************************** Reflections **********************************
Natalya REZANOVA
THE WORLD IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN'T LIVE
Svyatoslav LOGINOV. Favorites. Volume 1: The Many-Armed God of Dalaina:
Novel. - Nizhny Novgorod: "Phlox", 1994. - 384 pp. - ("Golden Shelf
fiction").
St. Petersburg science fiction writer Svyatoslav Loginov makes his debut in Nizhny Novgorod
city with the novel "The Many-Armed God of Dalaina". That is, Logi is known
new for ten years now. I belong to those who remember Loginov by
the story "The Guardian of the Pass", and fell in love for the stories on European themes
of the Middle Ages ("Iron Age", "Microcosm", "The Barber").
And until now it seemed that Loginov’s attempts to move away from the small form
were unsuccessful (“I’m not touching you”), and attempts to cross from the west
noah to a different - domestic, let's say - soil ("Mashenka") simply
upsetting.
And here is a novel, and a very voluminous one. And all the familiar logins -
such surroundings, all these alchemists, knights, witches and the like -
completely rejected. This may disappoint many people. But I can
to say - to date this is the best thing Svyatoslav has written
Loginov. Although they rejected the traditional trappings of Western fantasy,
sheny, the main principle of the main class is absolutely observed
sika and a theorist of the genre, who set the goal of fantasy to create a secondary
new worlds. For the novel is about this very thing - about the creation and destruction of the world.
ra.
Only inall canonical mythological systems, the world was created
given either for man, or at least acceptable for his habitation. A
if the world was originally created against man?
The Creator, old Tenger, tired of the age-old struggle with the many-armed
the creature of the abyss, Yorool-Guy, who hates all living things, offers
create a world specifically for the Many-Armed One - just so that
he got rid of Tenger and did not stop him from thinking about the eternal. "I
I will build for you a quadrangular daline - vast and without
bottom, I will fill it with water so that you can swim, I will populate it with all sorts of
creatures - vile and disgusting in appearance, and you will have dominion -
honor them." But among the many counter conditions,
stated by the Many-Armed One: “I need among these creatures to be
one, similar to you, how similar are two drops of water for her to have
two arms and two legs so that she can talk and think about things
nom. I will kill this creature in memory of our battle." But Tenger
also sentences that once in a generation there will be born
Ilbech - a person who can create land only by the power of desire, and
it is unknown whether it will remain before the poison of the Many-Arms eats away the barrier
the wall waiting for the world, a place in the distance for the Many-Armed One himself. This is the myth
creations" as presented by Svyatoslav Loginov. A world created according to
the place of the devil and for the dwelling of the devil, and man created in the image
and the likeness of God (Tengerov) originally to the devil (Yorool-Guy)in
the victim is doomed.
Pseudo-Far Eastern terminology (and further “as if” can-
Ngolic and Chinese realities) should not mislead the reader
cheating. Although, of course, they will introduce it, and I am sure that it will be expressed
the opinion that Loginov wrote a novel based on Mongolian mythology
gii. Nothing of the kind. I already said - no canonical systems
There are no themes at the heart of the novel. I also said - no canons -
chesical...
In early Christianity, the opposition God - Satan is weakly expressed.
The Lord is omnipotent, and to imagine that Satan can actually pro-
to resist him means to diminish the greatness of God. But first
tians and in their first centuries there were Gnostics, who by no means considered Creation
tsa almighty. For the Creator we know is only a weak
emanation, reflection of the true unknowable God. Of course, at
such a creator-demiurge may have a “black double”, Satanail,
the true master of our world. "The Creation of the World - Episode II-
foamy. A brilliant idea - a world presented as something out-
initially harmful, as an indirect and perverse reflection of wondrous un-
demonic thoughts." (J.L. Borges, “The Justification of the False Basilides,” cited by
book "Writings of God", M., 1992).
But Gnosticism was just a philosophical system, in addition
elitist. Then the prophet Mani came and created on its basis a “teaching
knowledge accessible to everyone" - about the eternal struggle between light and darkness and regular
appearances of "messengers of light". Churchimmediately declared Manichaeism
heresy and began to eradicate it.
They say that over time everyone becomes like their enemies.
Over the centuries, Manichaeism was revived under the names of Pav-
Lycianism, the Cathar and Waldensian movements, Bogomilism - considering -
who made the world the patrimony of Satanael.
Over the centuries, the church destroyed the Paulicians, Cathars,
Waldensians and Bogomils, burned them at the stake, declared against them
crusades. Towards the end of the Middle Ages with the heresy of Manichaeism
it was over. But if people took a closer look around
themselves, they would see that they live in a Manichaean world.
