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Hard to Be A God: Difference between revisions
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''[[Hard to Be A God (Literature)|Hard to Be A God]]'' (Russian: "Трудно быть богом") is the fourth novel by the [[Strugatsky Brothers]] to be set in the [[Noon Universe]].
The protagonist Anton is an Earthling observer (not a "progressor", the institute of progressors was only created later) on a [[The Dung Ages|Dung Ages]] planet going through a Renaissance and a religious backlash, just starting to border on a full-blown Inquisition. He [[Angst|angsts]], borderline violates the [[Alien Non-Interference Clause]] and achieves what is probably the most [[Downer Ending]] in any Strugatsky novel. Notable as an exploration of the [[Alien Non Interference Clause]] concept and because the (arguably equivalent to) [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]] solution with which a typical action hero might have ended the story is presented as a horrible failure for everyone involved. Two films and a [http://www.hardtobeagod.com/en/ computer game] [[Inspired By]] the book followed.
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=== Tropes found in the novel: ===
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* [[Death By Genre Savvy]] - {{spoiler|Reba, who counted too much on Rumata's [[Thou Shall Not Kill]].}}
* {{spoiler|[[Downer Ending]]}}
* [[Dual
* [[Evil Chancellor]]: Don Reba.
* [[Expy]]: [[Word of God]] claims that Don Reba is an Expy of Lavrentiy Beria, [[State Sec]] chief during the [[Joseph Stalin|Stalinist era]]. The character was even called Don Rebia in an early draft.
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* [[A Nazi By Any Other Name]]: The Grey Stormtroopers.
** The Monks supplanting the Grey Stormtroopers works like SS supplanting SA.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Nice job helping Reba {{spoiler|to kill a king}}, Rumata!
** Also, Rumata's {{spoiler|[[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]}} will only make the situation worse, and he himself at one point explains why.
** And before other humans tried to interfere, with disastrous results.
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* [[Upperclass Twit]]: Don Sera, Don Tameo and the other nobles.
* [[Vestigial Empire]]
* [[What Measure Is a Mook?]] - {{spoiler|Subverted. Rumata's slaughter of the soldiers is portrayed as total moral failure.}}
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: in the finale, Rumata {{spoiler|goes berserk and slaughters dozens of people to get to Don Reba and kill him off.}}
{{reflist}}
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