History Literature / TheDoomedCity

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While most supporting character arcs are tied up [[note]] Donald Cooper, Kenji Ubukata and Danny Lee [[spoiler: die]], either early on or at the end of the third act; Selma marries Andrei; Wang becomes a garden-keeper after [[spoiler: Geiger's rise to power]]; Otto, Chachua and Ruhmer all occupy positions [[spoiler: in the City's administration or law enforcement]] [[/note]], we never learn what happens to Davydov/"Uncle Yuri", a semi-major character in the first three parts, after [[spoiler: the revolution]] - he is never brought up again. While his friend Stanislaw, another farmer, who is travelling along with Davydov throughout the entire third act, is very briefly shown to have come to the City for some reason after [[spoiler: the revolution]] [[note]] Andrei notices a "familiar-looking guy with long distinctive whiskers" next to a farm truck while looking out of his office window, although he does not recognize/remember him. [[/note]], the last time Davydov shows up in the novel is at the end of the third act, after stopping at a mass demonstration led by Geiger, at which point Andrei, travelling with him and Stanislaw, slips away. Afterwards, ''not a single word''. Keep in mind that this was a character whom Andrei positively admired in the first act and who later seems to have become a friend of his, and arguably [[spoiler: saved Andrei's hide]] in the central event of Act Three.
** Also, after the [[spoiler: expedition departs]], we never learn the fates of anyone left in the City - it can be assumed that they are perfectly fine and life in the City goes on as it did before, but we don't know for certain. While Andrei thinks about both his wife Selma (and his assistant/secretary Amalia, for that matter) and his friend/boss/commander-in-chief Geiger while the expedition is still going ''comparatively'' well, neither of the two main characters ever brings up any of the others during the entire last act. True, they ''do'' have bigger problems, [[spoiler:such as [[DeathWorld trivial survival]], after the collapse of the entire expedition and the death or disappearance of all other members, along with dealing with the [[RealityIsOutToLunch extremely weird stuff]] close to the "origin of the world"]], but even so, it is jarring that Andrei not even ''once'', not even in a throw-away half-sentence, thinks of his wife, at least.

** Also, after the [[spoiler: expedition departs]], we never learn the fates of anyone left in the City - it can be assumed that they are perfectly fine and life in the City goes on as it did before, but we don't know for certain. While Andrei thinks about both his wife Selma [[{{YourCheatingHeart}} (and his assistant/secretary Amalia, for that matter)]] and his friend/boss/commander-in-chief Geiger while the expedition is still going ''comparatively'' well, neither of the two main characters ever brings up any of the others during the entire last act. True, they ''do'' have bigger problems, [[spoiler: such as [[{{DeathWorld}} trivial survival]], after the collapse of the entire expedition and the death or disappearance of all other members, along with dealing with the [[{{RealityIsOutToLunch}} extremely weird stuff]] close to the "origin of the world"]], but even so, it is jarring that Andrei not even ''once'', not even in a throw-away half-sentence, thinks of his wife, at least.

** Not quite. The leader is indeed a former Nazi officer, but he is sane, and the regime is milder than the Third Reich.
*** [[spoiler:If you consider extermination of mentally ill "milder" than extermination of Jews.]]

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler:after getting shot, Andrei is back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR... [[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] We are only told, via Andrei's Mentor, that he has passed the "first circle" but that "there are many of them ahead".]]

** Also, after the [[spoiler: expedition departs]], we never learn the fates of anyone left in the City - it can be assumed that they are perfectly fine and life in the City goes on as it did before, but we don't know for certain. While Andrei thinks about both his wife Selma [[{{YourCheatingHeart}} (and his assistant/secretary Amalia, for that matter)]] and Geiger while the expedition is still going ''comparatively'' well, neither of the two main characters ever brings up any of the others during the entire last act. True, they ''do'' have bigger problems, [[spoiler: such as [[{{DeathWorld}} trivial survival]], after the collapse of the entire expedition and the death or disappearance of all other members, along with dealing with the [[{{RealityIsOutToLunch}} extremely weird stuff]] close to the "origin of the world"]], but even so, it is jarring that Andrei not even ''once'', not even in a throw-away half-sentence, thinks of his wife, at least.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While most supporting character arcs are tied up [[note]] Donald Cooper, Kenji Ubukata and Danny Lee [[spoiler: die]], either early on or at the end of the third act; Selma marries Andrei; Wang becomes a garden-keeper after [[spoiler: Geiger's rise to power]]; Otto, Chachua and Ruhmer all occupy positions [[spoiler: in the City's administration or law enforcement]] [[/note]], we never learn what happens to Davydov/"Uncle Yuri", a semi-major character in the first three parts, after [[spoiler: the revolution]] - he is never brought up again. While his friend Stanislaw, another farmer, who is travelling along with Davydov throughout the entire third act, is very briefly shown to have come to the City for some reason after [[spoiler: the revolution]] (Andrei notices a "familiar-looking guy with long distinctive whiskers" next to a farm truck while looking out of his office window, although he does not recognize/remember him), the last time Davydov shows up in the novel is at the end of the third act, after stopping at a mass demonstration led by Geiger, at which point Andrei, travelling with him and Stanislaw, slips away. Afterwards, ''not a single word''. Keep in mind that this was a character whom Andrei positively admired in the first act and who later seems to have become a friend of his, and arguably [[spoiler: saved Andrei's hide]] in the central event of Act Three.

