TY - BOOK AU - Aleksey German AU - Aleksey German AU - Leonid Yarmolnik AU - Yuriy Tsurilo AU - Aleksandr Chutko AU - Evgeniy Gerchakov AU - Natalia Moteva TI - Hard to Be a God: Trudno byt bogom : AV - PN1997 .H273 2013 CY - Russia PB - Sever Studio, Telekanal Rossiya, Lenfilm Studio N1 - Contains the following: Drama, Sci-Fi N2 - A group of scientists visits the distant planet Arkanar, and discovers a society still trapped in its own medieval era. Unable to interfere with the course of its history, they can only watch in mounting horror as all sparks of intelligent and independent thought are mercilessly snuffed out by Arkanar's cruel rulers. Will they remain enmired in their squalid existence for ever, or can the visitors subtly nudge the more open-minded in the right direction? Truly, it's hard to be a god. Legendary Russian sci-fi authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky wrote the source novel, and adapting it was director Aleksei German's dream projects for decades. It would take six years of shooting, a further six of post-production and a posthumous premiere before his masterpiece was finally unveiled. But masterpiece it is: a visually astonishing, almost tactile recreation of an unnervingly recognizable alternative universe, drenched in blood, mud and the tears of the oppressed ER -