isa reviewed Definitely Maybe by Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий
Review of 'Definitely Maybe' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book is like philosophical discourse disguised as fiction. It reminds me of one of their other works, Roadside Picnic. In Roadside Picnic, there is a scene where two characters discuss how aliens could have visited Earth just like they were having a, you guessed it, roadside picnic. While initially, I thought it was a bit out of place, it became my favourite part of the book. Definitely Maybe is like that conversation but instead of a couple pages, it's an entire book.
The discussion in this book revolves around two main things: a theory similar to The Great Filter and duty to mankind.
A big oversimplification of The Great Filter is the theory that civilizations can only evolutionize and innovate to a certain point. This could be a reason why aliens have not yet communicated with us yet. In Definitely Maybe, it seems like the filter …
This book is like philosophical discourse disguised as fiction. It reminds me of one of their other works, Roadside Picnic. In Roadside Picnic, there is a scene where two characters discuss how aliens could have visited Earth just like they were having a, you guessed it, roadside picnic. While initially, I thought it was a bit out of place, it became my favourite part of the book. Definitely Maybe is like that conversation but instead of a couple pages, it's an entire book.
The discussion in this book revolves around two main things: a theory similar to The Great Filter and duty to mankind.
A big oversimplification of The Great Filter is the theory that civilizations can only evolutionize and innovate to a certain point. This could be a reason why aliens have not yet communicated with us yet. In Definitely Maybe, it seems like the filter could be something naturally occurring. There are several men who are on the verge of scientific breakthroughs which could very well lead men into the stars. However, they are always distracted by their work. I enjoyed this discussion greatly as I was immediately reminded of The Great Filter. It really made me wonder and it was just so clever. The only reason why I would even call this book sci-fi is because of this aspect. While I don't think The Great Filter is as "mystical" as that, it's an interesting take.
The other half of the book revolves around the men and their dilemmas. Do they continue their work at the risk of harming their loved ones? These men live and breathe their work. If something was impeding them from doing their work, which could be potentially ground-breaking work, why should they stop if it means elevating humanity? There is a sense of defiance in some of the characters that I admire. But also something touching as they mull over their loved ones and horrors they could put them through.
That being said, I feel like there's very little actual story in this little book. It's a lot of back and forth between characters about these two topics. Thankfully, the Strugatsky brothers do make the characters quite interesting and inject enough personal issues to make it fiction.
There is no wonder why the Strugatsky brothers are one of the greatest science fiction writers. They approach science fiction from a very human perspective. The human reaction to technology is core to science fiction and they just nail it.
First Sentence: Excerpt 1... the white July heat, the hottest it had been in two hundred years, engulfed the city.
Last Sentence: "Since then crooked, round-about, godforsaken paths stretch out before me..."
