Vladimir Vasilyev (writer)

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Vladimir Nikolaevich Vasilyev

Vladimir Nikolaevich Vasilyev (Russian: Владимир Николаевич Васильев) is a well-known Russian science fiction writer, his first book published in 1991. He writes in "all genres except boring ones", covering the range from hard science fiction to fantasy.

His books include:

Death or Glory (inspired by David Brin's Startide Rising), Black Relay and duology War for Mobility (Legacy of Giants and No One but Us) are set in the universe of future humankind, living in one galaxy with five superior alien races. Death or Glory describes the struggle of humanity to find its place among the stars, when a giant ship suddenly appears in the skies of a human Wild-West-like colony world, soon to be followed by the five alien races (reptillian Svaigh, avian Aczanny and Zoopht, insectoid Swarm, and crystalline Ayeshi) and their extragalactic enemies (Imperishables). The humans embark on a quest to find out if the ship is a blessing or a curse. Black Relay departs from the science-fiction theme and becomes a horror novel, in which people disappear one-by-one while transporting a mysterious object across space. The War for Mobility duology takes place centuries after Death or Glory. Humanity has just joined the great Alliance of superior races, when a human scoutship locates a portal into another galaxy. The discovery sparks an interstellar war, as two of the former Alliance slave races (skeleton-like Shat-Tsurs and shapeshifting Oaons) attempt to destroy their former masters. Now the aliens which only recently looked down on humans must now rely on them to win the war and be the first to find the cache of star portals left behind by an ancient race in another galaxy, for the one who possesses the portals can move entire fleets instantaneously from system to system with nothing to stop them.

Death or Glory was POD published in English in 2004 by Capricorn Publishing. (See an extract.)

Duology Wolfish Nature — Beast in Every One of Us describes the Earth-like world, inhabited by beings, having descended from dogs not apes.
Cyberpunk duology Hot Start — Hearts and Motors.
Day watch, co-authored with Sergey Lukyanenko, and Face of the Dark Palmira set in the same universe of Watches.
A kind of technological fantasy Technician of Greater Kiev. The world in which machines are functioning by themselves and have consciousness similar to that of animals. Various races, such as humans and elves; wild and domestic vehicles. In series of stories Witcher of Greater Kiev set in the same universe, witcher Geralt's work is to destroy machines-monsters; Geralt combines care for the City and indifference to all other things with inner warm feelings and care for alive, not shown to everyone. The series is inspired by Polish science-fiction writer Andrzej Sapkowski's series about Geralt (The Witcher saga).
Antarctica-online, co-authored with Alexander Gromov.
Novelization of the game UFO: Enemy Unknown. Nobody believes, that we were only eight at first. Eight strong foolhardy chaps, trained at Special Centre in London, for whom it was all the same, whether to be at war with terrorists, mafia or extraterrestrials. And then - hell and war, flying saucers, combat robots, labs and hangars. And the ruthless conquerors from space, who never knew doubt, as throughout millennia they have subdued thousands of inhabited worlds. All moves have been calculated long ago, every reciprocal action by the enemy considered. Soon a new planet will enter the interstellar empire. However, it is well known that humans learn to fight devilishly easy.
Voyager series
- Without Fear or Reproach
- With Fire and Sword
Stars above Shandalar – Shandalar was a rich and beautiful land, but the high gods have become angry with it, and so came great rains, great wars, and great hunger. The world was dying, but there were a few brave (or foolish) heroes who decided to prevent the death of the world, even if each of them will have to die for it. Bloody battles awaited the warriors, but they were protected by the Signs - the guardians of the Balance, and they were led by the fearless Miron, the most famous hero of Shandalar.
Going into the Night (co-authored with Anna Li (Kitaeva)) – beyond the Yuben River lie the Wild Lands, where no treaded paths exist and every traveller must choose his or her own way - in the hopes of staying alive. Few have returned from there, and their tales were full of horrors. However, no one has ever told tales of the Stone Forest because nobody has ever returned from it. Who will go into the eternal night of the Stone Forest of their own free will? Morgan and Turi, who have nothing to lose, as there is blood on their hands and death behind them. No one will spare those who had the misfortune of being born werewolves.
The Cloudy Land
The Eye of God
To Wake up on Selentine
The Surgeons
The Black Stone of Otran
Jolly Roger on Underwater Wings
Two Steps on Dankarten
Blades – there is a mystery hidden where the ancient mountains rise, where eternal cold and winter rule. The Vikings call it the Box of Munir-raven, the Pechenegs know it as the Magic Chest, but the fair-haired Slavic warriors say that the chest hides the great Books of Crafts greater than all others. Three druzhinas head to find the chest from three parts of the world: Normans, sons of the sea; nomads from steppes; and the Russian vityazs. They go through danger, darkness, and sorcery. They go through our world and other worlds. Only one of three, however, would get what they seek.
Novellas and stories.