The influence of the Gnostic-Manichaean doctrine on the formation of civilization
villization is a topic quite worthy of the writer’s attention in general and
science fiction writer in particular. In our literature it is touched upon,
it seems only Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in "Burdened"
Evil." But, if the Strugatskys are talking about our world, our civilization
lization, then Loginov develops this topic on the material of “secondary
peace." Peace, is initially detrimental to humans.
Dalain is a quadrangle surrounded by the wall of Tenger, where the
There is poisonous moisture and rock islands - oroihons - stick out. Oroi-
hones are dry, wet and fiery, and life is possible only
on dry ones. Many predatory and disgusting creatures - not counting
phenomena of the Many-Armed One, destroying all living things wherever they reach
his tentacles. Plus all sorts of othercharms. Impossible world.
An unbearable world.
...And people live. And they don’t just live - they built a civilization,
not at all primitive. Scientific and technical thought does not sleep - in
in any case, in the complete absence of any metal in the daline
fishing and an extremely rare tree to firearms
and the artillery came up with the idea here.
...And socio-political thought too. In the dalaine we will present
Almost all possible forms of government are covered. Classic ab-
Solute monarchy (Country of Van). Theocracy (Country of Elders).
Totalitarian structure in the spirit of “camp communism” (Country
Good Brothers). An anarchic society of outcasts, from which
In a normal world order, “healthy capitalism” can sprout.
In short, that's it. This means, to the misfortunes of humanity, the programmed
baths from the creation of Dalain, inevitable wars are added.
And all this on a tiny platform, because the whole daline, the whole
the world of this humanity, if you move along the wall of Tenger along
direct, you can walk around it in four days. True, straight roads
not on line.
The hero of the novel, Shooran, wanders through this world. wanders
under the guise of a tsereg soldier, a convict, a wandering storyteller, carefully
carefully hiding his gift of illbech. Because on Ilbech not only
the curse of the Many-Arms, dooming him to eternal loneliness.
Ilbech is a desirable prey for any ruler, because Ilbech
creates inDalaine new land. New land - new territories. No comments.
Shooran wanders, and the author explores the world of Dalain with him,
describing its realities (which would be too long to list)
and what shapes the spiritual world of its inhabitants. "Creation Myth"
already quoted here. There are also myths about the cultural hero, the heroic
Kie and love legends, obscene “grassroots” folklore. And almost
everywhere there is a central figure - the Many-Armed One, the devil and god of this world.
And for all its artificiality, laboratory tasks, the world is
It turns out to be very reliable and in some ways very familiar. Compare:
“And each one said to his brother: “What you see is mine, and
everything else is also mine" (Loginov).
“And brother said to brother: “This is mine, and this is mine.” (“The Word of
Igor's regiment").
"You want to destroy me, O Tenger! But did you think that
together with me you will destroy half of eternal time at once, and
half of infinity, their reverse, dark side? Will he be able to
your bright side will exist without me, and what will it stand on?
Aldan-teseg, if my abyss does not exist?" (Loginov).
"You said your words as if you did not recognize shadows, but
also evil. Would you be so kind as to think about the question: what
would your good do if evil did not exist, and how would
What would the earth look like if the shadows disappeared from it? After all, shadows are obtained
from objects and from people... Would you likerip off all earthly
ball, blowing away all the trees and all living things because of your fan-
to enjoy the naked light?" (M. Bulgakov, "The Master and Marga-
Rita").
“Outcasts are people driven by life to places where they cannot live” (Logi-
new).
"Life is a place where you can't live." (M. Tsvetaeva. "Poem
end").
This series could be continued all the way to the Strugatz brothers.
oh, and it seems that such “hidden quotes” are not random
reservations, and, of course, not plagiarism, but a chain of conventional signs -
We follow the Russian literary tradition. But is it only Russian
and only literary?
"Over the past time, the country of universal brotherhood has become even more decrepit
more, although it waged successful wars on two fronts at once. B
only women remained in the communities, who fed the whole country,
performing both women's and men's work. All men
were considered tseregs. The fabulous prey... has long since disappeared
home, there were no noticeable new acquisitions, but all the people...
lived with hopes, which means he didn’t live at all.” Sound familiar?
Or: “After the fall of the rock-solid state, the coercive
noah love and legalized brotherhood, settled at every orikhon
its own special king or republic, different from past times
only weakness and special fanaticism. No one began to live there for any reason.
better or worse, everyone, as before, hated strangers, and they themselves
tried to feed forat the expense of weaker neighbors."
Political pamphlet? Not without it. Fortunately, this is not the case
limited, otherwise the “Many-Armed God” would be no different from
"Anastasia" Bushkov, from which Tenger had mercy.
