Right to be nobody
From the point of view of PR, Chistovik is grandiose. It is even better than the “Last Watch”, which, whatever one may say, was the fourth in the series, and therefore - by the not-too-expected public, long fed up with Others. "Chistovik" - the second. Going after not too shock "Draft", he was to become a revelation. The author’s chapter’s live broadcast of the chapter’s author (ultimately, we were familiar with a quarter of its content by the time the book was published) ... there was no doubt about that
Nabelo
Was the Draft bad or good? From my point of view - extremely good. The text was relaxed, but beautiful stylistically. The plot did not try to take a place larger than it deserves. The ideas of the book did not seem very original, but they did not go over the edge of sanity - which is what happens at Lukyanenko all the time. To sum up the sensations, it can be said that the “Draft” was harmonious. Amazingly harmonious for the work of Sergey Vasilyevich.
However, the "Draft" was one small flaw. He demanded a continuation. Well, do you understand? Writers also need to live somehow ...
Actually, to continue the conversation in brief, let us recall what we are talking about. So, Kirill, the protagonist of the dilogy, suddenly realizes that he has been forgotten. Everything: friends, relatives, dogs, authorized persons, the state (passport crumbles to dust). Cyril is ready to go crazy when he finds out that he has become a functional - a creature that has mastered a certain profession to perfection. Knowing her infinitely, almost invulnerable, extremely long-lived, but ... forced to beat alongside her “function”. Cyril was lucky: his function is customs, a portal between worlds.
These worlds are nothing more than parallel universes, other realities of the Earth, where development has taken a different path. There are about two dozen worlds, and the first one, Arkan, shamelessly uses the rest as mock-ups that allow Arkan's reality to develop most successfully. As it turns out, the threads of the guidance of the functionals also lead to Arkan.
As is usually the case with Sergey Vasilyevich, having gained superpowers, the main character did not calm down. He, first against his will, begins to dig deeper and deeper, trying to find a megazagor. Megazovor happily is, being personified as a friend of Cyril, Kochi. By ridiculous nonrandomness, Kotya turns out to be the curator of Earth-2, our world. Simply put, the caretaker of the functionals of the planet. Since by that time the tragic love of the protagonist is woven into the plot outline, the confrontation with the Cat becomes good ...
... interim finale.
')
In his style
As already mentioned, by the time the book was published, six of its first chapters were known to the reading public. And these chapters were written in the very course along which the plot was supposed to follow in the opinion of the majority. That is, Cyril rushes to chase the cat, puts up with him and begins a general campaign for a just cause - the worlds right to self-determination. Well and, in parallel, it means for the right to kick the ears of the Arkans and their puppeteers from the unknown world with the conditional name “Earth without a number in the name”. Rightly considering Lukyanenko to be one of the best builders of the unknown worlds, the public anticipated a pleasant heroic cruise on various realities, with chases, shootouts, dangers, minor defeats and major victories. In short, what we saw in Spectrum is only better. Without transcendent philosophical attempts, without the “alternative” author's logic, without a failed finale, finally.
Well, “Chistovik” added “Draft” in such a way that it turned out that the clone of “Spectra” was almost the same.
Only ... worse.
Does the "Chistovik" dignity. Maybe yes. Still, this is the work of an already recognized science fiction writer who just physically can no longer write something below a certain level. That is, if you compare Chistovik not with Lukyanenko’s other creations and not with that ideal Chistovik, which was painted in our imagination, but, for example, with those books that are represented in the market, then, of course, Chistovik - a worthy thing. At least in its first sixteen chapters.
Yes, yes, you are right: Sergey Vasilyevich again failed the final. This time - just masterfully: for the second time, ineptly, without ideas.
However, quite common words. Let's talk about the essence of the matter: “Clean” - what is it like. Analysis of the plot, ideological content, structure, shortcomings and merits ...
No more than two in one hand!
So the worlds. In this case, the worlds of Fan. In "The Draft" we met with five alternatives of the Earth: Arkan, Veroz, Zapovednik, Nirvana and Janus. Two more worlds were mentioned - Tverd and Antique. Total - seven. Seven potentially interesting stories in the book, which was said "too calm." Since, according to the logic of the plot, Chistovik could not be calm at all, we could expect a sort of roadmovie through the worlds of Fan.
In fact, in “Chistovik” only two (!!!) of the world are revealed: Solid State and the home world of functionals with the unexpected name Earth-16.
