Best Novels To Read If You Like STALKER

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the latest entry into the beloved STALKER franchise, but not all fans know that the whole thing originally started out as a book. That’s right, the STALKER series was imagined (perhaps unsurprisingly) during the second wave of great Russian sci-fi which came during the early 1970s. It is arguably one of the most successful adaptations of a novel into the video game medium. Readers of the book will be sure to get extra enjoyment from playing the game, and vice versa.

The following books cover a range of different themes and styles, with some more directly related to STALKER than others. However, all of them will surely be of interest to the hardcore fans of the STALKER series, as well as readers in general who want more of the gritty, eerie and immersive sci-fi present in the games.

8 Chernobyl – The Zone

By Francisco Sanchez & Natacha Bustos

Chernobyl – The Zone is a graphic novel by Francisco Sanchez and Natacha Bustos which aims to capture the reality of the Chernobyl evacuation and how it impacted the inhabitants of the area. While it may not contain the action and combat of the STALKER series, it provides beautifully rendered artwork of many iconic landmarks present in the game.

The book itself is heavily grounded fiction. While the specific characters it focuses on are made up, all the events and circumstances they go through would have been experienced by real people. The result is a touching tribute which will enhance the experience of STALKER players whenever they pass through a recognizable location from The Zone.

7 Annihilation

By Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation is similar to STALKER in a number of ways, centered around a dangerous and uninhabitable alien zone known as ‘Area X.’ The book won the Nebula Award for best novel in 2014, and was later adapted into a movie starring Natalie Portman.

The book is the first in the Southern Reach series, and is definitely one to add to the collection of any avid sci-fi reader. The book also features a female protagonist, which is relatively rare for a traditional action/sci-fi story.

6 The Road

By Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 post-apocalypse novel The Road was something of an instant classic as soon as it was published. Now adapted into a motion picture starring none other than Viggo Mortensen (known for his role as Aragorn from Lord of the Rings), the story is a brutal tale of struggle and survival in a barren and hostile environment.

The bleak atmosphere and philosophical tones will be familiar to STALKER fans, even if the subject matter isn’t overtly sci-fi or necessarily as action-packed. The story is somewhat similar to The Last of Us, with themes of protection and parenthood also at the forefront.

5 One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich

By Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Depicting the brutal reality of life in a Soviet prison camp, Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich is based on the author’s lived experiences. It provides an unflinching look at how ‘disobedients’ were treated under such a regime, and ties into the oppressive and authoritarian background which looms in the STALKER series.

As well as containing extensive details about the daily struggle for survival inside a gulag, it also provides a valuable psychological insight, which is not always easy to portray in a video game. Reading this book will instill a newfound appreciation for the basic freedoms we take for granted.

4 We

By Yevgeny Zamyatin

Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We is perhaps the most underrated book ever written. Serving as the inspiration for George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, as well as everything which came after, We is a classic work of 1920s Russian sci-fi and one of the earliest dystopian novels ever written.

Set in a scientific ‘utopia,’ the protagonist, D-503, suddenly develops a soul and realizes that the world he has grown up in is actually heavily confined and restricted. D-503 sets off to break beyond the ‘Green Wall’ and venture into untamed nature.

3 Metro 2033

By Dmitry Glukhovsky

The highly acclaimed Metro series is another one of the best video game adaptations of a novel series ever created. In addition to staying faithful to the source material, the games manage to perfectly capture the gloomy atmosphere that is described so well in the books.

Combining post-apocalyptic survival with supernatural horrors, political intrigue, and psychological instability, Metro 2033 is one of the best in its genre. It will certainly appeal to anyone who likes the gritty atmosphere of the STALKER series.

2 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Southern Comfort/Northern Passage

By John Mason & Balazs Pataki

STALKER Southern Comfort is the first English-language novel based entirely inside the STALKER universe, and received approval from GSC Games. The sequel, STALKER Northern Passage, is also officially approved, though neither story takes place entirely in Chernobyl.

Both stories help to expand the universe of the games considerably, weaving in recognizable events, locations, and characters in the process. Unfortunately, both books are extremely rare these days, with physical copies selling for upwards of $850.

1 Roadside Picnic

By Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

For fans of the STALKER series, it doesn’t get much better than going straight to the original source material. Originally published in 1972 during an era of heavy Soviet censorship, the fact that the novel ever saw the light of day is something of a miracle in itself.

The novel tells the story of Red Schuhart, a veteran stalker who frequents ‘The Zone’ to retrieve alien artifacts following a mysterious event known as ‘The Visit.’ Roadside Picnic is where it all began, and the witty writing still holds up today as a masterwork of science fiction.