Final Draft (novel)
Encyclopedia
Final Draft is the second novel of the popular Russian
writer Sergey Lukyanenko
's science fiction duology and is the sequel to Rough Draft
.
It turns out that the life of an ex-functional after abandoning his function is not safe at all. Especially for a special functional like Kirill.
Kirill takes a train to Kharkiv
to find his Nirvana (Earth 22) "neighbor" Vasilisa, another customs officer-functional. However, the train is intercepted in Oryol
by Arkan's security forces. Kirill is able to escape them and make it to Kharkiv by hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the Arkanians are somehow able to track him, so Vasilisa convinces Kirill to attempt a desperate move — a twenty-kilometer trek through the lifeless frozen world of Janus (Earth 14) during a snow storm.
Barely making it to another tower, that of the customs officer-functional Martha, Kirill gets to the Polish
city of Elbląg
. He is caught by three police officers-functionals, but he is rescued by his friend Kotya, who opens a portal to his Tibet
an residence (or rather, the residence of the current curator). Kirill, Kotya, and Kotya's girlfriend Illan (an ex-functional from Veroz, Earth 3) come up with a plan for freeing our Earth from Arkan influence, although Kirill begins to suspect that Arkan may not be the true puppet master behind the functionals.
To that end, Kirill travels to a technologically-backward religious world of Tverd (Earth 8), the people of which managed to eliminate functional influence in their world's affairs through the use of highly-advanced biotechnology
. However, the Arkanians find him even there and attack this world, even though Tverd is ready to repel such an assault with their all-female Swiss Guard
s, killer Yorkshire Terrier
s, and flying gargoyle
s. Kirill kills the attacking agents but is forced to escape Tverd using his newfound curator abilities.
He finds himself in a world, which he believes to be the functional homeworld (Earth 16), most of which is covered by a radioactive wasteland. The only habitable island features a strange-looking skyscraper at its mountain peak, obviously of functional design, as only some people are able to see it. However, upon reaching it, Kirill discovers that the structure is not the functional headquarters but merely their museum, protected by a functional who looks like an angel.
After fighting and defeating the angel, Kirill begins to understand the truth behind all worlds influenced by the functionals, most of it has to do with quantum physics. He returns to Elbląg, where a mailman-functional delivers him a letter from Kotya, whose abilities are disappearing, in which he formally challenges Kirill to a duel. The victor (and survivor) would become the next curator.
Kirill returns to Moscow
and arrives to the location chosen for the duel and defeats Kotya. However, instead of finishing him off, Kirill makes a decision to stop being a functional and return to his previous life, knowing that, due to his special nature, the functionals will not risk trying to kill him.
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...
writer Sergey Lukyanenko
Sergey Lukyanenko
Sergei Vasilievich Lukyanenko is a science fiction and fantasy author, writing in Russian, and is arguably the most popular contemporary Russian sci-fi writer...
's science fiction duology and is the sequel to Rough Draft
Rough Draft
Written in 2005, Moscow, Rough Draft by Sergey Lukyanenko is a fantasy novel of the "parallel world" genre, the first of a duology.The sequel of this novel is Final Draft.-Plot introduction:...
.
Plot summary
The story of the novel begins several hours after the end of Rough Draft, after Kirill Maximov, a regular man who was turned into a functional, escapes from Arkan (or Earth 1), fights his friend and curator of our world (Earth 2 or Demos) Kotya, and kills his midwife-functional Natalia Ivanova.It turns out that the life of an ex-functional after abandoning his function is not safe at all. Especially for a special functional like Kirill.
Kirill takes a train to Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
to find his Nirvana (Earth 22) "neighbor" Vasilisa, another customs officer-functional. However, the train is intercepted in Oryol
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
by Arkan's security forces. Kirill is able to escape them and make it to Kharkiv by hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the Arkanians are somehow able to track him, so Vasilisa convinces Kirill to attempt a desperate move — a twenty-kilometer trek through the lifeless frozen world of Janus (Earth 14) during a snow storm.
Barely making it to another tower, that of the customs officer-functional Martha, Kirill gets to the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
city of Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
. He is caught by three police officers-functionals, but he is rescued by his friend Kotya, who opens a portal to his Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an residence (or rather, the residence of the current curator). Kirill, Kotya, and Kotya's girlfriend Illan (an ex-functional from Veroz, Earth 3) come up with a plan for freeing our Earth from Arkan influence, although Kirill begins to suspect that Arkan may not be the true puppet master behind the functionals.
To that end, Kirill travels to a technologically-backward religious world of Tverd (Earth 8), the people of which managed to eliminate functional influence in their world's affairs through the use of highly-advanced biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
. However, the Arkanians find him even there and attack this world, even though Tverd is ready to repel such an assault with their all-female Swiss Guard
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
s, killer Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...
s, and flying gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s. Kirill kills the attacking agents but is forced to escape Tverd using his newfound curator abilities.
He finds himself in a world, which he believes to be the functional homeworld (Earth 16), most of which is covered by a radioactive wasteland. The only habitable island features a strange-looking skyscraper at its mountain peak, obviously of functional design, as only some people are able to see it. However, upon reaching it, Kirill discovers that the structure is not the functional headquarters but merely their museum, protected by a functional who looks like an angel.
After fighting and defeating the angel, Kirill begins to understand the truth behind all worlds influenced by the functionals, most of it has to do with quantum physics. He returns to Elbląg, where a mailman-functional delivers him a letter from Kotya, whose abilities are disappearing, in which he formally challenges Kirill to a duel. The victor (and survivor) would become the next curator.
Kirill returns to 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...
and arrives to the location chosen for the duel and defeats Kotya. However, instead of finishing him off, Kirill makes a decision to stop being a functional and return to his previous life, knowing that, due to his special nature, the functionals will not risk trying to kill him.