"Here are collected, probably, far from our most fascinating stories. And, of course, not the most romantic and cheerful. And certainly not even the most popular. But on the other hand, they are the most beloved, the most valued, the most respected by the authors themselves. All the most “mature and perfect”, if you like, that they managed to create in fifty years of work... We had many different collections, including excellent ones. were proud. Let it be now." Boris Strugatsky Contents:1 Snail on the slope2 Second invasion of Martians3 Lame fate4 Doomed city5 A billion years before the end of the world6 Burdened with evil7 The devil among people8 Powerless of this world