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Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide
Drawing on unprecedented access to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone―including insights gained while working as a tour guide and during an illegal “stalker” hike―Darmon Richter creates an entirely new portrait of Chernobyl’s forgotten ghost towns, monuments and more
Since the first atomic bomb was dropped, humankind has been haunted by the idea of nuclear apocalypse. That nightmare almost became reality in 1986, when an accident at the USSR’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant triggered the world’s worst radiological crisis. The events of that night are well documented―but history didn’t stop there. Chernobyl, as a place, remains very much alive today. More than a quarter of a million tourists visited the Zone over the last few years, while millions more watched the acclaimed 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl.
In Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide, researcher Darmon Richter journeys into the contemporary Exclusion Zone, venturing deeper than any previously published account. While thousands of foreign visitors congregate around a handful of curated sites, beyond the tourist hotspots lies a wild and mysterious land the size of a small country. In the forests of Chernobyl, historic village settlements and Soviet-era utopianism have lain abandoned since the time of the disaster―overshadowed by vast, unearthly megastructures designed to win the Cold War.
Richter combines photographs of discoveries made during his numerous visits to the Zone with the voices of those who witnessed history―engineers, scientists, police and evacuees. He explores evacuated regions in both Ukraine and Belarus, finding forgotten ghost towns and Soviet monuments lost deep in irradiated forests, gains exclusive access inside the most secure areas of the power plant itself, and joins the “stalkers” of Chernobyl as he sets out on a high-stakes illegal hike to the heart of the Exclusion Zone.
Since the first atomic bomb was dropped, humankind has been haunted by the idea of nuclear apocalypse. That nightmare almost became reality in 1986, when an accident at the USSR’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant triggered the world’s worst radiological crisis. The events of that night are well documented―but history didn’t stop there. Chernobyl, as a place, remains very much alive today. More than a quarter of a million tourists visited the Zone over the last few years, while millions more watched the acclaimed 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl.
In Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide, researcher Darmon Richter journeys into the contemporary Exclusion Zone, venturing deeper than any previously published account. While thousands of foreign visitors congregate around a handful of curated sites, beyond the tourist hotspots lies a wild and mysterious land the size of a small country. In the forests of Chernobyl, historic village settlements and Soviet-era utopianism have lain abandoned since the time of the disaster―overshadowed by vast, unearthly megastructures designed to win the Cold War.
Richter combines photographs of discoveries made during his numerous visits to the Zone with the voices of those who witnessed history―engineers, scientists, police and evacuees. He explores evacuated regions in both Ukraine and Belarus, finding forgotten ghost towns and Soviet monuments lost deep in irradiated forests, gains exclusive access inside the most secure areas of the power plant itself, and joins the “stalkers” of Chernobyl as he sets out on a high-stakes illegal hike to the heart of the Exclusion Zone.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2020
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217 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 8, 2020
Most Chernobyl writing is very bad, but this manages to be both generous and curious. Also, wonderful book feel.
April 3, 2023
Amazing and compulsively interesting
December 13, 2020
I've long been fascinated by Cold War history, and the events that occurred on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain. The Chernobyl disaster occurred when I was eleven years old, and seeing events unfold as a child was a chilling experience - the whole thing has fascinated me ever since. It all merged with my love of abandoned places, and visiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was a long-held ambition. I got to go there in July 2019, and it was easily one of the most mind-blowing, memorable and fascinating experiences of my life.
I came back with some amazing photographs and a lot of memories I'll cherish forever, but most importantly, it all led me to think a great deal about some of life's big issues. It sounds cheesy, but it's true - the sights I saw in the Zone represented some of the best and worst things humans have done, and it's impossible to come away from the place unmoved.
When I saw this book, I snapped it up immediately, both because of the theme, and also because I have some of Fuel's other works on Soviet architecture, and I know their standards are high. Once again, I wasn't disappointed. The writing and photography here is absolutely superb, and it's full of fascinating stories, images and information.
There's plenty of books about the disaster itself, but this focuses more on the place, and what's happened there over the years. The disaster is almost mentioned only in passing. It's a story more of the people and the culture, the atmosphere, and what the ruins of towns and villages in the Zone represent - a nation that has disappeared, an ideology that has been discredited, a dream that was never fully realised, and lives that were changed beyond all recognition. It's written with respect and warmth, and does a lot to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the area.
Astonishingly, the author points out that the Chernobyl disaster was only the third most serious thing to happen in the area in the twentieth century, coming some way behind the famine of 1932/33, and the Nazi invasion ten years later.
