Fascinating Zone
In the book Więzy Zony, the author focuses on the fate of four people: an experienced stalker, a bandit, an agent of special services and an unhappily in love boyfriend. Each of them has a completely different reason why they decided to enter the zone. Krzemień is ready to do whatever it takes to save his son, while the others follow different values. The story is not overly revealing, it turns out to be somewhat predictable, but it remains engaging. Kulikov skillfully shows the threats that can be found in the Zone, but also skilfully outlines the beauty of this extraordinary place.
The heroes’ struggles with anomalies are perfectly presented, as well as the way in which they are able to use them for their own purposes. It goes without saying that these aberrations are fascinating – it’s almost like discovering new plant species! In this respect, it is one of the most interesting books in this universe. However, the same cannot be said about the other components of this world, because although mutants appear quite a lot in the pages of the novel, they do not make such an impression as in the works of Michał Gołkowski. I regret it a bit, because although there are such creatures here as a goshawk or a pseudo-giant, I had a sense of wasted potential. Nevertheless, it is worth appreciating the other elements, namely the thread related to the Monolith, or the presence of such a characteristic faction as Duty.
Krzemień vs Sparrowhawk
The characters were drawn in an interesting way, and their relationships are the best, because each hero has a different personality, mentality, temperament, and also different skills. Thus, you can expect interesting twists.
The release, as befits Fabryka Słów, is fully satisfactory. The cover already catches the eye from afar, and Michał Gołkowski did a very good job of translating Kulikow’s novel. In two places, I would only pick on punctuation, but otherwise I don’t see any major flaws.
Tale of the Monolith
Zona’s bonds are so accessible that they will draw even people unfamiliar with GSC Game World games into the stalker universe. On the other hand, readers who are more familiar with this world will find it even more satisfying to delve into descriptions of struggles with anomalies or mutants. The ties of the zone are theoretically a closed story, because all threads have been closed, although it is worth emphasizing that it is a cycle consisting of six parts. Therefore, I am very curious to see what direction Kulikov will go in the next volume. I am eager to reach for sequels, because although it is not an outstanding novel, it remains skilfully written and – most importantly – takes place in a fascinating, mysterious universe.
