Boris Strugatsky, since 1991 the surviving Strugatsky brother, has passed away at the age 0f 79.
The Strugatsky Brothers were the brightest stars of Soviet science fiction. They wrote dozens of novels, most of which I have unfortunately not read, but there is one that shines above all others. In 1972, they wrote Пикник на обочине, released five years later in English as Roadside Picnic, but probably best known as Stalker. If you have not read it, do so. Its influence on modern science fiction is difficult to overstate. Just the works directly based on it include a film that is a masterpiece on its own right (as well as another that’s highly entertaining), a trilogy of popular computer games, and of course the tabletop RPG that I am honoured to have translated to English. Nearly four decades after the book’s release, it is one of the most significant works of 20th-century science fiction, while remaining supremely accessible, interesting and entertaining in its own right.
The genre has lost one of its greats. It is a sad day.
I’ve found no mention of a cause of death, but he had been ill for some time and had problems with both his heart and kidneys.
Via SF Signal.
Worlds in a Handful of Dice 