There's lots of subjects tackled here, including the tourism boom and the mixed effects it has, the stalkers that access the zone illegally, the lives of settlers who returned to live in the area, the workers involved in the cleanup, and what goes on in the plant itself. The final chapter covers the rave scene in Chernobyl, of all things.
I recognised lots of the places I saw on my visit, and it was fascinating to learn more about them. The information is very up-to-date, covering the cultural impact of the HBO miniseries of 2019, and the devastation caused by the forest fires of April 2020. It's made me desperate to return - most people who step inside the zone fall under its spell, and I'm determined to explore further. It's one of the most extraordinary places on the planet, and this book is a worthy tribute. Of great interest to anyone who is drawn to Chernobyl and the strange world around it.
I came back with some amazing photographs and a lot of memories I'll cherish forever, but most importantly, it all led me to think a great deal about some of life's big issues. It sounds cheesy, but it's true - the sights I saw in the Zone represented some of the best and worst things humans have done, and it's impossible to come away from the place unmoved.
When I saw this book, I snapped it up immediately, both because of the theme, and also because I have some of Fuel's other works on Soviet architecture, and I know their standards are high. Once again, I wasn't disappointed. The writing and photography here is absolutely superb, and it's full of fascinating stories, images and information.
There's plenty of books about the disaster itself, but this focuses more on the place, and what's happened there over the years. The disaster is almost mentioned only in passing. It's a story more of the people and the culture, the atmosphere, and what the ruins of towns and villages in the Zone represent - a nation that has disappeared, an ideology that has been discredited, a dream that was never fully realised, and lives that were changed beyond all recognition. It's written with respect and warmth, and does a lot to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the area.
Astonishingly, the author points out that the Chernobyl disaster was only the third most serious thing to happen in the area in the twentieth century, coming some way behind the famine of 1932/33, and the Nazi invasion ten years later.
There's lots of subjects tackled here, including the tourism boom and the mixed effects it has, the stalkers that access the zone illegally, the lives of settlers who returned to live in the area, the workers involved in the cleanup, and what goes on in the plant itself. The final chapter covers the rave scene in Chernobyl, of all things.
I recognised lots of the places I saw on my visit, and it was fascinating to learn more about them. The information is very up-to-date, covering the cultural impact of the HBO miniseries of 2019, and the devastation caused by the forest fires of April 2020. It's made me desperate to return - most people who step inside the zone fall under its spell, and I'm determined to explore further. It's one of the most extraordinary places on the planet, and this book is a worthy tribute. Of great interest to anyone who is drawn to Chernobyl and the strange world around it.
September 19, 2021
I wasn't expecting a travel guide but that feels like what I got out of this book. Oh, without a doubt, I learned quite a bit about Chernobyl (and Chornobyl) and the surrounding area too, but I was nonetheless amused/skeptical at all the touristy bits our fair tourguide dude ushered me through. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to learn that there is a large tourism industry around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (which pre-dated the HBO show); after all, I've lived much of my life in the western United States which is littered with so very many touristy ghost towns.
Anyway, the images were the highlight for me. I was fascinated by the "freezing" of life/history at that particular moment in time and the lingering detritus of the Soviet Union still on display in the exclusion zone. And now I really need to watch that Russian Woodpecker documentary because the Duga radar was something I'd never heard of before and want to learn more about.
An addendum to my review: I returned the library copy before I could take photos of my favorite photos in the book. Just know I'm sooo intrigued by the whole Duga radar bit. And that photo of the Soviet-built bus that the Belarus scientists use to take tourists to see the Belarus section of the Exclusion Zone gave me so many giddy flashbacks to Lost (i.e. and the Dharma Initiative Volkswagen buses) that that might actually drive me to purchase a copy of this book. Perhaps.
Another addendum to my review: I have many thoughts about the entire "stalker" aspect of all this. Yeah, I've read the book (Roadside Picnic) and have seen the movie (Stalker) and yet I can't help but snicker/be skeptical that an entire illicit industry has been built using terms from a fictional work. My bad that I'm more amused than anything that real world peeps to refer to themselves in ways inspired by that fictional work?
Anyway, the images were the highlight for me. I was fascinated by the "freezing" of life/history at that particular moment in time and the lingering detritus of the Soviet Union still on display in the exclusion zone. And now I really need to watch that Russian Woodpecker documentary because the Duga radar was something I'd never heard of before and want to learn more about.