*** [[spoiler:If you consider extermination of mentally ill "milder" than extermination of jews.]]

Set in a city where mysterious Mentors run a sociological Experiment. The City is filled with volunteers from various places and times, yet all can effortlessly communicate with each other. Apparently, the experiment runs out of control, the City is shaken by a social unrest and an egalitarian system of job assignments is replaced by a dictatorship. The leader of the new regime sends the main character to explore the bordering desert that limits their expansion. He is told to search for another city that the leader sees as a threat, despite having no evidence it exists. The expedition proves difficult in the extreme. One by one, the members turn back or perish. Only the hero and his friend remain. They pass the Crystal Palace, a briefly mentioned place that contains everything man desires, but still proceed, pondering their strange world and the meaning of human existence.

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler:after getting shot, Andrei is back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR... [[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] We are only told that Andrei has passed the "First circle" but that "there are many of them ahead".]]

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler:after getting shot, Andrei is back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR... [[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] We are only told that Andrei has pased the "First circle" but that "there are many of them ahead".]]

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler:after getting shot, Andrei is back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR... [[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] ]]

* GeniusLoci: The Red Building seems to possess something of the sort, although it's not really explained just what it actually is. [[spoiler:Andrei, who is a communist, plays chess using humans as pieces with someone who is heavily implied to be Stalin.]]

* GeniusLoci: The Red Building seems to possess something of the sort, although it's not really explained just what it actually is. [[spoiler:Andrei, who is a communist, plays chess with someone who is heavily implied to be Stalin.]]

* GeniusLoci: The Red Building seems to possess something of the sort, although it's not really explained just what it actually is. [[spoiler:Andrei, who is a communist, plays against/with someone who is heavily implied to be Stalin.]]

* GeniusLoci: The Red Building seems to possess something of the sort, although it's not really explained just what it actually is.

* DrivenToSuicide: Donald Cooper

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler: Andrei's back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR... [[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] ]]

''Literature/TheDoomedCity'' (Russian: "Град обреченный") is one of the last novels written by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Much of the City policy before [[spoiler: Geiger's coup]] seem to run this way.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Party of Radical Revival

*** [[spoiler: If you consider extermination of mentally ill "milder" than extermination of jews.]]

''Literature/TheDoomedCity'' (Russian: "Град обречённый") is one of the last novels written by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers.

* MindScrew: Oh boy. While most of the rest of the Strugatsky's body of work is rather hard social science fiction, this is a heavily psychological surrealist mystery, full of symbolism, [[{{TheUnreveal}} things that are heavily implied, but NEVER explained]] and, once you get to the last two acts (the expedition to the North and it's aftermath), some extremely weird stuff. Not to mention the GainaxEnding (see above).

* GainaxEnding: In the end, [[spoiler: Andrei's back in our world's actual reality in Leningrad, in his mother's apartment, shortly before dinner - and apparently he wasn't gone at all, to her.]] That means that [[spoiler: it was either a dream or hallucination during the span of a few minutes, OR an instantaneous trip to a parallel universe OR an example of time travel, having been sent back by the Advisors after the experiment, OR he's still ''in'' the experiment and "actual reality" is only a hallucination, OR...[[{{MindScrew}} seriously, what is going on?]] ]]

* EldritchLocation: Arguably the entire City and by extension the entire area [[note]] whether it's an isolated compound, another planet or another dimension[[/note]] where the Experiment takes place. The farmlands in the South and the inhabited sections of the City are more or less normal: although dangerous and strange animals seem to exist in the swamps around the farmlands ("furry crocodiles" as big as bulls are mentioned and farmer characters seem to be always armed, with one of them stating that survival is otherwise impossible in the south), there is nothing truly supernatural there, while in the City, strange happenings occur and weird places do exist (such as the Red Building), but are rather low-key. However, in the abandoned sections of the City in the North, things get weirder and weirder, and not in a good way. The more the expedition ([[spoiler: by then largely consisting of the two main protagonists]]) moves northward, approaching the zero point (the "origin of the world"), the worse things get.

* EldritchLocation: Arguably the entire City and by extension the entire area [[subscript: [[hottip:NOTE: whether it's an isolated compound, another planet or another dimension]]]] where the Experiment takes place. The farmlands in the South and the inhabited sections of the City are more or less normal: although dangerous and strange animals seem to exist in the swamps around the farmlands ("furry crocodiles" as big as bulls are mentioned and farmer characters seem to be always armed, with one of them stating that survival is otherwise impossible in the south), there is nothing truly supernatural there, while in the City, strange happenings occur and weird places do exist (such as the Red Building), but are rather low-key. However, in the abandoned sections of the City in the North, things get weirder and weirder, and not in a good way. The more the expedition ([[spoiler: by then largely consisting of the two main protagonists]]) moves northward, approaching the zero point (the "origin of the world"), the worse things get.

* GainaxEnding

* MindScrew: Oh boy. While most of the rest of the Strugatsky's body of work is rather hard social science fiction, this is a heavily psychological surrealist mystery, full of symbolism, [[{{TheUnreveal}} things that are heavily implied, but NEVER explained]] and, once you get to the last two acts (the expedition to the North and it's aftermath), the weirdness really takes off.

* MindScrew

''Literature/TheDoomedCity'' (Russian: "Град обречённый") is one of the last novels written by the StrugatskyBrothers.