Rough Draft (Russian novel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rough Draft is a 2005 Russian novel by famous author Sergey Lukyanenko. It's city fantasy, story of a young man who was appointed at a work position in bizarre system unifying several parallel worlds (with organic supernatural abilities). His happiness was interrupted when saving his girl and dignity he committed a crime against acting power (seemingly open but leaving many questions about its origin), which started head hunt for him.

The novel is to be succeeded by second book of duology, Clean Draft, as well as plot and idea lines in question.

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Rough Draft

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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 reveals 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 contacts a very small if compared to all population group of functionals, called so due to they gained supernatural abilities making them excellent in some profession (processing their function). 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 ridicilous 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 reversly.

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.