Yes, they are framed by brief episodes on Janus, Earth (-2) and Verose, this time turning to the main character the Tatar-Russian city Orysultan (he is also Moscow). But they are curious, but not too significant.
Another thing Tverd. The world of victorious Catholicism is the best that is in Chistovik. The chapters on the communication of the main character with the representatives of the Vatican are written very interestingly, strongly. Great ideas, great characters. Again - fighting episodes.
I would venture to say that Tverd is the peak not only of the plot of Chistovik, but of the whole duologue. In the extreme case - in conjunction with the "draft" adventure of Cyril on Arkan. The book would consist of a series of fragments of the level of Tverdi and Arkan - it would be a masterpiece of Russian science fiction.
But no: how readers are already laughing openly, “it seems that after the sixteenth chapter Sergey Vasilyevich got tired of writing”.
Particularly cynical in general argue that Lukyanenko never write and did not like, and wrote books only to become a writer.
Well, there is a reason for reproaches ...
Filzof
Ever since the “Autumn Visits”, the readers noticed one very unpleasant feature of Sergey Vasilyevich: Lukyanenko likes to bite off more than he can chew and swallow. I'm talking about the basis of any plot - the idea. Lukyanenko’s ideas are always global. For example, what is god? Or what is a person in the flow of time? Or what are the mechanisms for the development of society? What to hide, such ideas would envy, probably, even the Strugatskys. But the performance ...
Lukyanenko is extremely stereotyped within his creative work: the most important task is put, she doesn’t dare to do it - that is why she quickly translates to the level of fictional matters, from there ascending she tries to cling to some kind of metaphysical kunshtyuki and doesn’t sluggish - and falls into primitive illogical boulevardism with a crumpled finish. As a result, we get a sort of philosophical treatise, written unfit for reasoning language action movie.
Here, perhaps, this analogy is appropriate: Lukyanenko is anti-Heinlein. In his work, American science fiction almost never touched philosophical topics. He was harsh and primitive: he was interested in questions of patriotism (“Star Troopers”), issues of self-control and self-government in critical situations (“Tunnel to the sky”), issues of dissidence, as opposed to the carrier of the truth of the person and the wrong crowd (“Pasynki in the Universe”) . At the same time, Heinlein wrote in such a way that his simple texts gradually grew into philosophical treatises.
In Lukyanenko, philosophical treatises, with the help of text, are degraded to an inedible illogical primitive (the “illogical primitive” here is by no means an areal battle, but only our answer to the appearance of an angel with a fiery sword adhered to a hand).
Time ago
What, then, is the draft “Draft” - “Chistovik”? In short, this is an attempt to comprehend the Russian proverb “Not a place paints a person, but a person - a place”. What is most important: the person or her role in history? Would World War II have happened if Hitler had disappeared before the Munich events? Or the Second World War is an irreversible stage of history, and we would have removed Hitler - we would have achieved only what would have stood at the head of the Reich ... for example, Muller.
The idea of freedom-lack of freedom is interwoven here. Traditional for Lukyanenko. This time it is turned by that side where it says “we are not slaves”. What is Veer? It turns out primitive Disneyland supercivilization. Why make Dantes a tailor, remove Vladimir Ilyich Lenin from the history of Cervantes and last a year? Why hunt for the main character, offering him all the riches of the world? Yes, why not! So that the next president could spend his vacation in the Reserve, and dinner would be prepared by the chef-functional.
Well aware of Sergei Vasilyevich’s love of projecting his own life into his books (yes, like the Guard Conclave, Lukyanenko has a Yorkshire terrier!), One can understand that Chistovik is the author’s manifesto. The cry of how tired he was for us to write this nonsense. How he was tired of his function “the best Russian science fiction" ...
Well, Sergey Vasilievich - the case presented itself. After you, stubbornly and honestly, defended in your LiveJournal the right of a hero to a non-heroic deed, answering all those to whom the final of “Chistovik” stood across his throat, take a step.
Go to your native Kazakhstan. In Alma-Ata. Remember the past, settle in a children's clinic by a doctor. And work for your health. And for the health of the future generation of Kazakhstan. No duties to the publisher to amuse the public, no visits to book festivals as a “person”, no legal and financial conflicts with the transfer of rights. Only children, white bathrobe and bright southern sun. That is, exactly what your heroes usually choose, exactly what you so hotly defend in your books.