As for belonging to cultural traditions, there is no question
I remember that cultural scientists define the civilization of the West
as a “culture of guilt”, and the civilization of the East as a “culture of shame”.
In his reasoning, Shooran comes to the conclusion that in all troubles
the world is not to blame for the devil - the Many-Armed One, but the demiurge Tenger, for your
Thinking is an action, and every action entails evil. Ras-
the judgment is absolutely in the spirit of Chinese (specifically, Taoist) philosophical
philosophy that preaches the principle of “non-action.” But what is the conclusion? "Guilty
the one who does. So, we will be guilty." They ask if he left
Loginov, in fact, from his original “Westernism”
va"?
It should be noted that the novel is not at all a mish-mash of philosophies.
sophistic, religious and political reasoning, as seems to follow
blows from my notes. This, as befits a novel, is, first of all,
history. A story about a creator. For Ilbech's gift is a metaphor for creativity
(the definition of “poet” in the novel is applied only to Shooran, although
storytellers in the Dalaine are not so rare). And creativity as thirst
absolute. Shooran has one more antagonist besides the Many-Armed One.
This is his own brother and antipode Eethgon. If Shooran is "type
creator", Eethgon -“a type of real politician”, “a thrifty owner”,
like Anuya's Creon. Shooran seeks to destroy evil, Eet-
gon - to adapt to it. And the truth of life ultimately
on Eethgon's side. Which, in general, is also not very comforting.
...And about where such a thirst for the absolute can lead. Because
that in the fight against the cruelty of the world Shooran quietly steps over
the line beyond which he builds “not for the people, but against the Daline.” A
For him, humanity was concentrated in the legal
to the marvelous dwarf Ai, who, due to her dementia, does not understand who is with her
nearby. And when Ai is killed by starving peasants (and they are starving
they are, by the way, due to the fact that as a result of global creative
Renia Shooran sushi there is a terrible drought in Dalain), people in general
cease to mean something to him. What is important is the fight against Multi-
hands. "The eternal monster hid the meaning and justification of the struggle and
hysterical, sizzling work." And the Many-Armed One, invisibly present
howling in the mind of Shooran, like the devil in the mind of Ivan Karamazov,
says:
“I see, good illbech, you are even more terrible than me. Thinking like
you might win, but if people outlived you, you would stay
in their memory a great god. Then there would be three of us: the old man,
who has done everything and done nothing, I am his shadow and true essence, and
you are the eternal and consubstantial son and at the same time the best of your
rhenium, who came in the name of love and killed the world.It's a pity there will be no one
admire such a trinity."
Everyone eventually becomes like their enemies.
And the Many-Armed One dies, and the wall of Tenger collapses. And behind her is the world.
Our world in its pristine purity. Happy ending? No way.
Because human nature has remained the same, and in our world
their difficulties, and Loginov at the end creates a “world of the future”, in
in which the embodied nightmare of Dalain appears as a golden age,
an earthly paradise, a fabulous land of abundance, and the Many-Armed One is kind and
a beneficent deity. And because a wall looms nearby,
vogo dalaina. And because this world is unbearable for Shooran - for
present Shooran. "He cannot live without the hated daline,
without poisonous moisture, a frozen abyss and the smoke of burning Avars. You can't
who has lived his life in struggle to lose an enemy. He created a new world, but
he has no place in it." And for the last time he calls on his gift, and
in the new dalaine becomes a new incarnation of the Many-Armed One, with
whom the new Ilbech will fight... The ring is closed. What corresponds
follows an ancient and venerable tradition. The king's killer becomes
king Dragon slayer - dragon. And the killer of the Many-Arms...
St. Petersburg science fiction writer Svyatoslav Loginov wrote a good novel. And
This is the only consoling result that I can present here.
press. There are no others.
----------------------------------------------------------------
NikolaiPERUMOV
Marina and Sergey DYACHENKO. Gatekeeper: Fantasy Novel.-
Kyiv: RPO "Poligrafkniga", 1994. - 328 pages - ("Fantasy
Collection").
This work can hardly be called a novel - rather
long story. Classic, in keeping with the best traditions
"fantasy". An unsuccessful attempt was made to break away from tradition.
"quest" when the gray-bearded magician at the very beginning explains the
given to the characters, what needs to be done, after which the book can be read
just to see if the author managed to come up with a new
a new way of “bringing down” and “smoking” the main scoundrel.
Not so in The Gatekeeper. There is a mystery - in the world where they live
people, some of whom are magicians, are trying to break through
some kind of Third Force. What is it, where did it come from, what does it want?
