The Doomed City

The Doomed City (Russian: "Град обречённый") is one of the last novels written by the Strugatsky Brothers.

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.

Tropes found in the novel:

 * Gainax Ending
 * Mind Screw
 * My God, What Have I Done?
 * A Nazi By Any Other Name: Party of Radical Revival
 * Not quite. The leader is indeed a former Nazi officer, but he is sane, and the regime is milder than the Third Reich.
 * Ontological Mystery