Marshall.
The Gunslinger gives the town until noon the next day to turn over Jex, or he'll kill them all.

Later that night, the Doctor and the prisoner have a talk about the guilt Jex feels and why he fears death...and that's when the Doctor comes up with a plan.
At exactly noon, the Gunslinger enters Mercy.
With the help of decoys and his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor tricks the Gunslinger and Jex escapes to his spaceship--Where he decides to blow himself up rather than put another town and people through what Mercy had to go through.

And the Gunslinger? Well, the Doctor convinces him that he has a....higher calling.
"By the time the Gunslinger arrived, the people of Mercy were used to the strange and the impossible. Where he came from didn't matter.
"As a man once said, 'America is a land of second chances'.
"Do I believe the story? I don't know. My Great-Grandmother must've been a little girl when he arrived. But next time you're in Mercy, ask someone why they don't have a Marshall or a Sheriff or policemen there. 'We got out own arrangement', they'll say. Then they'll smile like they got a secret. like they got their own special angel watchin' out for 'em. Their very own angel who fell...from the stars."

BEST ENDING!!!
Seriously, tears at that ending! SO GOOD!!!
I think that's why I can say I loved A Town Called Mercy. That ending just touched my heart in the exact right way.
Toby Whithouse and his endings! Gah! 'School Reunion' ring any bells? Sobbed my face off! And last seasons, 'The God Complex'? Teary then, too.
So I say, well done, Mr. Whithouse.
It wasn't a PERFECT episode, and it STILL doesn't feel like 'good old' Doctor Who to me...but I loved it all the same.

Now, I'd like to mention a few things that I've had my eye on, and that I promised myself I would mention if they happened again.

1) Christmas.
Christmas has been mentioned in all three episodes so far.
In Asylum of the Daleks, "At long last, it's Christmas! here I am!"
In Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, "Dad, I'm 31. I don't have a Christmas list anymore." (Rory)
In A Town Called Mercy, "Has somebody been peeking at my Christmas list?"
Why? Is Moffat just foreshadowing Clara's appearance? Or is it something more?

2) Flickering lights.
In Asylum of the Daleks, the lights flicker in Amy's dressing room just before she's taken.

In Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, the lights flicker while Brian and Rory are changing the bulb.

In A Town Called Mercy, the lights all flicker, often!

Why? Foreshadowing the Weeping Angels, who we know are making an appearance in the Pond's last episode?
Or, again, something else? Keep an eye out for flickering next week, you guys!

3) Death.
Oswin (we assume) in Asylum.
Solomon in Dinosaurs.
Jex in Mercy.
Why? Foreshadowing a POND death?!? Will there be another death next week?

4) I have NO idea what order the Doctor, Amy and Rory are travelling!
I assumed it was following the episode order, but now I'm not so sure...and honestly, I'm not ever certain it matters.
I just wanted to point it out.

And so!

What questions do we have after this episode?
-IS there a ton of foreshadowing going on?!
-What will happen to the Doctor once the Pond's leave for good if he's already reverting?!
-Will there be another death next week?
-More flickering lights?
-A Christmas mention?

Best Parts:
-That ending. That wonderful, heart-warming ending!
- "I see keep out signs as suggestion rather than orders. like 'dry clean only'."
- "He's called Susan. And he wants you to respect his life choices."
- "Oy. Don't swear."
- Matt once again scaring the crap out of me with his angry Doctor! LOVE HIM.
- "You're both good men. You just...forget sometimes."
- The score was amazing!! Did you notice?
- "Marshall. Ma'am. Fella." Ha!
- The toothpick! LOL!

And here's the trailer for episode 4, 'The Power of Three', where we'll once again spend time with Rory's dad, Brian!

What did you guys think of A Town Called Mercy? Love it? Hate it?
And I'd love to hear your thoughts on my crazy theories! ;)

See you next week, Whovians! Only 2 episodes left with the Ponds! :(

Doctor Who: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

I believe, ladies and gents, that this is what you would call a fun old romp!

And it was fun, at times, wasn't it? But it was also...lacking. Much like last seasons, "Curse of the Black Spot".

This episode was written by Chris Chibnall, who's hit-or-miss for me. I LOVED '42', but 'The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood' were also kind of meh.

Okay!
So, the Doctor heads to future-earth and is told about a spaceship the size of Canada that's going to crash into the planet.
He gathers some friends (and tagalong Queen Nefertiti) and tries to stop it before earth shoots it down.

On the ship they discover--what else?--Dinosaurs!

