Rough Draft
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 Book cover |
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| Author | Sergey Lukyanenko |
|---|---|
| Original title | "Черновик";("Chernovik") |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | |
| Released | 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 5-17-033151-7 |
Written in 2005, Moscow, Rough Draft is a fantasy novel of a "parallel world" genre. by Sergey Lukyanenko.
[edit] Plot introduction
The story features a Moscow person Kirril, who one day discover that he has the ability to go to other parallel world of the Earth we are living.
[edit] Plot summary
The story starts with the hero, Kirril, being "erased" from daily life in present Moscow. Everybody forget him (even his parents and dog), other person lives in his apartment, all IDs and files in all offices disappear. After a while he is phoned and proposed to go in an old water tower — but inside is his future home and working place. There he was revealed that he is able to open doors, leading to other worlds — although at first all but one are locked. After first opened each door becomes rigidly connected to some world, but which one can't be said before. All of worlds have mostly similar environment and seem to be on the planet Earth but societies and people are different.
After a while Kirril met a special group of functionals, called so because they gained supernatural abilities making them excellent in some profession . They serve other people, but mostly other functionals. They say Kirril has become one of them — a customs officer. He benefits from taxes paid by people who pass through his tower. Also he holds a superhuman strength and is almost immortal, but only within some range (10 km) from his tower.
Kirril enjoys new worlds, people and abilities. A politician Dima meets him and asks to find a national idea for Russia. He informs Kirril about the world number One, which nobody can access and which seems to be exactly our world living 30 years later. Critical information from this world may enhance the prestige of the country.
Kirril also encounters underground, that is few people fighting against 'corporate laws' of functionals and their working for themselves or elites of worlds. But he remains untouched by rhetorics of the underground, justifying most of this. Ideas of armed opposition are alien if not to say ridiculous for him. But a younger 20-aged girl who Kirril fell in love with is a genuine underground activist...
The last door opened leads to the world number one: A lovely Moscow filled with smiling people; there were no Second World War and no horrors of revolution, due to this world lags for 30 years and rulers of it carefully study mistakes of others. It's just what Dima proposed to Kirril, but applied reversely.
Upon rather bloody returning to our world, Kirril faces troubles with his girl. Hating system of functionals, she manifests disobedience. But their laws don't forgive this, and functioner Natalie murders her, Kirril being unable to resurrect her...
- "An extreme foolishness," said I, "All these loud words and beautiful poses... 'they will not pass', 'yet it moves', 'motherland or death', 'am able to die for my beliefs' — all of this becomes nonsense when real death comes... All of this is for kids. And for adults who handle them..."
- Natalie nodded with approval.
- "But yet it moves" said I, "Doesn't it? It moves, and they will not pass, and motherland remains motherland even if death becomes death, and nobody is ready to die, but sometimes it's easier to die than to betray..."
In Kirril's fighting Natalie, his tower became devastated, this ceased his being a functional and restored his former life. The ending of this story we will learn from the second book of the future duology.
| Sergey Lukyanenko |
|---|
| Bibliography |
| Island Russia: Today, Mom ! · Island Russia · Tsar, Tsarevich, King, Prince |
| A Lord from Planet Earth: A Princess Is Worth Death · The Planet which Doesn't Exist · Glass Sea |
| Line of Delirium: Line of Delirium · Emperors of Illusions · Shadows of Dreams |
| Labyrinth of Reflections: Labyrinth of Reflections · False Mirrors · Transparent Stained-Glass Windows |
| The Stars Are Cold Toys: The Stars Are Cold Toys · Star Shadow |
| World of Watches: Night Watch · Day Watch · Twilight Watch · Final Watch |
| Genome: Genome · Dances on the Snow |
| Seekers of the Sky: Cold Shores · Morning Nears |
| Other fiction:: Knights of Forty Islands · Nuclear Dream · The Boy and the Darkness · Autumn Visits · Not the Time for Dragons · Spectrum · Rough Draft |
| Short Story Collections:: H is for Human · Nuclear Dream · Gadget |
