History Literature / PrisonersOfPower

* TheLostWoods: One of the major locations of the book is a huge forest that was once a battlefield for two of the states. By the time of the story, it is filled with minefields, camouflaged sentry guns, autonomous tanks and ballistic missile launchers, most still running on nuclear power and carrying out their patrols. The state, where most of the books story takes place, sends convicts into the forest to disarm the machinery, essentially making the convict camps throughout the woods death camps.

* KillerRobot: Of a UsedFuture, DieselPunk variety (but also relatively [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness realistic]] in that they are neither humanoid nor particularly intelligent). Saraksh is mostly at a 20th-century level of development, but has [[SchizoTech unusually advanced]] computer and nuclear technology -- so autonomous nuclear-powered robots were used during the War that turned it into a CrapsackWorld. When Maxim arrives, the planet's wilderness is filled with rusting, malfunctioning machines that are still attempting to follow their original instructions, attacking anything they perceive as an enemy while leaking poisonous radiation wherever they go. Maxim is originally stranded when his starship is shot down by an autonomous AA platform. He later comes across a rusting, highly radioactive robot tank rumbling through the landscape; fortunately it is too stupid and broken down to react to Maxim's presence. The evil government routinely sends political prisoners into the wilderness to try and disarm all the dangerous machinery, which generally amounts to a death sentence.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Averted. The government is oppressive, highly corrupt and very incompetent, but still totally approved by the citizens - thank to MindControl.

* BadassGrandpa: The statesman [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname known as]] "The Wild Boar".

* GermanRussians: Maxim Kammerer himself. He's ethnically German but lived in Leningrad (Moscow in the movie).

''Prisoners of Power'' (original Russian title: ''Обитаемый остров'', lit. ''Inhabited Island'') is the sixth novel by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers to be set in the Franchise/NoonUniverse. First serialized in a magazine in 1969, published in book form in 1971.

* KillerRobot: Of a UsedFuture, DieselPunk variety. Saraksh is mostly at a 20th-century level of development, but has [[SchizoTech unusually advanced]] computer and nuclear technology -- so autonomous nuclear-powered robots were used during the War that turned it into a CrapsackWorld. When Maxim arrives, the planet's wilderness is filled with rusting, malfunctioning machines that are still attempting to follow their original instructions, attacking anything they perceive as an enemy while leaking poisonous radiation wherever they go. Maxim is originally stranded when his starship is shot down by an autonomous AA platform. He later comes across a rusting, highly radioactive robot tank rumbling through the landscape; fortunately it is too stupid and broken down to react to Maxim's presence. The evil government routinely sends political prisoners into the wilderness to try and disarm all the dangerous machinery, which generally amounts to a death sentence.

* DieselPunk: Saraksh's [[TheAestheticsOfTechnology aesthetic]] [[PlanetOfHats hat]].

* SchizoTech: Sarakshians have roughly World War II level tech and science, but their astronomical knowledge and worldview are practically at a prehistoric level due to the above mentioned atmospheric phenomenon. That also made them unable to work out normal flight physics and aviation is almost non-existent. However, they have achieved remarkable progress in nuclear physics and neurological sciences.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The original Russian title -- ''Inhabited Island'' -- is a reference to ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe'' and other {{Robinsonade}} stories. Crusoe was stranded on a DesertedIsland, a term usually rendered in Russian as "an ''uninhabited island''." Maxim is stranded on a "desert island" as well, but this island is ''anything but'' "uninhabited" -- which turns out to be his main problem.all

** It's a Cool Plane to the natives, but Anton, used to 22nd-century Earth technology, regards it as [[TheAllegedCar The Alleged Plane]].

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The original title was a play off ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe''. Like Crusoe, Maxim is stranded on an unknown island, but this island is anything but uninhabited.