- no one understands. The plot is built around this, consisting of them
two lines - the actual investigation of what kind of Power this is and
wanderings - at first glance aimless - of the former magician Marr -
na, aka Rual Ilmarranen (a distinct echo of “Kalevala”, although
no connection with the Finnish epic is subsequently discovered).
Marran was deprived of his powers by his former colleagues for... In general, for the cause. And
now the formerly brilliant sorcerer has to start everything
first - almost learning to walk. Which is not surprising - several
It stood for only a few years, turned into a hanger. ("Amber" remember?
Who is there in the Castle of Four Worldsturned into the same object of furniture
tanks?).
Then his wanderings begin - carefully written out, with
bright characters of secondary characters, but not too connected
with the main plot. They rather work to reveal character
Rual himself. This is perhaps the main weakness of the book - cut to
one episode, two, three - hardly anything would change. And
all this time the Third Force persistently strives to reach
consciousness of Rual, so that he would naturally serve as an intermediary
com, would open the way for her into this world. Literally opened
words - unlocked the large iron door. The method of purchase is also very
simple - “you have lost everything, but with me you can find everything again.”
Actually, the whole series of Rual adventures - but for him they were not
too pleasant and profitable - serves to maximize
sharpen this choice. The hero lost everything, he was betrayed and sold
almost everyone who could - so why not accept the royal gift?
Rock, why not move the bolt on the iron door? The second one
niya, with the investigation led by the sorcerers Lart, Balthazar and
soothsayer Orwin, written out less carefully - although good luck there
more. The bright and lively characters of sorcerers are by no means angels in
flesh like Gandalf, a lot of funny, comical situations, in
which falls into the student of the sorcerer Lart named Damir - coward -
a smart and not overly-burdened guy. Sorcererslooking for an intermediary
nickname of the Third Force - although the reader guesses everything right away,
which somewhat reduces the overall interest in the book. There are many beautiful
rich details that greatly enliven what is happening. For example, just one
tassels of curtains on the windows in the house of the sorcerer Lart - tassels of curtains that catch
flies and feed on them! I liked it...
However, it is felt that the authors tried their best
get away from entertainment. Hence some inconsistencies with the plot,
his obvious "sagging" in the middle of the book - when I already
everything is clear who the gatekeeper is and that Roald Ilmarranen has already lost everything,
that he had - there are episodes that are unreasonably drawn out and
which you can safely skip. For example, the story with the wolf -
werewolf, told in unusual detail, but ended
zilch. The werewolf eats Ilmarranen refuses and runs away
to the steppe. Why, why, for what - there are no explanations. You can
make assumptions, but is it necessary?
To summarize, I will say that a debut for authors - if it is a debut -
clearly a success. The weaknesses noted above stem rather from excess
external "skill" of the authors, their desire to make the thing closer to the "mainstream"
stream" (something like "Violist Danilov" by V. Orlov). So
We'll be looking forward to their next books! Moreover, according to
Rumor has it there is already a sequel...
----------------------------------------------------------------
Sergey BEREZHNOYSergei LUKYANENKO. Lord from Planet Earth: Fantastic.
works. - Almaty: LIA "Nomad", 1994. - 576 p.
First, a couple of comments that have nothing to do with literature.
Firstly, the cover. I don’t like such a shameful book design
I've seen it for a long time. When I see this painting I want to howl and trample
book and enthusiastically mix it with dirt. It's been a while since I woke up a book
there's a monkey in me...
Now about near and dear ones - about copyrights. I never did
managed to understand who owns, speaking in a dull clerical style,
copyright on the text. Everything is clear with the design - it has copyright
the artist is marked. Probably so that no one would try to steal
this cover. But with the text there are complete misunderstandings. Two copy-
that: first LLP "Pan", Moscow. Second LIA "Nomad", Almaty. Sergey
Lukyanenko is somehow not visible behind all this. Especially if
Please note that according to Russian copyright law, legal
a person cannot be the owner of copyright in artistic
text. Well, let’s say this doesn’t apply to Almaty nomads,
but the Moscow gentlemen...
Although, why am I whining? There "Phlox" in "Multi-armed..." is generally post-
I decided to put a copyright on the text - both my own and the author's. Probably
so that Loginov does not die of shyness. Copyright owner -
This sounds, apparently, too proud for some.
OK. Now about literature. It's time!
Well, I'm going to talk about the "Knights of the Forty Islands"I won't -
This novel has already been published, and you can’t get enough of each re-release.
But “The Princess is Worth Dying” and “The Planet That Doesn’t Exist”, sang
begun in this collection for the first time, a detailed conversation is quite
serve. Firstly, this is a classic "space opera" - and
form and content. Secondly, this is the first SUCCESSFUL domestic
space opera after Larionova's "Chakra of the Centaur". Masochistically
I'm trying to remember something else - from the same opera - but to no avail.