An addendum to my review: I returned the library copy before I could take photos of my favorite photos in the book. Just know I'm sooo intrigued by the whole Duga radar bit. And that photo of the Soviet-built bus that the Belarus scientists use to take tourists to see the Belarus section of the Exclusion Zone gave me so many giddy flashbacks to Lost (i.e. and the Dharma Initiative Volkswagen buses) that that might actually drive me to purchase a copy of this book. Perhaps.
Another addendum to my review: I have many thoughts about the entire "stalker" aspect of all this. Yeah, I've read the book (Roadside Picnic) and have seen the movie (Stalker) and yet I can't help but snicker/be skeptical that an entire illicit industry has been built using terms from a fictional work. My bad that I'm more amused than anything that real world peeps to refer to themselves in ways inspired by that fictional work?
January 21, 2022
So this is the fourth book I've read on Chernobyl (yes I am obsessed), two on what happened and one about the lives of the people involved. This I'm pretty sure is my favourite, it has details on what happened, accounts from people affected and stories & amazing photos of the authors own adventures inside the zone. Even though I'd read the other three books I still found out quite a lot I didn't know, such as there is a giant radar structure, the Duga near the town of Chernobyl. There are also other towns not as big as Chernobyl but still fairly large which were abandoned in Belarus, I thought it was just small villages.
Some highlights (hard as it was all amazingly interesting), the authors illegal stalker trip into Chernobyl, visiting a Soviet monument in the highly irradiated red forest and a trip inside the new safe confinement arch seeing the reactor block 'like it had been put in a massive warehouse'. All the stories are accompanied by some fantastic photos. If you are interested at all in Chernobyl then this is definitely the book to read.
Some highlights (hard as it was all amazingly interesting), the authors illegal stalker trip into Chernobyl, visiting a Soviet monument in the highly irradiated red forest and a trip inside the new safe confinement arch seeing the reactor block 'like it had been put in a massive warehouse'. All the stories are accompanied by some fantastic photos. If you are interested at all in Chernobyl then this is definitely the book to read.
January 29, 2021
A personal and intelligent trek through the ruined/pristine landscape of one of the world's worst disaster zones. Treading the line between fiction and reality (like so much Soviet legend/propaganda/history), Darmon Richter leads the reader through lush forest reclaiming deserted towns and villages, cracked paving stone by cracked paving stone. He calls on guides both fictional and real - voices from the cannon of science fiction (especially the Strugatski Brothers/Tarkovsky Stalker) as well as composite figures of flesh and blood stalkers whose identities are merged for their protection as he shows us fake ruination for disaster tourists with a taste for the macabre, real ruination in terms of the local economy and social fabric, but also the life that is returning. Forest, wildlife, novel if illegal tourist ventures, rave culture lighting its glowsticks in the shade of the Exclusion Zone. And an otherworldly visit into the Zone's heart of darkness, Reactor 4 itself.
April 11, 2023
I picked this book up at Globus, the Russian bookstore in San Francisco, and was pleasantly surprised by it. Gorgeous photographs are accompanied by a surprisingly thorough (to my naive ear, at least) piece that is part journalism, part sociological analysis on various aspects of the culture and life of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I was impressed by just how many people with many different viewpoints the author talked to. The author clearly heavily romanticizes the Zone, but he provides perspectives from people who don't. Plus, this book was the final push to get me to check out "Roadside Picnic" from the library. Knocked a star off for a factual error -- the "Red Forest" is so named because all of the trees died at once, so their needles turned red, not because the trees were petrified and their bark turned red.
July 14, 2024
A thought provoking and contemplative work. Melancholy, haunting, and beautiful pictures that capture the soul of a disaster that will have consequences that far outlast the human race. Already the few nuclear failures of humanity will continue to echo upon this Earth longer than the human race has even inhabited this planet. Will we stop while we are ahead, or just continue to make things worse? This book holds a lot of unknown information about the events and points of views from those involved or locals to the region. Highly recommend to anyone.
January 1, 2021
"There are two Chernobyls: a place, and an event"
Turns out Chornobyl (the place) is a lot more than the event. This book is very interesting and the author takes the reader on a journey to Atomgrad, nuclear tourism, the Zone, the Chernobyl rave scene and everything in between. All of this in the perfect ratio between text and photographs.
Turns out Chornobyl (the place) is a lot more than the event. This book is very interesting and the author takes the reader on a journey to Atomgrad, nuclear tourism, the Zone, the Chernobyl rave scene and everything in between. All of this in the perfect ratio between text and photographs.
