Here we propose to Your attention a set of abstracts describing
fantasy novels and stories written by two authors working in
collaboration -- D. E. Gromov and O. S. Ladyzhensky (they are known under
the pen-name of Henry Lion Oldie). Their stories, long and short, are
rather various in style, but all their novels belong to a very specific
kind of "fantasy": the authors themselves define it as "philosophical
fantasy hit" while the literary critics call it "mythological realism of
the postmodern period". In any way these works overstep the frames of
usual fantasy.
"ABYSS OF HUNGRY EYES": A Cycle
1. "WAITING AT CROSSROADS" (short novel, about 42.000 words,
1992-1993.)
An alternate world. Early Middle Ages. A special kind of wizards and
priests, the so-called "Precursors" exists in this world. They feed on
the human beliefs in various Gods, myths, legends and supernatural things
in general. But all of these Precursors compete with each other for the
human faith. And the moment comes when the five strongest among them
decide to unite their strength and to build a specific "HOUSE-AT-
CROSSROAD" intended for accumulating the energy of human faith. But soon
the House-at-Crossroad acquires a kind of conscience of its own and
begins to accumulate human faith actively giving nothing in exchange.
Thus the balance of faith in the world was broken, and the spiritual
degeneration began. Supernatural things vanish one by one, taking with
them myths and legends, fairy-tales and songs; the life becomes grey and
dull. And so the assistants of the Precursors, the "Myth Creators", broke
their usual obedience and rebelled against the Precursors and the House-
at-Crossroad.
The heroes of the story go through many mystical and real
adventures, they lose their friends, but finally the House-at-Crossroad
is destroyed... Besides very dynamic action, the novel contains the
philosophical basis explaining the existence of supernatural things.
This novel got the 2nd place at the Fantasy Competition dedicated to
Howard Phillips Lovecraft in Ekaterinburg (Russia) in 1994. It was also
nominated for the "Interpresscon" (third place according the results of
voting) and "Bronze snail" prizes in 1996. The novel was published in
Ukraine in 1995 and in 1996 and three times in Russia: twice in 1996 and
one time in 1999.
2. "THE WAY" (short novel, about 52.000 words, 1991-1992.)
The scene of this novel is the Earth (in present and future times)
and an alternative parallel world.
The technotronic civilization has resulted in a kind of a dead,
mechanical life completely alien to human beings. There was no robot
revolts, no supercomputers usurping the power -- simply the things which
became alive began gradually to force the people out from Earth. The so-
called "Voiders" (a kind of people with strong extrasensual abilities)
tried to save the dramatically decreasing population of the Earth. They
began to convey them into the parallel world. But soon they learn that in
this world people lose their memory although they grow immortal. Still
some specific particles of human souls, called "necroids", "responsible"
for the death of physical bodies, remain on the Earth. And soon these
particles form a "Necrosphere" -- the embryo of the Hell on Earth. The
Necrosphere begins to change the surrounding reality destroying both time
and space with the intention to gain superiority over Earth forever.
The principal hero of the novel, an immortal gladiator Marcell,
suceeds in regaining his memory. He learns that he is a former Voider and
with the help of his reincarnations he tries to change the destiny of
Earth...
This novel was published in 1994 and in 1996 in Ukraine and in 1995,
1996 an 1999 in Russia.
Extracts from this novel were included to the "Master-Radio" show
(Kharkov, Ukraine, 1994).
3. "THE TWILIGHT OF THE WORLD" (short novel, about, 59.000 words,
1992.)
The alternative world which is inhabited, apart from ordinary people
by werwolves, vampires and Ninefold-Living people (descendants of the
Immortals). The Ninefold-Living were trying to defend ordinary people
from werwolves. But in the course of time it appeared that the situation
is not so simple: often the Ninefold-Living themselves provoke the
werevolves to attack and the latter must defend themselves. Because of
mutual envy, fear and misunderstanding a real bloody war expands in this
world. And only after the appearance of the new general enemy, the
vampires (so-called "Varks") ordinary people and werwolves find it
possible to forget the strife and unite in order to fight them.
Against the background of the changing fates of the whole world
unfolds the romantic story of a young werewolf's love to a Ninefold-
Living girl; the irreconsilable enemies become friends, but the ominous
eyes of a "vark" search them in the night... The dynamic plot of the
novel is combined with a deep humanistic idea.
This novel was published in Ukraine in 1993, 1995 and twice in
Russia in 1996 and one time in 1999. It was listed in "The Best 10 SF and
Fantasy Novels of the former USSR" "The Great Ring" in 1993 (# 4).
In 1994 a Role-Play Game based on this novel was carried out near
Kharkov (Ukraine).
4. "LIVE FOR THE LAST TIME" (short novel, about 25.000 words, 1991.)
The action of the novel unfolds in the world inhabited by the
Ninefold-Living people and the vampires ("varks"). The principal hero is
a boy who was born "a cripple" (from the point of view of people
surrounding him) -- he lives only once ("for the last time"), which means
that he can't return to life after death. But the boy (later the young
man) wants to prove both to himself and to all the people that he is
normal and manly. So he becomes a warrior. Some time later he met a
beauty from a famous family and fell in love with her. But soon it turned
out that the girl is a vampire! She loves him sincerely and doesn't want
to bite him and thus make him a vampire too, but Senior Vampires consider
this to be a treason and put an invocation on her. So she cannot rise
from her grave any more. Only human blood can break the invocation. And
the hero comes to her grave and allows her to "kiss" his neck. And he
becomes a "vark" himself.
Still something human has remained in the souls of the vampire-hero
and his vampire-girl; they began to search for the special invocation
("The Word of the Last Ones") which turns a vampire back into normal man.
After many morbid adventures they found the "Word of the Last Ones", but
it turns out that it can be applied only to the Senior Vampires ("High
Varks"). They cannot use the "Word of the Last Ones" till they become
High Varks, but then they'll become completely unhuman and would never
want to return into their human image!
The solving of this problem was long and hard; at the end of the
novel the hero and his girl succeded to acquire human features again; but
other vampires found the opened door to Earth...
This novel was published in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999 in Russia, in
1996 and 1998 in Ukraine. It was listed in "The Best 10 SF and Fantasy
Novels of the former USSR" "The Great Ring" in 1992 (#6).
In 1994 a Role-Play Game based on this novel was carried out near
St. Petersburg (Russia).
5. "FEAR" (long story, about 17.000 words, 1991.)
The late Middle Ages on the Earth. A strange Asiatic town. In this
town people begin to die for no reason, but each time the inexpressible
horror is reflected in the eyes of the dead. The town physician Yakub
decides to find the reason of these awful cases. The search leads him to
a deserted and gloomy old temple in the mountains. An idol standing there
becomes alive in the night, and it tells Yakub who kills the inhabitants
of the town. It is an old priest who lives in the town and puts people to
death by fear in order to feed himself upon their life forces. Neither
poison nor steel can do any harm to this monster. Then Yakub brings his
newly-born son to the house of the old priest. And the priest dies trying
in vain to scare and thus to kill the boy, because the baby has no
fear...
This story was published in Ukraine three times: in 1994, 1995 and
in 1996 and in Russia in 1996 and 1999. It got the 1st place at the
Fantasy Competition dedicated to Howard Phillips Lovecraft in
Ekaterinburg (Russia) in 1994. "Fear" was nominated for the
"Interpresscon" and "Bronze snail" prizes. This story won the second
place in the "Horror Fantasy" nomination of the "Stranger" prize. It is
also listed in the "Great Ring" list of the most popular fantasy novels
and stories of the former USSR in 1994 (second place according the
Конец бесплатного ознакомительного фрагмента