[thefatsurfer]

Many years ago I read a book about certain areas of the earth that had been visited by aliens and artifacts/ equipment was left behind. These areas were very dangerous and some people made there fortune by going into these areas and bringing back these artifacts to sell to collectors at great risk to themselves. Anyone got a clue as to what this book is ? or the author as I wish to read it again and read more by this person. Many thanks

[Ropie]

Aha! My favourite SF book: Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, I think you'll find. You can read it on line, here: http://www.rusf.ru/abs/english/ (click on the 'books' link at the bottom of the page)

[ArthurFrayn]

Thanks for that link Ropie
.A good deal of their catalogue is OOP and people are asking for ridiculous coin for those books.

[Ropie]

I think it's about time someone (Gollancz?) re-printed a selection of the Strugatsky's work in translation. But then I always say that...

I was lucky enough to find an old copy of Definitely Maybe in a second hand shop for 90 pence. On the cover Theodore Sturgeon calls it the 'best book ever written, in or out of SF'!

[Yobmod]

The copy of Roadside Picnic i've got is a Gollanz (yellowback) reprint, but i think the reprint is OOP now too.

I thought it was OK, the unusally realistic characterisations were a nice change from a lot of US / UK SF, but the setting and plot were not too convincing IMO.

[thefatsurfer]

Ropie, Many many thanks. I now remember in after the fact it may of been russian / eastern block. It makes me smile that a couple of chapters read over 20 years ago still haunts me and is regarded by many as such a good book. The best bit is I cannot remember finishing the book or how the story goes. Thanks for the tip and the link!
Andy the fat surfer