"Men Like Gods" has a strong Hamiltonian scope, but is too
moralizing - in places. Golovachev's epics would be similar to
opera, if only the characters' arias could be distinguished from one
another... However, I’m probably being picky here...
"The Princess Is Worth Dying" starts off in a dark, out-of-genre way
(the main character is a cool man, he keeps a show-off in the area), but then he
moves to an alien planet (you have problems moving
heroes to other planets? - for Lukyanenko - no) and already as a result
of this fact he becomes a knight without fear or reproach. One and a half
pages on mastering the “flat sword”, two pages on the introduction
Get up to speed and let's go free the princess. For this you need
to take down one tough kent who is waving well for the wrong reasons.
It doesn't work the first time. The hero is forced to go back
according to the plot (in computer toys this is called "load saved
game") and replay Kent so thathe couldn’t stand out too much
hang out...
(I’m not at all afraid to retell the plot - it’s quite stan-
Dartin for "operas" and the author makes almost no effort to classify the following -
its turnings. The thrill comes from the way this plot is written.
rank Lukyanenko can write easily and assertively, as well as read
his lyrics are surprisingly easy. And the strength in his prose is just that -
I wish I could read all this and drink it...)
...Then a variety of mochilovo begins and gradually
the hero begins to show off throughout the planet. Paragraph.
However, the princess turned out to be quite a bore and demanded that
our hero discovered his home planet. It’s awkward for her to get married
marry a barbarian from nowhere.
The entire second novel (“The Planet That Doesn’t Exist”), the hero fights with those
mi who wants to discover the Earth before him. Competitors simply and without
plans are going to mine our planet and explode. All this
of course, for deeply philosophical reasons. The hero of this, naturally-
Of course, he doesn’t want to - for quite sentimental reasons. Mochilovo
acquires a completely unbridled mass character, but the Earth
everything is mined, the counter is already clicking, and the pockets are empty and
There is nothing to save the Motherland.
But don't let us save you! H-ha! We pulled ourselves up and...
In general, everyone is having a blast.
The published
in a collection of stories. I read "My Dad is an Antibiotic" for the first time.
and wasamazed. The story, openly teenage in tone, worked
evokes the theme of “soldiers of civilization” - people who take upon themselves
dirty and bloody work necessary for the good of the state/society
society/civilization - how this good is understood “above”. Similar
The topic was raised by Vladimir Pokrovsky in “Barbershop Guys”, but
Pokrovsky was primarily interested in the ethics and psychology of the
these people, and Lukyanenko delves into more abstract ethical
certain questions - for example, can a society be considered ethical if
he resorts (even if forced) to such means. And the theme
retribution... I have long been partial to speculative social ethics
shen, as well as to the question of the applicability of its theoretical achievements
zheny to practice.
The story "L" means people" is dedicated to the current, it seems,
eyelids, the theme of xenophobia. Man to perform a task on another
planet with an aggressive environment is transformed into the most suitable
a body assembled for existence in this environment. The crew there
station demonstrates its intolerance to his new form and
some planetary scientists are even attempting to destroy
him. Lukyanenko is somewhat distant, but very convincing
demonstrates what external form has for modern man
more important than the content: xenophobia does not arise here
in relation to representatives of a non-humanoid race, but due to the fact
what body shapechanged one of the people of the Earth... Planetologists are
are fully aware, but the subconscious is aware of any deviation from the ordinary
perceives it as danger - and seeks to defend itself. And the best
way of defense...
"Train to Warm Land", "Road to Wellesberg" and "Fugue in the Moon"
dire" I have read in magazine publications before and can only con-
to state that Lukyanenko has been working for the past five years
Talled smoothly, he had no fundamental failures, but also obvious
creative growth after "Knights of the Forty Islands" I also did not
methyl. Increased professionalism - yes, of course. But professionalism
- that's not all.
Of Lukyanenko’s usual stylistics, only “Po-
rides..." - a rather harsh short story, half symbolic,
half parable. Lukyanenko's only thing that
comparable to the "fourth wave" style and clearly shows that
Sergei has fully mastered all the achievements of his predecessors. On the other hand
on the other hand, he is not too keen to apply these achievements to
practice - which I can only rejoice at... Not because, of course,
that I am somehow not satisfied with the “fourth wave” - on the contrary, - but
because now it is possible and should consider this wave only
as one of the previous ones, and achieving it is the foundation for
new achievements, but not the figures crowning the high spiers of the Russian
fiction
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