Books
Modern times. Genius physicist Artyom Kuchaev found himself facing the darker side of the world we live in. Integrity is met with a laugh, the rat race instead full of people out to grab whatever they can. Where big money is on the line, no betrayal, even of loved ones, is a bridge too far. But Artyom couldn’t bring himself to conform. Instead, he decided to make a change in himself if not in the world around him. His work, surroundings, country...
However, the world wasn’t ready to let the genius go. It was benefiting too much from him. In one moment, everything was turned upside down: Artyom’s freedom was exchanged for prison, his noisy colleagues for morose cellmates, and his spacious labs for tiny offices in a restricted research institute. All that remained was his drive to make the world a better place. And that just left the tiny detail of how to actually make that happen.
From book 1:
Important note: The Crow Cycle is set in the world of Waldyra, its events echoing the story of Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones, a cult LitRPG series by the same author. Nonetheless, The Crow Cycle has a completely standalone plot. Each series is connected to the main storyline and shows certain characters from different points of view, revealing information about their past or explaining the background of events already known to the reader from earlier series.
The world of Waldyra treats its inhabitants differently. Some of them, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly receive unique achievements and quests; they become living legends and idols while basking in the limelight.
And there are those who call Waldyra home. They do not play, but rather live in this colorful magic world. They do not get anything unique or legendary in return.
Perhaps they are just unlucky?
Or maybe they don't need the hype, and they are content with their simple existence?
Or could there be something special about a peaceful and well-planned life? Who knows... As the old saying goes, "Only time will tell."
At the foot of the foreboding Gray Peak lies a desolate valley. These are the backwoods of the world of Waldyra—they offer nothing valuable to players, who rarely visit as a result. Yet this is the very place where the calm and good-natured dwarf named Crow is headed. Straight after leaving the Crèche, he hopes to make a living there. This hero does not crave epic battles with monsters. Quite the contrary. He wants to be a merchant and develop his blacksmithing skills, while staying far away from fighting, long voyages, and clan squabbles. But, as it often happens, if you want peace, be ready for war...
From book 1:
Let’s go! A new, ultramodern mobile game, and the release is just two days away. Be the best, save the planet! Who’s going to fight back the monster invasion if you don’t? Prerelease already available, no text alerts or payment required.
World of the Changed completely modified human consciousness. The incredible graphics that worked even on the simplest of phones. The intuitive interface that made the game accessible for absolutely anyone. The aggressive marketing campaign that put news about the game on every TV, every phone, every tablet. By the time the launch was a few days away, an entire army of fans was out there waiting for just one thing: Hour X. That was what the mysterious developers were calling the release time.
But did anyone have a clue what Hour X would unleash on them? Were they ready to pay the price the game demanded? Mark Derwin, a student, was just one of many to have no idea what kind of fate awaited him in the game. All he cared about was jumping into the prerelease as soon as it came out.
From book 1: Barliona is back! OLD WORLD, NEW HEROES! What would happen if a professional rock musician joined a virtual MMO in search of inspiration among its gameworld? What would happen if she decided to play as a biota bard, a brand new race of humanoid flora as well as a new class? Whatever would happen, it would surely be fun…
From book 1:
For centuries, the civilized hi-tech world of the Confederation has existed alongside the uncharted lands where no man has ever trodden before. An impermeable magic wall of Great Fog conceals mysterious fjords inhabited by what is believed to be savage barbarians. But are they?
The first Confederate expedition heads for the charmed fjords, bent on finding out their true nature. Olivia Orway joins it as a young talented anthropologist trying to put the secret of her tragic past behind her.
What she discovers beyond the magic wall of fog is an incredible world of lakes and cliffs inhabited by the Ilgs: a race whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Olivia is about to learn the secrets of this lost part of the world. She’s going to meet Sverr, the Lord of the Fjords – and what she’s about to discover is going to forever change her perspective, making her a different person.
One of the most striking romantic fantasy bestsellers – now available in English!
This is the first book of The Charmed Fjords series. Each novel introduces new main characters unveiling more mysteries of the world beyond the Great Fog.
From book 1:
It started out like any other day. How was I to know it was my last day on Earth? You see, on that day, my boss sold me to Doran, the King of Shadows, ally of Chaos, and ruler of one of the three faery courts.
Sounds crazy, right? After all, I’m a geneticist, not a slave.
Before I knew it, I was transported to another world - a world where the very landscape killed most humans. Somehow, against the odds, I survived.
But how?
And why was I here?
I soon found out that the faeries were barren and facing extinction.
The King of Shadows set before me the daunting challenge of finding out why. The consequence for failure? Facing an unbearable fate.
But someone or something was out to stop me....
My search for a solution would lead me to secrets about my own origin and to unexpected feelings for this cruel land and its harsh ruler.
Oh, Chaos! What a wild ride!
From book 1:
He had thought that he'd already experienced everything that a normal life had to offer. He'd thought he could clearly see what his future holds. Then a sudden phone call changed everything. The Edge of the Abyss was the first full-scale virtual reality, where he was asked to complete a simple task... and which turned out to be far from heaven.
He found himself in a terrifyingly realistic digital world whose rules he didn't know. Seemingly simple tasks suddenly required him to make moral choices - while refusing to do them would take him to places where the barrage of respawns could send one mad...
In this world, science took the place of magic. Meanwhile, the transition from the era of steam to the epoch of Sublime Electricity is already underway. But magic hasn't simply disappeared without a trace. It still exists, concealed in the blood of the illustrious.
Detective constable Leopold Orso of the metropolitan police counts himself among their number. He was bestowed a talent that allows him to bring others' fears to life.
Leopold didn't go looking for trouble. All he really wanted was to gain access to his rightful inheritance. But, his peaceful life came to an end when a box from his grandmother's estate caught the interest of a mysterious cabal of conspirators, police and bloodthirsty malefics.
His new enemies have an arsenal of six-barreled machine guns, backpack flamethrowers and hordes of hellspawn. He may escape with his life, but it won't be easy!
From book 1:
Rick was born and raised in the Omicron Commune, protected from the monsters and darkness of the Expanse outside with thick walls. A place with barely enough light to see by, constantly gripped by the cold. The death of the Commune is only a question of time. Meeting visitors from the Expanse turns Rick's view of the world upside down. It turns out that there are other humans that live outside and fight to survive, while the Commune is but one of many sectors of Expanse. Rick's new goal becomes saving the commune from destruction. Worried about the future of his sister, he puts his trust in the outsiders, escaping the Commune to find and restart the mysterious thermal generators, find the key and solve the riddle of the gigantic Thermopolis—a high-tech citadel created by the ancestors.
He is now a rebel and a heretic and there's no turning back!
From book 1
Year 2197.
Earth is suffering from the consequences of an environmental catastrophe. Cities the size of continents are drowning in a toxic industrial fog.
Max Bourne is a typical teenager. Like billions of other people, he is forced to live in the protective shell of the individual life support module. His habitat is the virtual Layer. But one day, circumstances force the young man to leave the in-mode. He has no idea that fate will lead him through unimaginable hardships, bring him face to face with military AIs, and teach him to survive in the distant Outlands. He will come to understand that the sum of all technologies, possessed by the four leading corporations of Earth, can either open the way to the stars or destroy human civilization.