This episode truly shows Matt Smith's utterly brilliant acting skills. How a man can go from the child-like dinosaur-lover in this episode to the old man who's so sad for the girl inside the Dalek in Asylum is absolutely beyond me. He amazes me in every damn time!

And lets talk about Rupert Graves as Riddell, shall we? TOTALLY underused! I LOVED his character! How awesome would it be to see him again in a future episode? Yes, please!

And, of course, Mark Williams as Brian 'Pond'. Haha! We DO see him again in The Power of Three, in case you're curious!
He was great too, wasn't he?
Definitely comic relief with Rory with many laugh-out-loud moments....and we see where Rory gets his fashion sense!

So, while the Doctor and his 'gang' are trying to find a way to stop the ship, we meet the big bad for the episode, Solomon, played by David Bradley. He was sufficiently grumpy and cross, but I wasn't as scared of him as I should have been.
And his two robot sidekicks? Yeah, they were supposed to be funny but, for me, they fell completely flat. Borderline stupid and not so much funny.

I was happy to see likable Amy back for this episode, instead of conceited, mean, bossy Amy we saw in Asylum...albeit she was that way for good reason.

And in a fun twist, it's always great to see the Silurians, isn't it? Who've built a space-ark full of dinosaurs, as we come to discover!

The Doctor is pleasantly happy and gleeful...until Solomon shows his true colours and tells his robots to injure Brian. THEN his darker side comes through once again....and THAT, ladies and gentlemen, ALWAYS scares me.
Again, I ask, HOW can a man who's playing someone happy and fun one minute, play someone so cold and callous the next?! Brilliant, that Matt!

It turns out that Soloman is a trader (which reminded me so much of a few Star Trek: TNG and Voyager episodes I've seen!) and deals in rare objects.
It's good to see that the Doctor is still unknown and not at all valuable--more so now that even the Daleks don't remember him!

Solomon jettisoned ALL of the Silurians into space because he wanted the dinosaurs...but when the ship went onto auto pilot and turned back to earth, he couldn't figure out how to turn it off.

The ship enters the earth's atmosphere and earth launches the missiles. Solomon decides to leave the ship, and kidnaps Nefertiti. Now THERE'S a rare find!

Of course, the Doctor comes up with a plan (cue 'I Am the Doctor'!) and magnetizes Solomon's ship so he can't leave.

Amy and Riddell stun raptors back-to-back in a gloriously fun shoot-em-up scene, and Rory and Brian easily pilot the ship out to space because, you know, they have the same genes!
Handy, that!

Of course, even a old romp of an episode has to have some serious foreshadowing time, right?
And this one doesn't disappoint in THAT department!
"How can I not wait for you, even now? They're getting longer, you know, the gaps between your visits. I think you're weaning us off you."
"I'm not, I promise. Really promise. The others, they're not you, but you and Rory have...lives. Each other. That's what we agreed."
"I know. I just worry there'll come a time when you never turn up. That something will have happened to you and I'll still be waiting...never knowing..."
"Oh, come on, Pond. You'll be there til the end of me."
"Or vice-versa."
*long pause, meaningful look from the Doctor to Amy*
"Don't."

Whoa. WHOA. What does that mean?! DOES Amy die? Can you believe they only have THREE epsiodes left?! I'm going to SOB my FACE OFF!

Ahem!.....Anyway!

They save the ship, the Doctor rescues Nefertiti, the missiles kill Solomon because of the Doctor's dark side, and Brian gets to see the earth from high above...as he eats his tea.

Who else caught the look the Doctor gave Amy and Rory as they looked out the TARDIS door?
He's so lonely. He misses them so much. ....or was the a look of foreshadowing, again?!
I think he knows something and he's not telling!

We end with the Ponds getting postcards from Brian as he travels the world...and from the Doctor as he travels through all of time and space.

All in all, a decent, fun episode, but not mind-blowing, which is what I've come to expect from each and every Doctor Who episode.
What can I say? I've been spoiled. ;)

What questions do we have after this episode?
-IS it foreshadowing? Does the Doctor know something about the Ponds?
-How do Amy and Rory leave him?!
-How much time will pass between 'Dinosaurs' and 'Mercy'? (There was 10 months between 'Asylum' and 'Dinosaurs'!)

Best parts:
-Matt Smith!
-Riddell!
-Brian Williams!
-Rory and Brian's relationship.

-"This is the gang. I've got a gang. Yes."

-"I'm not a Pond."
"'Course you are."

