RU, UA. Novel, 1996.

Modern urban fantasy, mystical thriller.

This is the world described in the novel "The Way of the Sword", but now about three or four hundred years have passed there. The few "Brilliants" (cold arms having the mind of their own) that survived dwell in "prisons" and "almshouse", i. e. in museums and private collections. Human civilization went completely out of their influence, and intelligent swords and halberds remain only in the fairy-tales or in endless TV "fantasy" serials like the famous "Chan-with-the-Iron-Hand". The progress had been developing fast and wide during all these centuries, and the former world of Chan Unkor his sword Unicorn became almost similar the one familiar to us: skyscraper buildings, telephones, television, automobiles, computers, fire arms and the regional conflicts between the countries that appeared after the splitting of the Kabirean Emirate... In short, the world becomes simple and comprehensive. But... In this "simple and comprehensive" world very unusual things happen. Almost for a month an epidemic of sleepiness rages throughout the whole country which nobody can explain, people perish by tens because of a mysterious and also unexplained "self-shooting" disease; it is manifested in the sudden explosions of the fire arms held by one's hand or in the arms beginning to shoot all by themselves; sometimes one and the same nightmare haunts hundreds of people until, being not able to support it any longer, they kill themselves...

In this novel the reader gets acquainted with a strange little girl hiding beneath her old shawl a dozen of missile knives and killing with them four heavily armed terrorists, with a historian Rashid-al-Shinby who sees wonderful dreams, with the doctor Cadal Khanuman who tries to cure people suffering from the schizoid nightmares and many others. Troubles happened within the criminal clan "Alamut"; policemen began secret investigation. And they found that all ways are leading to the privileged mekhteb (college) "Star hour" where all members of administration are a bit too fond of astrology. When comes the night of Nauruse, the New Year, all of the main heroes gather inside the college fence. What will be the price that they'll have to pay in order to go out, to remain humans, not to fall to the abyss of fear, and inevitable tragedy? Is it easy to be human when one can't discern visions from reality, when former friends become enemies, the pistols fail to shoot but the knives don't miss their targets as usual. Soon the atmosphere becomes tense, the "spiders in the glass" are ready to fight for their lives, and the first blood has been already spilled... What will be the end of this crazy night of Nauruse? What will the coming year bring to the people locked in the mekhteb - and not only to them but to the whole Mankind?

This novel is not directly (by its plot) connected with "The Way of the Sword" although the action takes place in the same world. Both books can be read separately. But together they form a kind of cycle.

Published 8 times from 1997 to 2018 (Russia).