Arkady Natanovich and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky are classics of modern science and social fiction. The Strugatskys’ works were published in translations in 42 languages in 33 countries of the world. Four complete collections of their works have been published in Russian.
The plot is based on a gripping detective investigation «The Cases of Foundlings», thirteen human embryos found in a sarcophagus on an unnamed planet. All children were born on October 6, 2138. The commission set up to study them suggested that the «foundlings» could carry a hidden program laid down by the supercivilization of the Wanderers and pose a potential danger …
As always with the Strugatskys, deep ethical and philosophical problems lie behind the external fascination. Who are «foundlings»? «Beetles in an anthill» or «ferrets in a chicken coop»? Does society have the right to sacrifice human life for the sake of maintaining its security? How to find a compromise between the principles of humanism and concern for the interests of all mankind?
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