Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (The Shorter the Better)

Hi! Welcome to The Shorter the Better, the Short Story Reading Club.

On Monday, 2 February 2026, at eight o’clock in the evening London time, 20:00 GMT we will be discussing the novella Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Here you have some links to this novella. The third one is the translation into Spanish. However, you may find it more comfortable to find a copy in your local library or buy a copy altogether:

PDF
or:
"Flipbook" webpage
or:
Spanish translation

Those who have managed to get a place in the meetup will see the link on the right, under the Online Event headline. We are using Google Meet these days, and thank Chet for that, as he’s providing the link!

If you attend, please read the short story beforehand and be ready to join the conversation. Please, take this seriously: IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE TEXT OR DON’T WANT TO CONTRIBUTE AN OPINION, please do not show up. Also, any problem on the day of the meeting to log in, please leave a message in the comment section. I usually check if anybody is having any issues.

If for any reason you cannot attend the meeting, please remember to change your RSVP as soon you realise you won’t be able to attend. That will give time to the following person in the waiting list to read the short story and organize their day.

I hope we all will enjoy this short story and the discussion!

Kind regards,

Rosaura