53 Years Later, The Greatest Closing Line In Sci-Fi History Is Still The Best Book Quote Of The 1970s
The article argues that the closing line of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s 1972 novel *Roadside Picnic* remains a particularly powerful ending in science fiction. It matters because a simple wish for universal happiness lands after a story about human desperation, moral compromise and an alien visit that leaves humanity with dangerous remnants rather than answers.
Redrick Schuhart, a Stalker who scavenges the Zone, reaches the wish-granting Golden Sphere after sacrificing a young companion. Unable to form a selfless wish of his own, he repeats the boy’s plea. The article compares two English translations: the 1977 version ends “no one will go away unsatisfied”, while a 2012 translation uses “let no one be forgotten”, highlighting different shades of the Russian original.
- *Roadside Picnic* ends with Redrick pleading for happiness for everyone.
- The wish follows a story of alien indifference and human desperation.
- Two translations give the final line different emotional shades.
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Roadside Picnic is a 1972 science-fiction novel by Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. After an unexplained alien visit, strange and dangerous objects are left behind in places called Zones, where Stalkers risk their lives to retrieve them.
Redrick Schuhart is one of those Stalkers. His search for the Golden Sphere, said to grant wishes, brings him into conflict with the costs of survival and with what he owes other people.
The novel’s ending turns on a wish spoken after Redrick has lost a young companion. English translations render the final plea differently, raising questions about whether its hope lies in satisfying everyone or ensuring no one is forgotten.