** Island Empire is obviously based on ImperialJapan.

* WhamLine: "Dummkopf! Rotznase!" [[spoiler:This line is uttered by the Stranger, the supposed mastermind behind TheGovernment's tyranny on Saraksh, in ''German''--a Terran language, revealing him to Maxim as a fellow Earthling.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:An unusual version in which Maxim and Rudolf (The Stranger who was one of the figures in charge) end up hurling that at each other - The Stranger for Maxim's [[DidNotThinkThisThrough hasty and hotheaded way of waging a revolution]], and Maxim back at him for [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans cooperating with a tyrannical, genocidal, mind-controlling government]] to prevent anarchy]].]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Dummkopf! Rotznase!"]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[An unusual version in which Maxim and Rudolf (The Stranger who was one of the figures in charge) end up hurling that at each other - The Stranger for Maxim's [[DidNotThinkThisThrough hasty and hotheaded way of waging a revolution]], and Maxim back at him for [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans cooperating with a tyrannical, genocidal, mind-controlling government]] to prevent anarchy]].

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Dumkopf! Rotznase!"]]

'''''Prisoners of Power''''' (original Russian title: ''Обитаемый остров'', lit. ''Inhabited Island'') is the sixth novel by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers to be set in the Franchise/NoonUniverse. First serialized in a magazine in 1969, published in book form in 1971.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: Destroying the Centre, ruining the plan to save the country, not following safety instructions when making planet sweep to begin with.]]

There are three versions of the novel - the original (all but impossible to find), the censored version (896 corrections) approved by the Soviet government (the basis for all official foreign translations) and the 'restored' version that reverts many -- but not all -- of the changes (the only version still in print). A movie adaptation premiered in Russia in December 2008. It has received [[AdaptationDecay rather poor reviews.]]

'''''Prisoners of Power''''' (original Russian title: "Обитаемый остров", lit. "Inhabited Island") is the sixth novel by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers to be set in the Franchise/NoonUniverse. First published in magazine form during 1969, published in book form during 1971.

The protagonist, Maxim Kammerer, is stranded on the AfterTheEnd CrapsackWorld of Saraksh, where the atmosphere has such enormous optical refraction, that the ''horizon seems to bend upwards''. After an atomic war, the planet is divided into several surviving rump empires. And all of them seem to be competing over who can be the most evil. The empire where he lands practices MindControl on the unwashed masses and FantasticRacism against those who can withstand their Mind Control methods. At first Maxim seems a bit of a FishOutOfTemporalWater, just trying to get back home and unable to comprehend the nature of what's happening around him, taking the propoganda at face value. He proceeds to uncover [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the truth]] and tries to improve the situation. How well he succeeds is debatable.

There are three versions of the novel - the original (all but impossible to find), the censored version (896 corrections) approved by the Soviet government (the basis for all official foreign translations) and the 'restored' version that returns lot of original ideas, but left some successful ones (the only version still in print). A movie adaptation premiered in Russia in December 2008. It has received [[AdaptationDecay rather poor reviews.]]

* LaResistance: A certain percentage of people have innate PsychicBlockDefense against the mind towers' rays. Said rays, however, cause them horrible head pain. On this account, they are officially declared sub-human and ruthlessly persecuted, the true reason for which being, of course, that they are the only ones who have enough free will to topple the government. Even they, however, have fallen prey to apathy, lack of planning and extremism. [[spoiler: The heads of state are actually this exact kind of people, who just managed to grab viable power in time. Even they suffer from their own mind rays and have scientists relentlessly working on protection - to little effect. Some of resistance members are even recruited by leaders when they need replacement.]]

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The original title was a play off ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe''. Like Crusoe, Maxim is stranded on an unknown island, but this island is all ''but'' uninhabited.

* TheLostWoods: One of the major locations of the book is a huge forest that was once a battlefield for two of the states. By the time of the story, it is filled with minefields, spring guns, autonomous tanks and ballistic missile launchers, most still running on nuclear power and carrying out their patrols. The state, where most of the books story takes place, sends convicts into the forest to disarm the machinery, essentially making the convict camps throughout the woods death camps.

* TwistEnding: "Dummkopf! Rotznase!" [[spoiler:It turns out, the Terrans were present on Saraksh the whole time and secretly steered it towards recovery--and Maxim has just ruined their entire plans.]]