Alexander Zorich
Encyclopedia
Alexander Zorich is the collective pen name
of two Russian writers; Yana Botsman and Dmitry Gordevsky. The two write in Russian
, in genres such as science fiction
, fantasy
and alternate history, as well as PC game scenarios.
. Yana and Dmitry have been writing together since 1991, when they were both first-year university students. "Alexander Zorich" has been described as "the most venerable among young writers, or maybe the youngest among venerable Russian writers" (Nasha Fantastika Magazine).
The first book by Alexander Zorich has never been published.
The first published book by Alexander Zorich The Sign of Destruction was published in 1997 and rapidly gained popularity among fans of fantasy worlds. A historic novel Charles the Duke dedicated to Charles the Bold, last Duke of Burgundy
, gained the title "Best Russian Fiction of 2001" by the "Ex-Libris" book review (Moscow
).
Over the years Alexander Zorich has published lots of verses and short stories in small literature magazines. The first large novel by Alexander Zorich saw the light of the day in 1997. Since then Zorich has released 7 fantasy novels (The Sign of Destruction, The Seed of Wind, The Ways of Starborned, Love and Rule, You Win, The Combat Vehicle of Love, The Light of Nighttime), one cyberpunk
novel (The Season of Weapon), the book in the genre of alternate history and its sequel (Charles the Duke, The First Sword of Burgundy), four "classic" science fiction novels (The Consul of Commonwealth and the Tomorrow War trilogy), two fairy tales (Denis Kotik, two related books), one stories collection (Nothing Sacred) and one "cryptohistory" novel (Roman Star) dedicated to Publius Ovidius Naso. In fact the only fiction genre Alexander Zorich has never worked in is the horror
genre.
The Tomorrow War trilogy (Tomorrow War, With No Mercy, Moscow Time) brought Zorich the biggest success in the writers' bibliography and became a standard of modern Russian space opera
. The books of Alexander Zorich are being published by the largest publishing houses in Russia, among them EKSMO
and AST
(Moscow), Tsenterpolygraph (Moscow) and Severo-Zapad (Saint-Petersburg). Alexander Zorich actively cooperates with the leading Russian fantasy & SF magazines, including "Mir Fantastiki
" ("The World of SF&F"), "Esli" ("If"), "Polden" ("Noon"), "Zvezdnaya Doroga" ("Star Trek"), "Nasha Fantastika" ("Our Fiction"), etc.
Several novels and stories by Alexander Zorich have been translated into Ukrainian
and Polish
.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of two Russian writers; Yana Botsman and Dmitry Gordevsky. The two write in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, in genres such as science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and alternate history, as well as PC game scenarios.
Yana Botsman
Yana Botsman was born on August 7, 1973. She has a Master's degree in applied mathematics and a Ph.D. in philosophy (1999, thesis on philosophy of Buddhism). Until 2004 she worked as an assistant professor in Kharkov State University (Philosophical Faculty), until September 2004 when she became a full-time writer and scenarist. Yana is married.Dmitry Gordevsky
Dmitry Gordevsky was born on March 21, 1973. He has a Master's degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in philosophy (2000, thesis on philosophy of medieval heresies). Until 2004 he worked as an assistant professor in Kharkov State University (Philosophical Faculty), but became a full-time writer and scenarist since September 2004. Dmitry is unmarried.Facts
As Alexander Zorich, Yana Botsman and Dmitry Gordevsky are the authors of 18 novels, and are very popular in RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Yana and Dmitry have been writing together since 1991, when they were both first-year university students. "Alexander Zorich" has been described as "the most venerable among young writers, or maybe the youngest among venerable Russian writers" (Nasha Fantastika Magazine).
The first book by Alexander Zorich has never been published.
"It was a huge (about 150 pages), epic poem about fantasy world of Sarmontazara. And we worked on it for about two years. From our present-day point of view, it is absolutely terrible. But back then we both were confident, that it is much more ingenious than all the Shakespeare's writings. Readers often ask us, when will we publish it. The only answer we can give is "Never!" (from an interview to "Zerkalo Nedeli" weekly).
The first published book by Alexander Zorich The Sign of Destruction was published in 1997 and rapidly gained popularity among fans of fantasy worlds. A historic novel Charles the Duke dedicated to Charles the Bold, last Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
, gained the title "Best Russian Fiction of 2001" by the "Ex-Libris" book review (Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
).
Over the years Alexander Zorich has published lots of verses and short stories in small literature magazines. The first large novel by Alexander Zorich saw the light of the day in 1997. Since then Zorich has released 7 fantasy novels (The Sign of Destruction, The Seed of Wind, The Ways of Starborned, Love and Rule, You Win, The Combat Vehicle of Love, The Light of Nighttime), one cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
novel (The Season of Weapon), the book in the genre of alternate history and its sequel (Charles the Duke, The First Sword of Burgundy), four "classic" science fiction novels (The Consul of Commonwealth and the Tomorrow War trilogy), two fairy tales (Denis Kotik, two related books), one stories collection (Nothing Sacred) and one "cryptohistory" novel (Roman Star) dedicated to Publius Ovidius Naso. In fact the only fiction genre Alexander Zorich has never worked in is the horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
genre.
The Tomorrow War trilogy (Tomorrow War, With No Mercy, Moscow Time) brought Zorich the biggest success in the writers' bibliography and became a standard of modern Russian space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
. The books of Alexander Zorich are being published by the largest publishing houses in Russia, among them EKSMO
Eksmo
Eksmo is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and its rival AST together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, they gradually developed into a major player on the Russian market, discovering and developing detective...
and AST
AST (publisher)
AST is one of the largest book publishing companies in Russia. AST and its rival Eksmo together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books. The company is headed by Oleg Bartenev...