Come on, Sergey Vasilievich!
PS I express great respect and gratitude to comrade Semyon Arnoldovich for the main idea of this review. Thanks to all comrades for expressing thoughts.
Nabelo
Was the Draft bad or good? From my point of view - extremely good. The text was relaxed, but beautiful stylistically. The plot did not try to take a place larger than it deserves. The ideas of the book did not seem very original, but they did not go over the edge of sanity - which is what happens at Lukyanenko all the time. To sum up the sensations, it can be said that the “Draft” was harmonious. Amazingly harmonious for the work of Sergey Vasilyevich.
However, the "Draft" was one small flaw. He demanded a continuation. Well, do you understand? Writers also need to live somehow ...
Actually, to continue the conversation in brief, let us recall what we are talking about. So, Kirill, the protagonist of the dilogy, suddenly realizes that he has been forgotten. Everything: friends, relatives, dogs, authorized persons, the state (passport crumbles to dust). Cyril is ready to go crazy when he finds out that he has become a functional - a creature that has mastered a certain profession to perfection. Knowing her infinitely, almost invulnerable, extremely long-lived, but ... forced to beat alongside her “function”. Cyril was lucky: his function is customs, a portal between worlds.
These worlds are nothing more than parallel universes, other realities of the Earth, where development has taken a different path. There are about two dozen worlds, and the first one, Arkan, shamelessly uses the rest as mock-ups that allow Arkan's reality to develop most successfully. As it turns out, the threads of the guidance of the functionals also lead to Arkan.
As is usually the case with Sergey Vasilyevich, having gained superpowers, the main character did not calm down. He, first against his will, begins to dig deeper and deeper, trying to find a megazagor. Megazovor happily is, being personified as a friend of Cyril, Kochi. By ridiculous nonrandomness, Kotya turns out to be the curator of Earth-2, our world. Simply put, the caretaker of the functionals of the planet. Since by that time the tragic love of the protagonist is woven into the plot outline, the confrontation with the Cat becomes good ...
... interim finale.
')
In his style
As already mentioned, by the time the book was published, six of its first chapters were known to the reading public. And these chapters were written in the very course along which the plot was supposed to follow in the opinion of the majority. That is, Cyril rushes to chase the cat, puts up with him and begins a general campaign for a just cause - the worlds right to self-determination. Well and, in parallel, it means for the right to kick the ears of the Arkans and their puppeteers from the unknown world with the conditional name “Earth without a number in the name”. Rightly considering Lukyanenko to be one of the best builders of the unknown worlds, the public anticipated a pleasant heroic cruise on various realities, with chases, shootouts, dangers, minor defeats and major victories. In short, what we saw in Spectrum is only better. Without transcendent philosophical attempts, without the “alternative” author's logic, without a failed finale, finally.
Well, “Chistovik” added “Draft” in such a way that it turned out that the clone of “Spectra” was almost the same.
Only ... worse.
Does the "Chistovik" dignity. Maybe yes. Still, this is the work of an already recognized science fiction writer who just physically can no longer write something below a certain level. That is, if you compare Chistovik not with Lukyanenko’s other creations and not with that ideal Chistovik, which was painted in our imagination, but, for example, with those books that are represented in the market, then, of course, Chistovik - a worthy thing. At least in its first sixteen chapters.
Yes, yes, you are right: Sergey Vasilyevich again failed the final. This time - just masterfully: for the second time, ineptly, without ideas.
However, quite common words. Let's talk about the essence of the matter: “Clean” - what is it like. Analysis of the plot, ideological content, structure, shortcomings and merits ...
No more than two in one hand!
So the worlds. In this case, the worlds of Fan. In "The Draft" we met with five alternatives of the Earth: Arkan, Veroz, Zapovednik, Nirvana and Janus. Two more worlds were mentioned - Tverd and Antique. Total - seven. Seven potentially interesting stories in the book, which was said "too calm." Since, according to the logic of the plot, Chistovik could not be calm at all, we could expect a sort of roadmovie through the worlds of Fan.
In fact, in “Chistovik” only two (!!!) of the world are revealed: Solid State and the home world of functionals with the unexpected name Earth-16.
Yes, they are framed by brief episodes on Janus, Earth (-2) and Verose, this time turning to the main character the Tatar-Russian city Orysultan (he is also Moscow). But they are curious, but not too significant.
