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S.T.A.L.K.E.R #1
Zones of Alienation: Part 1 Southern Comfort
Somewhere in the former USSR lies a place called the Zone of Alienation: a secret area where physical laws are outright broken and mysterious phenomena manifest.
In 2011, Al Qaeda detonates nuclear warheads in Kabul. In the wake of devastation another Zone is apparently created. A scientific expedition tries to find out if the new phenomena could be connected to the first Zone of Alienation. When the researchers disappear, a search and rescue operation is launched.
For Mikhail Lazarov, commander of the Russian special forces trying to contain the Zone of Alienation, this land of lush decay is his home turf. But when he sets out on his mission into the New Zone, he soon finds himself facing perils he has never encountered before. His mission becomes a struggle against evil permeating the wastelands, confronted with the shadows of the country's troubled history at each step. Lazarov encounters unlikely friends and foes alike: outcasts, adventurers, renegade US Marines and a mysterious woman who appears to be the keeper of dark secrets. But beyond all the perils, the ultimate danger awaits: betrayal.
The noir, post-apocalyptic narrative of Southern Comfort takes the reader on a contemporary voyage into the heart of darkness, where not only the laws of physics are bent but the rules of the outside world as well. This is an alternative reality where outcasts prevail, the oppressed take revenge and the most faithful revolt.
(cover design by Noah Stacey)
In 2011, Al Qaeda detonates nuclear warheads in Kabul. In the wake of devastation another Zone is apparently created. A scientific expedition tries to find out if the new phenomena could be connected to the first Zone of Alienation. When the researchers disappear, a search and rescue operation is launched.
For Mikhail Lazarov, commander of the Russian special forces trying to contain the Zone of Alienation, this land of lush decay is his home turf. But when he sets out on his mission into the New Zone, he soon finds himself facing perils he has never encountered before. His mission becomes a struggle against evil permeating the wastelands, confronted with the shadows of the country's troubled history at each step. Lazarov encounters unlikely friends and foes alike: outcasts, adventurers, renegade US Marines and a mysterious woman who appears to be the keeper of dark secrets. But beyond all the perils, the ultimate danger awaits: betrayal.
The noir, post-apocalyptic narrative of Southern Comfort takes the reader on a contemporary voyage into the heart of darkness, where not only the laws of physics are bent but the rules of the outside world as well. This is an alternative reality where outcasts prevail, the oppressed take revenge and the most faithful revolt.
(cover design by Noah Stacey)
454 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2011
25 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 28, 2013
Terrible, terrible, terrible.
Terrible.
Terrible.
August 25, 2020
I'm a big fan of the STALKER video games, and thought it might be fun reading a book set in that universe. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I was still let down. The writing is awful, and this book isn't any better than most fan fiction. Avoid it like the plague...
September 20, 2025
Even though it’s not canon, it’s a pretty good read with plenty of STALKER moments that’ll have you feeling like you’re still in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone rather than Afghanistan.
September 8, 2016
Do the following words mean anything to you - Monolith, Duty, Freedom, Anomalies, Artifacts, Strelok, Sidorovich, Mutants
If they do than you know the universe that is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R (ST) video games and the hugely imaginative spin off this place is since the release of Roadside Picnic. If they do not than this book will be more of a uphill struggle because Pataki will reference a lot of ST aspects than he presume the reader will take for granted in having some knowledge about, especially when it comes to mutants and artifacts.
This book is set in Afghanistan, not the Ukraine like the games, where a new "Zone" is created after a nuclear explosion. It is a mix of the plotlines from Apocalypse Now and Black Hawk Down. It has plenty of action but this is where the book fails in places. I found it difficult to visualise what Pataki had in his head when he describing battles. On a stronger footing his descriptions of the environments, character emotions and motivations were good, sometimes page-turning.
The ending is a little weak and the book is long as it involves not two, not three, but four, warring factions. It is as if Pataki wanted to write a video game plot line.
I had fun for most of the book, mainly because I love the games but it would be difficult to recommend to someone not familiar with the ST universe.
If they do than you know the universe that is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R (ST) video games and the hugely imaginative spin off this place is since the release of Roadside Picnic. If they do not than this book will be more of a uphill struggle because Pataki will reference a lot of ST aspects than he presume the reader will take for granted in having some knowledge about, especially when it comes to mutants and artifacts.
This book is set in Afghanistan, not the Ukraine like the games, where a new "Zone" is created after a nuclear explosion. It is a mix of the plotlines from Apocalypse Now and Black Hawk Down. It has plenty of action but this is where the book fails in places. I found it difficult to visualise what Pataki had in his head when he describing battles. On a stronger footing his descriptions of the environments, character emotions and motivations were good, sometimes page-turning.
The ending is a little weak and the book is long as it involves not two, not three, but four, warring factions. It is as if Pataki wanted to write a video game plot line.
I had fun for most of the book, mainly because I love the games but it would be difficult to recommend to someone not familiar with the ST universe.
April 12, 2014
I've played all the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, read Roadside Picnic and watched Tarkovsky's film "Stalker", but that didn't make Southern Comfort any better. After the cancellation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, I turned to the more obscure products of the fandom and slogged through uncountable quantities of fanfiction, art and videos before finally stumbling upon this book. My expectations were high. Perhaps a little too high.
Southern Comfort is a drag right from the start. The writing is amateurish, the plot unengaging and the characters forgettable. It's almost as if a thirteen year old FPS fan sat down to write a Halo/Battlefield 3/whatever fic and somehow got it published. The worse aspect of Southern Comfort is that the author completely failed to capture the atmosphere of the games. The book thus feels like watching a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. playthrough on Youtube, but in text form. And gameplay does not make for good fiction.
Southern Comfort is a drag right from the start. The writing is amateurish, the plot unengaging and the characters forgettable. It's almost as if a thirteen year old FPS fan sat down to write a Halo/Battlefield 3/whatever fic and somehow got it published. The worse aspect of Southern Comfort is that the author completely failed to capture the atmosphere of the games. The book thus feels like watching a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. playthrough on Youtube, but in text form. And gameplay does not make for good fiction.
February 2, 2014
Based on a video game (I am not a gamer), but the storyline looked good to me.
Very much a sci-fi story and a military one as well. X-Files meets Platoon. There are a few other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. books out there and I will try to track them down.
and
Very much a sci-fi story and a military one as well. X-Files meets Platoon. There are a few other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. books out there and I will try to track them down.
and
Currently reading
January 8, 2012I read the books of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. As you know, the first books of the series were written and published in Russian. I read some of them and really liked it. Now I'm reading the first book about adventures and survival in alienation zone in Chernobyl. I've just began reading the book so, actually, I can't tell anything good or bad about it yet. I hope it is going to be great. ^_^
February 19, 2012
I think that this book will appeal more to people who are fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, which I have played. It felt more like a mission report of some one's gaming experience. I acknowledge that it takes place in Afghanistan, and I have no idea if the game was updated to reflect this universe, the book needed better characterization, dialogue, and plotting.
May 8, 2012
Blah. It seemed like it was starting out okay. This should have been a story line to the next STALKER game or something. Or at least an outline to one and then have it improved. Too much stuff happening on and not enough covering it.
Although, if you liked the STALKER games, just go with it and enjoy it for another trip to The Zone, or the New Zone for that matter.
Although, if you liked the STALKER games, just go with it and enjoy it for another trip to The Zone, or the New Zone for that matter.
February 15, 2014
A great read, especially for those who are familiar with the S.T.AL.K.E.R. ethos. It comes across as a bit like the in game play of previous games, but to an extent that it does the story line credit. If you are a fan of science fiction or military fiction, this is a great choice.
March 7, 2014
In Southern Comfort, author manages to preserve the atmosphere of the Zone, the place we love and always go back to, whether it is one of the pc games, the movie, or the novel.
A valuable addition to the Zone, with a compelling story.
A valuable addition to the Zone, with a compelling story.
March 23, 2014
Fantastic read
A+ would definitely read again, recommended for all stalker fans. This book has just the right amount of action and just the right amount of great story building ever book should have, the best of the creepy under ground, ghosts, and mutants is also included.
A+ would definitely read again, recommended for all stalker fans. This book has just the right amount of action and just the right amount of great story building ever book should have, the best of the creepy under ground, ghosts, and mutants is also included.
November 2, 2012
Meh. It's an action novel written for people familiar with the STALKER universe. It was fine, had lots of action sequences.
April 24, 2013
Apocalypse Now meets Marines, Taliban, Russian Spetznas, and Michael Crichton in a suspenseful military/scifi tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 2, 2014
loved it
February 28, 2015
having played the game, i know that certain parts of the book were just a description of parts of the game.
May 25, 2016
Cheeki Breeki iv damke.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2012
Some interesting ideas, but the clumsy writing spoils it quite a bit.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews