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 it all originally started as a book. That's right, it STALKER series was conceived (perhaps unsurprisingly) during the second wave of great Russian sci-fi that came in the early 1970s. It is arguably one of the most successful adaptations of a novel to the video game medium. Readers of the book are guaranteed to get extra enjoyment out of playing the game, and vice versa.




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

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8 Chernobyl – The Zone

By Francisco Sanchez & Natacha Bustos

Best books to read if you like STALKER 2 Chernobyl - The Zone

Chernobyl – The Zone is a graphic novel by Francisco Sanchez and Natacha Bustos that aims to capture the reality of the Chernobyl evacuation and how it affected the residents of the area. Although it may not contain the action and combat of STALKER series provides beautifully rendered artwork of many iconic landmarks found in the game.


The book itself is heavily rooted in fiction. While the specific characters it focuses on are fictional, all the events and circumstances they go through would have been experienced by real people. The result is a moving tribute that will enhance the experience of STALKER players when they pass a recognizable location from The Zone.

7 Holocaust

By Jeff VanderMeer

Holocaust Jeff Vandemeer

Jeff VanderMeer's Holocaust resembles 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 film starring Natalie Portman.

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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 unusual for a traditional action/sci-fi story.


6 The road

By Cormac McCarthy

Best books to read if you like STALKER 2 The Road 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 film starring none other than Viggo Mortensen (known for his role as Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings), the story is a brutal tale of struggle and survival in a barren and hostile environment.

The gloomy 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 The last of uswith themes of protection and parenthood also at the fore.

5 A day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch

By Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Best books to read if you like STALKER 2 One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn


Depicts the brutal reality of life in a Soviet prison camp, Alexander Solzhenitsyn's A day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch based on the author's lived experiences. It provides an unflinching look at how “disobedient” were treated under such a regime, and links to the oppressive and authoritarian background looming in STALKER series.

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STALKER 2's novel and film inspirations explained

STALKER 2 is obviously a direct sequel to the 2007 original, but the first STALKER had some clear inspirations that all fans should be aware of.

In addition to containing extensive details of the daily struggle for survival in a gulag, it also provides 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

Best books to read If you like STALKER 2 We Yevgeny Zamyatin


Yevgeny Zamyatins We is perhaps the most underrated book ever written. Serves as inspiration for George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New Worldlike everything that 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 main character, D-503, suddenly develops a soul and realizes that the world he has grown up in is actually severely limited and limited. D-503 sets out to break beyond the “green wall” and venture into the wild.

3 Subway 2033

By Dmitry Glukhovsky

Best books to read if you like STALKER 2 Metro 2033

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


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The STALKER 2 Easter Egg is a clever throwback to an old game

An eagle-eyed STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl player discovers an amazing easter egg from a previous game in GSC Game World's shooter series.

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

2 STALKER Southern Comfort/Northern Passage

By John Mason & Balazs Pataki

Best Books To Read If You Like STALKER 2 Southern Comfort Northern Passage

STALKER Southern Comfort is the first English-language novel based entirely on it STALKER universe and received approval from GSC Games. the sequel, STALKER Northern Passageis also officially approved, although none of the stories take place entirely in Chernobyl.

Both stories help expand the games' universe significantly, 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 Picnic by the road

By Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

Best Books To Read If You Like STALKER 2 Roadside Picnic

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

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8 Best Games Set in Chernobyl

The Chernobyl disaster zone is a deeply mysterious place and has created an excellent setting for many intense and terrifying video games.

The novel tells the story of Red Schuhart, a veteran stalker who visits “The Zone” to retrieve alien artifacts after a mysterious event known as “The Visit”. Picnic by the road it's where it all began, and the witty writing still holds up today as a science fiction masterpiece.

Stalker 2 tag page

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl

System

Xbox-1

Platform(s)
Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows

Released
2024-00-00

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