Maxim Kammerer is one of the most beloved heroes of Strugatsky fans

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The land of the future, described by the Strugatsky brothers, is clean and prosperous. Humanity has got rid of teenage complexes, there are no more wars, diseases and natural disasters on the planet. Earthlings defeated hunger, learned to control the weather and live in harmony with nature, they learned from the mistakes of previous generations and now they know exactly what the planet and society need. Conquering the boundless expanses of space, perfect people are now ready to come to the aid of other, younger worlds in order to save them from the wrong paths traversed by earthlings.

But can a person take responsibility, changing the course of the history of the development of society, because, as you know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? A trilogy about Maxim Kammerer, consisting of the books "Inhabited Island" (where the reader meets a very young hero), "Beetle in the Anthill" (in which Maxim is already an experienced employee of COMCON-2), and "Waves extinguish the wind" (submitted as diaries and Kammerer's notes) raises this and other age-old human questions.

People of the future

Civilization on planet Earth has reached the highest level. Mankind has learned to fully use the capabilities of its brain and eradicated such atavisms as cruelty, greed and aggressiveness. People are now engaged in science, research and, trying not to harm, bring good and bright to other civilizations.

Maxim Kammerer is a typical representative of the Earth of the future. he has a kind heart, a sharp mind, excellent he alth, excellent external and physical data and a full range of other positive qualities. Maxim was brought up in a happy and loving family, however, like all other earthlings. His father is a nuclear physicist, but the young man has always been attracted to space, so, having not finally decided on the choice of speci alty by the age of 20, he joins the free space search group.

Inhabited Island

In one of the free search expeditions on a young explorer's starship, serious malfunctions are discovered, as a result of which Maxim Kammerer is forced to make an emergency landing on the planet Saraksh. The young man cannot make repairs on his own, besides, the transmitter is broken, and the other members of the expedition do not know the coordinates of the landing. Maxim will have to solve the problem on his own, but first he must understand how to do it and familiarize himself with the planet. From the first steps, it becomes clear to an earthling that there is intelligent life on Saraksha and, apparently, cruel wars were fought. With their legacy of abandoned and rusty but combat-ready weapons, hecollided in the forest near his starship. Maxim's further research showed that people live on the planet, and wars are not a thing of the past, but still tear apart society and destroy the planet.

Becoming close to the locals - Rada and Guy Gaal, Maxim Kammerer is drawn into the political intrigues of a totalitarian state led by the organization "Unknown Fathers". Deceiving and subjugating its people with the help of special emitters, the country's leadership blames mutants for all troubles, the state is torn apart by internal and external military and political conflicts with the Island Empire. The young man does not fit into the local order: his friendliness and wide smile arouse the suspicion of the authorities, they begin to closely monitor him. A certain Wanderer, a very influential member of the government, is especially interested in the earthling.

Having figured out the situation, Maxim wants to help ordinary deceived people. He falls into the Resistance and, with the activity characteristic of civilized earthlings, is included in the struggle. A rebellion begins in the country, and military clashes with the Island Empire develop into a full-fledged war. During these events, Maxim meets Rudolf Sikorsky (aka the Wanderer - a secret agent of the Galactic Security Committee). It turns out that people on Earth have long been aware of the problems in Saraksha and are trying to gently direct the course of events for the better, without, however, imposing their own methods on the population of the planet. Maxim, with his desire to help, put the entire long-term work of the Committee under jeopardy, and now the country and the planet are threatened by world war and chaos.

Beetle in an anthill

Maxim has many years of experience behind him, he is a mature man of more than 40 years old, is an employee of the Contacts Committee (KOMKON-2). His duties include not only contact with representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations, but also the identification of a possible threat to humanity emanating from them. Taught from his own mistakes, Maxim Kammerer now listens to his teacher and leader Rudolf Sikorski. The earthlings did not leave Saraksh, and the progressors continue to help the population of the planet. Finding one of them, Lev Abalkin, is Kammerer's task.

It is known that Abalkin worked undercover in the counterintelligence of the Island Empire, but after the death of his friend Tristan, he suffered a nervous breakdown and, impersonating himself, was forced to flee. He left Saraksh without a corresponding order, so he hides on Earth. In the process of searching, information is revealed to Maxim about the true causes of the commotion over the disappearance of Abalkin. It turns out that he belongs to a group of people, the so-called foundlings, grown from embryos found in a sarcophagus on a distant planet in 2137.

COMCON-2 is suspicious of these people, because the Wanderers (a highly developed civilization, which, presumably, was engaged in progressorism on many planets), are clearly involved in the history of their origin. Despite the humaneness of the human society, which raised full-fledged earthlings with all rights from the embryos found, the contact committee still closely followed them, believingthat these people may carry a hidden threat to humanity. There is a theory of how exactly foundlings can harm earthlings. Abalkin's flight and attempt to hide is regarded by Sikorsky as confirmation of this theory.

Rudolf considers it impossible to be soft, he is a supporter of tough measures and intends to eliminate the possible danger in any way. Maxim does not approve of this, especially since the threat from the foundlings has not been proven, he is trying to protect Abalkin. But all efforts are in vain, Leo, having learned about his origin, wants to get to the bottom of the truth, and Sikorsky, perceiving this as a direct threat, kills him. So Maxim thinks about the expediency of progressorism and COMCON with its secret power, and the concept of “Sikorsky syndrome” (fear of progressorism on the part of Wanderers) comes into use of the committee.

The waves extinguish the wind

It's been many years. Maxim is already at the respectable 89 years of age. About his life and work for almost half a century tells the diary that Kammerer kept all this time. After the events related to Sikorsky, Maxim seriously thought about the activities of the Wanderers on Earth and the consequences they could lead to. After all, scientists have discovered in some people hidden superpowers and superintelligence that earthlings do not possess. By activating them, a person turns into a luden, an almost new species. There are more and more such people, they do not have human emotions and cannot live in a society of people. This threatens humanity, and Maxim is busy exposing a secret organization of people on Earth. Ultimately, he achievessuccess with like-minded people. After the publication of the facts of interference in the development of mankind, the people leave the Earth.

Character Creation Story

World Noon, created by the authors in 1962, showed all the attractiveness of the bright future that was promised to the Soviet people. The heroes of this world are bright and highly moral people, humanists, intellectuals, scientists and conquerors of space. They are busy improving themselves and the planet, so they strive to help other civilizations reach the same level. Playing on the contrast between the Earth of the XXII century and Saraksh, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky clearly showed the futility of the totalitarian regime. They also raised the eternal topic of creating organizations that, for the benefit of mankind, decide how to live, and thereby lead it to death.

Therefore, the special attention of censorship was riveted to the trilogy about the adventures of Maxim Kammerer. The original surname of the protagonist was Rostislavsky, but in order to avoid association with the events that took place during the years of repression in the Soviet Union, censorship demanded that it be changed to German. Later, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky had the opportunity to return the first name to the hero, but, after thinking, abandoned this idea. Speaking about the film adaptation of the book "Inhabited Island", Boris Strugatsky noted that the film was a success, and the leading actor - Vasily Stepanov - most closely matches the image of Maxim Kammerer.