Far Rainbow
First US edition
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| Author | Arkady and Boris Strugatsky |
|---|---|
| Original title | Далёкая Радуга |
| Translator | Alan Myers (Mir edition, 1967), Antonina W. Bouis (Macmillan edition, 1979) |
| Cover artist | Richard M. Powers |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
| Series | Noon Universe |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher |
Mir in USSR, Macmillan in U.S. |
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Publication date
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1963 |
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Published in English
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1967 in USSR, 1979 1st in U.S. |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | (US edition) |
| OCLC | 4983091 |
| 891.73/44 19 | |
| LC Class | PG3476.S78835 D33 1979 |
| Preceded by | Escape Attempt |
| Followed by | Hard to Be a God |
Far Rainbow (Russian: Далёкая Радуга, pronounced [dɐˈlʲɵkajə ˈradʊɡə]) is a 1963 science fiction novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky set in the Noon Universe.
The novel tells the story of the Rainbow catastrophe of 2156. It starts very simple, as a Wave observer Robert Sklyarov notices an unusually persistent Wave and reports it to the Capital (the only city on the scientists' planet). Simultaneously, Camill (the last remaining of "the Baker's Dozen") appears at his observation tower and tells him to leave it and fly south immediately. Sklyarov refuses to leave precious ulmotrons behind and urges Camill for help but when the wind front preceding the Wave strikes, the falling machinery seemingly kills Camill. Terrified Sklyarov flees south.
Back in the Capital, everything is still quiet. Leonid Gorbovsky, whose Tariel II has delivered scientific equipment to Rainbow, pays a visit to Matvei Vyazanitsyn, the general director of the planet, then returns to his ship, when the ominous news come. Camill contacts (via videophone) the nearest scientist village and issues a warning that the Wave Sklyarov saw is closely followed by another one of a new type. According to him, it cannot be stopped like the ones before and therefore the Rainbow world council must begin the evacuation of the planet immediately. At this moment the Wave reaches Camill's observation tower and he dies once again.
Soon enough it becomes clear that humans cannot hold the new Wave back and an order to gather the entire population in the Capital is issued. Robert Sklyarov witnesses the Wave destroying semi-automatic charybdis and tries to pilot one manually to give his friends time to flee. In the end, his charybdis is destroyed, too, but Sklyarov manages to escape and sets off (on a flier) for the Children Village, where his fiancée, Tatiana Turchina, works as a governess. He finds the Village already empty but on the way to the Capital, he locates a crashed aerobus that was carrying some of the children from the Village as well as Turchina herself. Having to choose whom to take with him (his flier can only carry two people), Sklyarov decides for his fiancée even though he knows that she would hate him for leaving the children behind.
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Wikipedia