(Moscow), Tsenterpolygraph (Moscow) and Severo-Zapad (Saint-Petersburg). Alexander Zorich actively cooperates with the leading Russian fantasy & SF magazines, including "Mir Fantastiki
Mir Fantastiki
Mir Fantastiki is a science fiction and fantasy monthly magazine published in Russia since September 2003 and distributed in major ex-USSR countries via trade net and postal subscription....
" ("The World of SF&F"), "Esli" ("If"), "Polden" ("Noon"), "Zvezdnaya Doroga" ("Star Trek"), "Nasha Fantastika" ("Our Fiction"), etc.
Several novels and stories by Alexander Zorich have been translated into Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
.
Books
- The Ways of Starborned trilogy (FantasyFantasyFantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
. Editions: 1997—1998, EKSMOEksmoEksmo is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and its rival AST together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, they gradually developed into a major player on the Russian market, discovering and developing detective...
; 2001 Tsenterpolygraph; 2006 AST-press)
- The Sign of Destruction
- The Seed of Wind
- The Ways of Starborned
- The Vault of Equilibrium tetralogy (FantasyFantasyFantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
. Editions: 1998, EKSMOEksmoEksmo is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and its rival AST together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, they gradually developed into a major player on the Russian market, discovering and developing detective...
— vol.1; 2000—2001 Tsenterpolygraph; 2006 AST-press)
- The Vault of Equilibrium tetralogy (Fantasy
- Love and Rule
- You Win
- The Combat Vehicle of Love
- The Light of Nighttime
- The Season of Weapon novel CyberpunkCyberpunkCyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
(Editions: 2001 Tsenterpolygraph; 2000 Severo-Zapad Press/AST-press; 2006 AST-press) - Charles the Duke alternate history dilogy (Editions: 2001 Tsenterpolygraph)
- The Season of Weapon novel Cyberpunk
- Charles the Duke
- The First Sword of Burgundy
- Consul of Commowealth novel (SFScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. Editions: 2002 Tsenterpolygraph; 2007 AST-press) - Tomorrow War trilogy (SFScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. Editions: 2003—2006 AST-press)
- Consul of Commowealth novel (SF
- Tomorrow War
- With No Mercy
- Moscow Time
- Denis Kotik dilogy (Fairy tales. Editions: 2003—2004 AST-press; 2007 EKSMOEksmoEksmo is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and its rival AST together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, they gradually developed into a major player on the Russian market, discovering and developing detective...
)
- Denis Kotik dilogy (Fairy tales. Editions: 2003—2004 AST-press; 2007 EKSMO
- Denis Kotik and Queen of Winged Horses
- Denis Kotik and Pale Knights Order
- Roman Star novel (cryptohistory. Editions: 2007 AST-press)
PC games scenarios
- Soldiers: Heroes of World War IISoldiers: Heroes of World War IISoldiers: Heroes of World War II is the first in a series of real-time tactics video games set in World War II, developed by or under the supervision of Ukrainian company Best Way....
– Russian title "V tilu vraga" (World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
RTSReal-time strategyReal-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
. Studio: Best WayBest WayBest Way is an Ukrainian company which designs video games from RTS genre. The company was founded in 1991. Its first title was Soldiers: Heroes of WWII...
, Ukraine, Severodonetsk. Release: 2004; Russian publisher 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
, international publisher CodemastersCodemastersThe Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
) - Faces of WarFaces of WarFaces of War is a real-time strategy and real-time tactics computer wargame published by Russian publisher 1C Company and developed by Ukrainian developer Best Way. The game is a sequel to 2004's Soldiers: Heroes of World War II...
– Russian title "V tilu vraga 2" (World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
RTSReal-time strategyReal-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
. Studio: Best WayBest WayBest Way is an Ukrainian company which designs video games from RTS genre. The company was founded in 1991. Its first title was Soldiers: Heroes of WWII...
, Ukraine, Severodonetsk. Release: 2006; Russian publisher 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
, international publisher UbisoftUbisoftUbisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
) - Tomorrow war – Russian title "Zavtra voina" (Space simulator depicting space warfareSpace warfareSpace warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites.It does not include the use of...
in the 27th century. Studio: Crioland, Russia, Novosibisrk. Release: 2006; Russian publisher 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
, international publisher AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
) - Tomorrow war: K Factor – Russian title "Zavtra voina: Faktor K" (Space simulator depicting space warfareSpace warfareSpace warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites.It does not include the use of...
in the 27th century. Studio: Crioland, Russia, Novosibisrk. Release: 2007; Russian publisher 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
, international publisher AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
(?)) - The Vault of Equilibrium: Beltion – Russian title "Svod Ravnovesiya: Beltion" (RPGRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
focusing on the magic inquisition of the Varan Republic. Studio: Rostok-Games, Ukraine, Kiev. Release: 2009; Russian publisher Novij Disk) - Men of War: Red TideMen of War: Red TideMen of War: Red Tide is a real-time strategy and real-time tactics video game and the sequel to the game Men of War, developed in partnership with Best Way by Digitalmindsoft and published by 1C Company. Game concept and scenario are elaborated by Alexander Zorich, modern Russian writer and...
– Russian title "Chernye bushlaty" (World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
RTSReal-time strategyReal-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
. Studio: 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
, Russia, Moscow. Release: 2009; Russian publisher 1C1C Company1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
)
Note
- Tomorrow war/Tomorrow war: K Factor games based on Alexander Zorich space opera trilogy with the same name.
- The Vault: Beltion Project based on Alexander Zorich fantasy tetralogy «The Vault of Equilibrium».