Oops, there's a twist ending? I might just skip this thread and come back in a few days, then...

I'm afraid I haven't read much other Russian literature, as I prefer scifi, so the closest I got to the Eastern bloc is Lem...

I think my main problem with Master and Margarita is that I don't know much about the context of the era, and it feels like most of the book is subtle jabs at the society and political climate of the time.

As far as sci-fi, you should try Strugatsky books.

Second that, but I'd probably stay away from early books by Strugatskys - they are kind of naive and would only work for a real hardcore fan. Later ones are much deeper.

Bulgakov also did sci-fi - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs

I'm not sure it would work in translation though - as the plot goes, it would be kind of simple, especially for our 21th century eyes, but the inimitable Bulgakov style adds a lot.

No, I was messing with you.

Kevin Moss's site linked upthread is a good place to start for context that may make you retroactively enjoy the book more.

Damn. I have that tab open to get back to after I've finished the book, thanks!

It's a closure ending, and by now you understand that any closure to what you've read must involve some sort of twist.