The Kid From Hell (Russian: "Парень из преисподней") is the eighth novel by the Strugatsky Brothers to be set in the Noon Universe.
A native of a post-apocalyptic planet is taken to Earth as an experiment to see how well a "savage" would adjust to its Utopian society. Hilarity does not ensue.
Tropes found in the novel:[]
- A Father to His Men: Guepard.
- Child Soldiers: Warcats, sometimes called Warkittens. Double as Badass Army.
- The Empire: literally. Currently quite busy waging war with Duchy of Alaya.
- Fish Out of Temporal Water: Gug.
- In-Series Nickname: at least two examples.
- Regular Alayan soldiers are called porcupines, at least by Warcats.
- Imperial soldiers are called rat-eaters, although it's unclear if this name apllies to military only or to imperials in general.
- Military School: Warcats. It is implied that there are several Warcat schools throughout the Alaya.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: It may be filthy, backwater, and violent, in comparison to the nice and clean Earth, but it is still Gug's home.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Almost all Warcats mentioned in the book. Hare, Rooster, Nosy, Crocodile, Sniper, Mite. The only exception is Guepard who uses his real name and rank (senoir mentor Digga) once.