At the start (prologue and first 2 chapters) it was slow going and difficult to read. Not really a problem with the translation, but there wasn't quite enough exposition to contextualize the characters. In the prologue, I kept getting the characters mixed up, and I wasn't sure if they were on Earth or elsewhere. The purpose of the prologue wasn't clear (it didn't world build, and chapter one switched to a different character) until a later reveal. And the first 10 pages of Chapter 1 were also challenging, as there was political stuff and it was hard to figure out what the sides were and who was on which side. I think I read those same 10 pages about 3 times before I figured it out enough I felt like I could keep reading.
But now the story is really starting to pick up. The premise is there is a small group of humans on a alien planet, who have secretly planted themselves into society in order to study it, but are forbidden from effecting change. The protagonist is witnessing the city he is in slide into facism, and wants to act to help.
It is a sci-fi story, but , it also has a fantasy feel, because of the medieval-esque setting on the planet.
Overall, I recommend it, with reservations. It took me a few chapters to get into it. The Prologue held no clear purpose when I first read it, and only slight purpose after finishing the book. Things didn't really come together at the ending. And the female characters...are a product of the time the book was written in.
But I really enjoyed the bulk of the book. It is sci-fi, but feels like fantasy because of its medieval setting. There's some political intrigue, and the book very much remains focused on the moral dilemma described in the blurb.
And the afterword by one of the authors gave interesting insight into the writing process, as the book evolved from a light adventure story to something much heavier, influenced by the political climate in the USSR at the time and a clamping down on the arts.
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