Shady Places

Imagine that aliens have come to Earth, yet no one noticed. The aliens came and went and didn’t notice us. So primitive did we appear to them we were no more interesting than a squirrel or a bird that they may have seen in their brief stop here on their way to somewhere else. That is the premise of the science fiction novel, Roadside Picnic. As is explained in the book, the Aliens came and went en route to another planet and stopped here for nothing more than a quick break on their trip. No one on Earth saw them and we do not know if they even noticed us. But they left evidence of their visit behind. Lots of evidence. That becomes the main plot device of the story. Several zones have been located around the globe, suggesting a simultaneous visit from alien life. The zones are regulated to varying degrees by the governments of the countries they reside in and they are full of weird alien artefacts and unexplainable phenomenon. Unexplained concepts like the “meat grinder”, “hell slime”, and “full empties” become perilous and precious areas and items to avoid and get for the humans who enter the zones the most notorious of which are known as Stalkers. The main character, Red Shuhart, is a stalker and it is through his eyes that we enter the world of the zones and the increasingly dangerous odds of survival. The dangers of the zone are not restricted only to those who enter. Like some alien Agent Orange, the offspring of every stalker are affected by what lays in there. And it is on one last journey we ultimately follow Red on a mission to save his daughter’s life.