-"Did you just have that on you?"
"Of course, what sort of  a man doesn't carry a trowel? Put it on your Christmas list."
"Dad, I'm 31. I don't have a Christmas list anymore."
"I DO!"

Here's the trailer for A Town Called Mercy. Cyborg gunslinger! AHHH!

Now, what did YOU think of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship? Did you enjoy it more than I did? Or not?

See you back here next week, fellow Whovians!

Book Review: Touched by Cyn Balog

eBook
Release date: August 14, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Author: Cyn Balog
A big thanks to Net Galley and Delacorte for providing this eARC for review!

Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn't? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over . . . and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn't work. But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something's about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there's no way to stop things from happening. Or is there?  In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he's about to discover--or the choice he will be forced to make. . . .

So that's a pretty cool blurb up there, right? Well let me tell you, it does NOT do this book justice!
I couldn't put it down!

Touched is about this guy named Nick who can see his future. ALL of his futures. Every decision he makes changes what will happen in his life, but he remembers futures that COULD have happened too.
His marriages, his deaths, his children, it's all there in his head.
Crazy, right?!

What a fascinating concept! I LOVED it!

Enter Taryn, who changes Nick's future yet again....but this time it's NOT a future Nick wants.
The two must do everything they can to change what will happen.
It's quite a roller coaster ride for the reader, let me tell you!

I love the characters. Your heart goes out to Nick when you realize what the poor guy has to go through everyday.
And I adore Nan.

But the best part? The ending! Oh em gee, that ending! I can't say a word about it, but it's twisty and shocking and it'll leave you teary.

There's no excessive sex or language or anything too mature in Touched, so I'd be comfortable recommending it to kids 12+, and it's written from a boy's perspective, so it's perfect for boys, too!

Book Review-- The Mine by John A. Heldt

eBook
Release Date: Feb. 12, 2012
Self-Published
Author: John A. Heldt 

In 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can't use, money he can't spend, and little but his wits to guide his way.   Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war.   With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever.   THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.

Let's be honest here. When you pick up a self-published book--even if it has a kick-ass blurb--it's hit or miss. So when Mr. Heldt, the author of The Mine, contacted me and asked me to review it...Well, I was skeptical. I almost declined. But I love a good time travel story, so I went into it with low expectations.
Boy, was I wrong.

The Mine reminded me very much of both Stephen King's 11/22/63, and the movie, Back to the Future, but it takes a bit to get moving.

The beginning is slow. Joel, the main character, is difficult to like at first. He's cocky and arrogant.
But when he meets Tom, things change. I'll even go as far as to say....It gets magical.

Mr. Heldt can write. His way with words is absolutely wondrous.
His characters are vivid and beautiful and alive. I loved them all, but Katie especially found her way into my heart.

Through the whole book, the author had me asking myself, 'What would I do? How would I react? Could I survive being teleported 60 years into the past?"
It's actually fun...and a little bit scary...to sit and think about that while reading a story like this one.

The Mine asks some big questions. Joel lands in a time heading for war. His struggles with the decisions he has to make is heartbreaking to watch.

You WILL cry while reading this book. A few times. So have tissues close.
And the end is a thing of absolute magic. I LOVED it.

I truly wish that one of the 'big name' publishers had picked up The Mine. This book needs much more publicity and exposure than it's getting.
So I'll do my part to get the word out to as many people as I can, starting here.

PLEASE read The Mine. It's amazing and wonderful and fun and touching.
And after you read it, you'll feel really good about supporting an indie author. :)

I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to John A. Heldt for providing a copy of The Mine for me to review.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long, long time.

Book Review-- Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Paperback
387 pages
Release date: January 5, 2012
Publisher: Puffin
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Author: Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .  Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Wow, did I love this book!
Seriously, a re-imagining of Cinderella where she's a CYBORG?! That's brilliant!

Sometime in the distant future--in a dystopian society-- androids and cyborgs are common, but definitely not seen as equals.

War looms and a plague has been killing people around the world for years.
Cinder, a mechanic, is doing what she can to survive--as well as working to support her step-mother and step-sisters.
Her only friend is an android named Iko, and her whole world suddenly changes when Prince Kai brings his android to her for repairs.

I adore Cinder. She's just so likable and my heart went out to her. The poor girl goes through hell!
Kai is also great. He's a prince, but he's not very princely. I prefer my royalty real and nice and not-snobbish, don't you? ;)

I can't really say much more without giving away key plot points, but I will tell you that I'm REALLY looking forward to book 2.

Ms. Meyer's vivid retelling of this story is fresh and new and wonderful, and I can't wait to see where she goes next!

I highly recommend Cinder to teens age 13+, and to you moms, too!

YA Book Review- Swipe by Evan Angler

eBook
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Tommy Nelson (Thomas Nelson)
Series: Swipe #1
Author: Evan Angler
Thank you to Net Galley and Tommy Nelson for providing this eARC for review.

Logan Langley is just months away from his thirteenth birthday and the biggest day of his life- the day he will finally be Marked. The Mark lets people get jobs, vote, and even go out to eat or buy concert tickets.    Becoming Marked means becoming free. Or so he is told. Five years ago when Logan's sister went to get her Mark she never came back. Now Logan can't shake the feeling he's being watched... And then he finds the wire.

I don't often read middle grade books. I mean...I'm old. So why on earth would I read a book meant for middle graders? ;)
But this time, I'm so glad I did!

For a debut book, this is an impressive start. Swipe is full of twist and turns and mystery and thrills. It kept me turning the pages well into the evening!

Logan is a wonderful character. Flawed, smart, caring and very easy for young boys to relate to.

I was impressed that, although written for preteens, Mr. Angler didn't 'dumb down' his book at all.
Yes, it's more simple and easier to read than books meant for older kids, but he still uses the tech terms and larger words and he puts his characters in situations that he knows his intended audience can handle, and will enjoy.
All too often middle grade books are written seemingly without the actual readers in mind.
I love this author for realizing that, YES, 6th graders are an intelligent bunch!

The world created in Swipe is fascinating and wonderful. It's a whole new take on dystopian fiction, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book to--wait for it--BOYS! Yes, I'm so happy to say that boys, ages 10+, will love this book.
Of course, girls will enjoy it too, but please, moms, buy this for your boys! Those little men NEED books like this in their lives to help them realize how much fun reading really is! ;)

It IS book 1 in the series, and it DOES end on a cliffhanger--But that will just leave them begging for the next book, right? ;)

And please, let me know if you buy Swipe and what your kids think of it! I'd love to hear an actual middle-grader's take on this book!

Book Review-Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

eBook
Release date: May 1, 2012 (originally published in 1972)
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Translated by: Olena Bormashenko
Author: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Thank you to Net Galley and Chicago Review Press for providing this eBook for review.

Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of the extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems.             First published in 1972 and immediately acclaimed as a science-fiction classic, Roadside Picnic is included on almost every list of the hundred greatest science-fiction novels, despite the fact that it has been out of print in the United States for almost thirty years. It was the basis for Andrei Tarkovsky’s filmic masterpiece Stalker and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video games, which have proven immensely popular.             This brand-new translation, which corrects many of the errors and omissions of the previous one, has been supplemented with a foreword by Ursula K. Le Guin, and a new afterword by Boris Strugatsky explaining the strange history of its publication in Russia. Finally, one of the greatest science fiction novels—and one of the most popular pieces of Russian fiction—is back in print in an authoritative edition.

This book is my toughest review yet. I feel like I just read something profound and important, but I can't quite grasp exactly WHY I feel that way.

Roadside Picnic is a refreshingly unique book. I feel odd using the word 'refreshingly' for what's considered a classic, but that's the only word I can use to describe it.
The plot is amazingly genius--Like nothing I've ever read before. I mean, c'mon...Aliens have visited the earth and left behind....stuff. Alien stuff that no one knows exactly what to do with. But some of it is worth a LOT of money...and some of it is deadly.
To get to the good stuff, you have to brave the deadly stuff. Like, literally crawl through slimy puddles of deadly guck-stuff. 
How cool is THAT??

Because the novel begins awhile after the actual alien visit, I almost felt like I'd started a book in the middle, which was a bit distracting.
For the first quarter of the novel I felt a bit lost, but the story sucked me in after that and my brain quickly adjusted. ;)

The characters didn't exactly jump out at me, and I didn't really feel invested in them at all, but again, the story grabs you and keeps you turning the pages.

The best parts were the journey's into the Zone. That's when your heart starts to race and your palms get sweaty and you stay up way past bedtime to find out what happens next. ;)

This translation is just okay. You can definitely tell it's a translation and, at times, that's distracting. The words don't 'flow' as well as they could and sometimes there's a choppy-feeling as you're reading.

But!
Because this is classic sci-fi and the story itself is just so amazing, I definitely recommend Roadside Picnic to all sci-fi lovers.
It's most definitely worth the read, and I'd REALLY love to discuss this book with like-minded geeks! ;)
There's a TON of fodder in this book that would make for some great debates and conversations!