Another thing Tverd. The world of victorious Catholicism is the best that is in Chistovik. The chapters on the communication of the main character with the representatives of the Vatican are written very interestingly, strongly. Great ideas, great characters. Again - fighting episodes.
I would venture to say that Tverd is the peak not only of the plot of Chistovik, but of the whole duologue. In the extreme case - in conjunction with the "draft" adventure of Cyril on Arkan. The book would consist of a series of fragments of the level of Tverdi and Arkan - it would be a masterpiece of Russian science fiction.
But no: how readers are already laughing openly, “it seems that after the sixteenth chapter Sergey Vasilyevich got tired of writing”.
Particularly cynical in general argue that Lukyanenko never write and did not like, and wrote books only to become a writer.
Well, there is a reason for reproaches ...
Filzof
Ever since the “Autumn Visits”, the readers noticed one very unpleasant feature of Sergey Vasilyevich: Lukyanenko likes to bite off more than he can chew and swallow. I'm talking about the basis of any plot - the idea. Lukyanenko’s ideas are always global. For example, what is god? Or what is a person in the flow of time? Or what are the mechanisms for the development of society? What to hide, such ideas would envy, probably, even the Strugatskys. But the performance ...
Lukyanenko is extremely stereotyped within his creative work: the most important task is put, she doesn’t dare to do it - that is why she quickly translates to the level of fictional matters, from there ascending she tries to cling to some kind of metaphysical kunshtyuki and doesn’t sluggish - and falls into primitive illogical boulevardism with a crumpled finish. As a result, we get a sort of philosophical treatise, written unfit for reasoning language action movie.
Here, perhaps, this analogy is appropriate: Lukyanenko is anti-Heinlein. In his work, American science fiction almost never touched philosophical topics. He was harsh and primitive: he was interested in questions of patriotism (“Star Troopers”), issues of self-control and self-government in critical situations (“Tunnel to the sky”), issues of dissidence, as opposed to the carrier of the truth of the person and the wrong crowd (“Pasynki in the Universe”) . At the same time, Heinlein wrote in such a way that his simple texts gradually grew into philosophical treatises.
In Lukyanenko, philosophical treatises, with the help of text, are degraded to an inedible illogical primitive (the “illogical primitive” here is by no means an areal battle, but only our answer to the appearance of an angel with a fiery sword adhered to a hand).
Time ago
What, then, is the draft “Draft” - “Chistovik”? In short, this is an attempt to comprehend the Russian proverb “Not a place paints a person, but a person - a place”. What is most important: the person or her role in history? Would World War II have happened if Hitler had disappeared before the Munich events? Or the Second World War is an irreversible stage of history, and we would have removed Hitler - we would have achieved only what would have stood at the head of the Reich ... for example, Muller.
The idea of freedom-lack of freedom is interwoven here. Traditional for Lukyanenko. This time it is turned by that side where it says “we are not slaves”. What is Veer? It turns out primitive Disneyland supercivilization. Why make Dantes a tailor, remove Vladimir Ilyich Lenin from the history of Cervantes and last a year? Why hunt for the main character, offering him all the riches of the world? Yes, why not! So that the next president could spend his vacation in the Reserve, and dinner would be prepared by the chef-functional.
Well aware of Sergei Vasilyevich’s love of projecting his own life into his books (yes, like the Guard Conclave, Lukyanenko has a Yorkshire terrier!), One can understand that Chistovik is the author’s manifesto. The cry of how tired he was for us to write this nonsense. How he was tired of his function “the best Russian science fiction" ...
Well, Sergey Vasilievich - the case presented itself. After you, stubbornly and honestly, defended in your LiveJournal the right of a hero to a non-heroic deed, answering all those to whom the final of “Chistovik” stood across his throat, take a step.
Go to your native Kazakhstan. In Alma-Ata. Remember the past, settle in a children's clinic by a doctor. And work for your health. And for the health of the future generation of Kazakhstan. No duties to the publisher to amuse the public, no visits to book festivals as a “person”, no legal and financial conflicts with the transfer of rights. Only children, white bathrobe and bright southern sun. That is, exactly what your heroes usually choose, exactly what you so hotly defend in your books.
Come on, Sergey Vasilievich!
PS I express great respect and gratitude to comrade Semyon Arnoldovich for the main idea of this review. Thanks to all comrades for expressing thoughts.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/14753/
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