April 23, 2021
I've been interested in Chernobyl for many years ago as this was an event that occurred during my childhood and on my birthday at that! This book does a great job giving the feeling of exploring the zone while also having some great pictures of views you likely won't see anywhere else.
February 2, 2022
Couldn't put this book down. The author's writing style is engaging and thought provoking. And his photography of the zone is on-point. That's all I want to say to avoid any spoilers. If you're at all interested in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, read this book!
August 20, 2023
The author provides a comprehensive context to what Chernobyl and its surrounding community must have been like and what remains today. He details his trips to the area in an insightful, informative, and entertaining way. This book is also full of great photographs.
August 26, 2023
I found this very interesting and informative, a look at the tourism industry and the life of those in the zone as well as how the stalkers get in and out. Looking at the tourism industry of the exclusion zone from the perspective of the locals was particularly interesting to me.
June 27, 2021
Loved this - brought me back to my tour of Chernobyl, shining light on areas we weren’t allowed to see. Vividly described, dispelling urban myths, incredible photographs and educational to boot.
February 20, 2022
Easily the best book I’ve read about Chernobyl. And I’ve read plenty. Cool photos too.
March 7, 2022
Stellar photography
June 20, 2022
The most illuminating, interesting travelogue I’ve ever read.
December 5, 2025
Gorgeous photography and a thorough exploration of the zone.
December 31, 2025
I originally reviewed this book elsewhere in spring 2024, but looks like I forgot to leave one here as well. It's a bit choppy as it was originally shared with photos, so likely I'll update it:
While a modest 8 x 6.5 inches, Chernobyl: A Stalkers' Guide still manages to be a gorgeous coffee table book. The design of the book is wonderful, from the yellow and black hazard warning on the cover spine, the sewed binding and the designs on the endpapers.
I came across this book while on an internet search of brutalist architecture, something that was inspired by another review I did recently - 'Star Trek: Designing the Final Frontier', which was mainly about mid-century modern design but had a nice section on brutalist design. During my search on brutalism, I came across the author’s photographs of some intriguing Soviet architecture in Bulgaria which then led me to his websites. (I’ll link those below.) Darmon Richter is a British writer and photographer “....whose work has a strong focus on place, as it explores the intersection of themes such as architecture, film, video games, memory, futurism and mythology.” 'Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide' is his first book.
The content of this book is even more impressive than the outside. The photographs are stunning and Darmon’s commentary is not just beautifully written, but incredibly informative. He writes about the influence splitting the atom had on science-fiction movies such as; giant insects, Godzilla, The Incredible Hulk, and Spiderman, just to name a few. He also writes of the term ‘stalker’ which many of us already recognized from the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, as well as the stunning film ‘Stalker’ by Andrei Tarkovsky. People that explore the dead zone of Chernobyl are called ‘stalkers’ due to the cultural significance of the book and film.
Darmon writes about his own trips into the Zone, eventually even leading tours there himself, and he also visits the Belarus side. Throughout the book he talks with many people; those who worked there, lived in the various villages, resettled, were part of the original evacuation and clean-up – he speaks to everyone from scientists to stalkers. The book covers a myriad of reflections and opinions from many people along the way, as well as sharing an incredible amount of information about what resident's lives were like in the area before the disaster, the disaster itself, and what has come afterwards.
Although I have always been fascinated by Chernobyl (the disaster itself, the place is called in Ukrainian, Chornobyl), for me my interest in this book was less about the disaster and more about the abandoned places. Which got me wondering – why is it I am so fascinated by abandoned places? Ruins decorated with graffiti are so much more appealing to me than anything most visitors to a place would want to see. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but after some reflection I think there are several emotions that abandoned places heighten due to their introspective nature, and the unsettling atmosphere exuded with that sense of instability. And something about impermanence; nature reclaiming Her space from humanity. There is also something organic and beautiful in the process of decay. A balance to creation. And in my own opinion, even in their decaying state, many historical buildings are far more beautiful than anything built nowadays, at least where I live. Here modern architecture is unimaginative, uninspiring and ugly. Abandoned spaces also seem to feel freer in a sense, a place to slip out from the giant thumb of society. Of course, in the case of abandoned places off-limits, there is also the thrill of adventure and daring. And I’ve always enjoyed history, finding it almost surreal to consider the things which have happened before; and really trying to imagine the experience of living during that time. That is something I find so fascinating about monuments (luckily Darmon is also keen on them, and has photographed many, both for this book and his website), they are reminders of lives lived and places once existing and perhaps now long gone.
I also found it really interesting to read about the people that chose to resettle in their respective villages, the Zone is not in fact a truly abandoned place when many reside and work there.
Darmon is an impressive writer, the blend of facts mixed with his personal adventures into the Zone and his reflections as well, make for intriguing reading. I look forward to his next book.
Projects | DarmonRichter.com https://darmonrichter.com
Homepage - Ex Utopia https://www.exutopia.com/about/
Monumentalism https://monumentalism.net
While a modest 8 x 6.5 inches, Chernobyl: A Stalkers' Guide still manages to be a gorgeous coffee table book. The design of the book is wonderful, from the yellow and black hazard warning on the cover spine, the sewed binding and the designs on the endpapers.
I came across this book while on an internet search of brutalist architecture, something that was inspired by another review I did recently - 'Star Trek: Designing the Final Frontier', which was mainly about mid-century modern design but had a nice section on brutalist design. During my search on brutalism, I came across the author’s photographs of some intriguing Soviet architecture in Bulgaria which then led me to his websites. (I’ll link those below.) Darmon Richter is a British writer and photographer “....whose work has a strong focus on place, as it explores the intersection of themes such as architecture, film, video games, memory, futurism and mythology.” 'Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide' is his first book.
The content of this book is even more impressive than the outside. The photographs are stunning and Darmon’s commentary is not just beautifully written, but incredibly informative. He writes about the influence splitting the atom had on science-fiction movies such as; giant insects, Godzilla, The Incredible Hulk, and Spiderman, just to name a few. He also writes of the term ‘stalker’ which many of us already recognized from the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, as well as the stunning film ‘Stalker’ by Andrei Tarkovsky. People that explore the dead zone of Chernobyl are called ‘stalkers’ due to the cultural significance of the book and film.
Darmon writes about his own trips into the Zone, eventually even leading tours there himself, and he also visits the Belarus side. Throughout the book he talks with many people; those who worked there, lived in the various villages, resettled, were part of the original evacuation and clean-up – he speaks to everyone from scientists to stalkers. The book covers a myriad of reflections and opinions from many people along the way, as well as sharing an incredible amount of information about what resident's lives were like in the area before the disaster, the disaster itself, and what has come afterwards.
Although I have always been fascinated by Chernobyl (the disaster itself, the place is called in Ukrainian, Chornobyl), for me my interest in this book was less about the disaster and more about the abandoned places. Which got me wondering – why is it I am so fascinated by abandoned places? Ruins decorated with graffiti are so much more appealing to me than anything most visitors to a place would want to see. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but after some reflection I think there are several emotions that abandoned places heighten due to their introspective nature, and the unsettling atmosphere exuded with that sense of instability. And something about impermanence; nature reclaiming Her space from humanity. There is also something organic and beautiful in the process of decay. A balance to creation. And in my own opinion, even in their decaying state, many historical buildings are far more beautiful than anything built nowadays, at least where I live. Here modern architecture is unimaginative, uninspiring and ugly. Abandoned spaces also seem to feel freer in a sense, a place to slip out from the giant thumb of society. Of course, in the case of abandoned places off-limits, there is also the thrill of adventure and daring. And I’ve always enjoyed history, finding it almost surreal to consider the things which have happened before; and really trying to imagine the experience of living during that time. That is something I find so fascinating about monuments (luckily Darmon is also keen on them, and has photographed many, both for this book and his website), they are reminders of lives lived and places once existing and perhaps now long gone.
I also found it really interesting to read about the people that chose to resettle in their respective villages, the Zone is not in fact a truly abandoned place when many reside and work there.
Darmon is an impressive writer, the blend of facts mixed with his personal adventures into the Zone and his reflections as well, make for intriguing reading. I look forward to his next book.
Projects | DarmonRichter.com https://darmonrichter.com
Homepage - Ex Utopia https://www.exutopia.com/about/
Monumentalism https://monumentalism.net
August 16, 2022
Woah, that was a fantastic journey, full of unique stories, anecdotes and photographs. A must-read for people interested in Chernobyl disaster and the zone.
April 28, 2021
Totally loved the book. It is a nice blend of historic accounts from some people involved with the Exclusion Zone itself, but mostly it's a good and up-to-date story about how things are in and around the Chernobyl Zone in terms of tourism, science, culture and life itself.
Very cool photos, too!
Very cool photos, too!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews