"What Others Think About Me" by Yoav Bloom (ABC-Atticus)

The author of the world bestseller "Creators of coincidences" Yoav Bloom has released a new novel with a mysterious title and an even more mysterious plot.

The protagonist of the book realized early on that he was not like other children: he could read the minds of others. For many, this ability will seem like a gift, but not for him. Even years later, as an adult, the hero cannot control and filter the thoughts in his head. They are not clear sentences, but an endless stream of fragments of phrases from different minds nearby, and it is sometimes extremely difficult to distinguish them from your own thoughts. And if there are a lot of people around, then the man seems to be drowning in this mental mess, as in quicksand.

Everything in his life changes when his former lover Daniela knocks on the door, who, instead of greeting, points a gun at the hero.

The author of the novel, Yoav Bloom, is originally from Israel. In his books, he gives readers the opportunity to look at the human mind and the world around them from a different angle. "What Others Think About Me" is his fourth book published on the Russian market. The writer's previous works are "The Creators of Coincidences", "I Always Stay With Myself" and "A Guide to Action for the Coming Days".

"I slowly wandered to my room, thinking. Everyone is arguing about what has a stronger effect on the development and character of a person - genetics or the environment. They influence something, but what exactly? What is a human being?

When I opened the door of the room, I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost stepped over the note. A small white piece of paper was waiting for me on the doorstep, apparently shoved into the crack under the door. I picked it up and felt a chill run down my spine. I closed the door behind me and sat down on the bed with a note in my hand. It was a short message, just one sentence, written in blue ink, in block letters:

Don't ask about the white screen, please.

I sat and stared at the note for a few long minutes. For some reason, the scariest thing about this whole sentence, the thing that made me feel a chill, was this word - "please".

  • © "Azbuka-Atticus Publishing Group"

"Proof of a Man", Arseny Gonchukov ("Edited by Elena Shubina", AST

)

Writer, director and screenwriter Arseny Gonchukov has released a new novel in short stories about the technological future, in which artificial intelligence has become an integral part of life, and people are digitized and live forever. When a new biological species of man appears on Earth, a society accustomed to its existence has to rewrite ethics and rules of life, and newcomers have to find a common language not only with digitized people, but also with the Digital itself.

In Gonchukov's world, people gained immortality and got rid of the fear of oblivion, but this did not guarantee them a happy and peaceful life. And while the world is technically thriving, society has not gotten rid of ethical problems.

The novel, reminiscent of the atmosphere and theme of the series "Black Mirror", consists of seventeen short stories with different characters and situations, united by the theme of the digital future.

So, for example, in one of the chapters, a young man hears a recording of his grandfather, who died in 3021, while jogging, and learns from him that he and his wife once underwent the Procedure, and their consciousness continues to live. The plot of another story focuses on a woman who reflects on the correctness of her act: when her son was little, she bought an expensive male android and told the child that it was his stepfather. Later, she had to turn in her digital friend, but she never told her son the truth.

"The ship was so huge that it stretched across the sky for several minutes, the roar was unbearable - the feeling that you were not standing on the ground, but riding in a broken-down elevator the size of a football field. One of the first flying fortresses for military-civilian purposes with serial number 5-14 on board is the Thunderstorm, a whole neighborhood, a piece of artificial land with houses, administrative buildings, sports grounds and roads on a rectangular platform measuring 1600 by 700 meters - and all this, imagine, flies above the ground at the height of a 25-storey building. An eclipse of the sun, a dust storm, leaves flying from trees, debris soaring into the sky, the hum of the cooling systems of the largest anti-gravity engines in the galaxy ... Before the scarlet circles of the rear shunting nozzles appear, the hulk will crawl for another ten minutes.

It's better up there. Here, below, the streets are broken by the war so that it is almost impossible to walk. A mess of wrecked equipment and concrete, labyrinths of reinforcement and twisted metal. However, a patrol is a patrol: Denis came out from behind a dilapidated building, walked a few meters and suddenly shuddered, raised his hand, slowly backed away and, pushing Ivan back, returned around the corner, squatted down ...

  • © AST

"A Little Piece of Paradise" by T.A. Williams ("ABC-Atticus")

Sisters Sophie and Rachel have not communicated or seen each other for six years - they were separated by their mother's illness. But the death of Uncle George brings them together again. A relative left them a legacy of his large house, located in the Italian town of Santa Rita. Perhaps the silent grievances of the sisters would never have passed if it had not been for the main condition of the uncle: in order for the inheritance to take effect, the girls need to live together in this house called Paradiso for three months. For Sophie, this is a great way to save money, given that she has been out of work for some time. In addition, the girls will finally be able to talk and build relationships.

An Italian vacation in a heavenly place will bring not only joy, new acquaintances, but also bitterness from long-lost love, as well as suddenly flared up feelings for an old friend.

British author T.A. Williams (Trevor Williams), contrary to all stereotypes, once again proves that a man can write emotional and sunny novels for women. The heroines of his books are purposeful, versatile and intelligent. The author's previous works - "Dreaming of Rome", "Dreaming of Venice", "Dreaming of Florence" - found a response in the hearts of Russian readers.

"The direct result of all this stupidity with Chris and the stupid situation in which she found herself was the discovery: trouble has a beneficial effect on her creativity. In the next story, she depicted a love triangle: two men sought the hand of one woman who could not decide who to choose, and in the end almost lost both. It was followed by another story, which spoke about lovers separated by work in different countries. As for the novel, one evening the elusive first line of the book suddenly came to her mind, and Sophie immediately rushed downstairs to inform Rachel about it.

- I came up with it! And what if you start the novel like this: "Looking into the night sky, Beatrice leaned against the battlements of the tower with loopholes. All her hopes were dashed, she was seized by a keen sense of desperate loneliness. Well, is it catchy?

"Well, I like it... The book begins with a seemingly final phrase of the story, and it becomes curious, immediately want to know what went wrong there. And the name Beatrice... For a romantic heroine, you can't think of a better one."

  • © "Azbuka-Atticus Publishing Group"

"Sing. The Tom Fry Story, Gabriel Costa (ACT)

In the center of the plot of the youth novel is a high school student named Tom Fry. He has a peculiarity that caused bullying at school: Tom does not know how to express thoughts aloud in ordinary text and speaks only songs. Few of his peers are able to understand the hero and appreciate his talent. However, Tom has two best friends - brainy Richard and always hungry Jack. The first loves books, and the second dreams of studying the stars. Comrades support Tom and help him cope with the school bully Alan, who looks like Ralph from the cartoon of the same name.

The hero himself dreams of becoming a popular musician and performing on Broadway. He waits with bated breath for the end of school to begin to translate his desires into reality.

Tom Fry was indeed born to be a star. But New York and show business are harsh, and a talented musician will have to make considerable sacrifices for the sake of success.

At the end of the novel there is a section called "Biography of Singers", from which the reader will be able to learn interesting facts about the lives of various musicians, such as Brian Smith, Lily, the Boys Hot group and others.

The author of the work, Gabriel Costa, has been writing since adolescence. At the age of 16-17, he published stories based on popular films and books on the network, and at 26 he released his debut novel. "Sing. The Tom Fry Story" is the writer's third book.

"At that moment, Tom woke up and snatched his hand from his mother's. Vanessa did not intercept the boy, allowing him to walk around the waiting room. He and Cleave watched as Tom touched all the flowers with interest, then tested a couple of chairs for strength. He even tried to bring the old woman out of her trance by tugging at her pink jacket. Vanessa shifted her gaze to the receptionist, not understanding his calmness. They seem to have an undercover corpse here. And in the end, Tom approached the girl while her father was arguing with someone on the phone. Vanessa took a deep breath: Tom didn't have a single friend because of his peculiarity, maybe the other children would be the incentive to speak?

"Hey, baby, what are you worth alone?" Don't you want to hang out with the hottest guy in town tonight? I'll say "I'm sorry" right away, I still have burns. So, baby? Ready to take a chance with the hottest guy in town? Tom sang at the top of his lungs.

There was silence. The girl started crying."

  • © AST

"Kyoko's House" by Yukio Mishima (ABC-Atticus)

Yukio Mishima is one of the most widely read Japanese authors in the world. His work is as versatile as Mishima himself. He worked as an official and wrote novels, plays, essays and short stories. His literary activity was conventionally divided into simpler works, for example, stories that he published in magazines, and the so-called intellectual literature, which included all the author's iconic novels. Among them are "Confessions of a Mask", "The Sailor Who Fell out of Love with the Sea", "Forbidden Flowers", "The Golden Temple", "The Book of the Samurai" and the tetralogy "Sea of Plenty". The writer was also glorified by his ambiguous essence and eventful life. Yukio Mishima traveled a lot, was obsessed with bodybuilding, tried himself as an actor. In the early 1960s, he became interested in politics and, after a failed coup attempt, passed away, performing the ancient ritual of hara-kiri.

The novel "Kyoko's House" was first published in 1959. A month after its release, it sold 150,<> copies.

The book is set in the 1950s. In the center of the plot is a sensual artist, a boxer obsessed with sports, a narcissist actor, and a nihilist businessman. Each of them personifies one of the facets of the author's personality.

All the characters are regular visitors to the salon of the hostess named Kyoko, who, like a mirror, reflects each of them, accompanies them and is a guide in post-war Japan, where the sprouts of a new era are just beginning to make their way out of the ruined land. Everyone, including Kyoko, criticizes the modern world, does not trust it and prefers to see it only as ruins. The regulars of the house and Kyoko will have to achieve success and fall to the bottom, where disappointment and death await them.

"Shunkichi was going through the body of a close enemy to break through the boundless distance separating his existence, into the infinite starry far away. With a straight left, he hit Minami in the forehead above the bridge of his nose. While Shunkichi thought it was strong, he received a blow from the right to the head. He took a step to the left. Mechanically, bending down, he applied the hook left in reserve, which fell to the enemy exactly under the spoon. Minami wanted to respond with the same hook, but unsuccessfully. Then Shunkichi, as if revealing an important secret, saw the staggering Minami.

The enemy seemed to be an awkward paper doll glued to cardboard. The strength went into the void, the arms and legs instantly weakened, like the wings of a shot bird, there were wide-open naïve eyes and an indifferent face.

Everything happened instantly. Minami immediately changed his stance, and Shunkichi, who was watching the events with detachment, returned his sight and hearing. The ruined and turbid world took its former shape. For the first time, Shunkichi wondered if he was in the wilderness."

  • © "Azbuka-Atticus Publishing Group"

"Horde of Headwinds" by Alain Damasio (ACT)

Power in the world of a science fiction novel is in the wind. The natural element with incredible force, sometimes deadly for humans, permeates everything in its path. This is a story in which there are tornadoes that literally change reality. For a long time there has been a legend among the people about the place where this wind originates. It is there, according to rumors, that he can be defeated. However, none of the 33 detachments managed to return from the expedition and tell whether this is really the case.

Nevertheless, the 34th horde of headwinds goes on a campaign. A group of 23 people will have to go through dangerous sandstorms, meet real monsters. This is a world in which death lies in wait for travelers at every turn. But the hope of salvation in a mysterious place gives strength to the members of the squad. Perhaps they will be lucky enough to save everyone.

The novel by the French writer Alain Damasio, winner of the Grand Prix de L'imaginaire, intrigues not only with the description of the plot, but also with its style. It is numbered in reverse order, sometimes there are no words or whole sentences on the pages, as if they were blown away by the wind, and there are many incomprehensible symbols in the work, which, fortunately for the reader, are explained at the very beginning.

"I felt the lake turn into steam behind me, I shivered from heat shock, listened to the water hissing and foaming. What can we talk about?

"This is a kind of polychrome creature," Oroshi began. "I don't know where it came from, but I know what fuels it. Like other chrons, it has the ability to perform local metamorphoses, it can transform water, dirt, soil, it can convert matter into a solid or liquid state, do you know all this?

- Yes.

- It also affects the passage of time. It can speed it up or, on the contrary, slow it down. Surely it can even stop him completely.

"Is that why Tae walked so slowly?"

"Yes, Owls. He fell into a chronic clot, which he scattered with his own voice. If you were in his place, you would walk for a week. Don't forget, Tae is a master of lightning, he was in super fast mode.

"Why did he put us around the lagoon?"

"To direct the chron to this zone, run it in a circle, since it is so sensitive to our vortices. Tae balanced the energy distribution of each of us to avoid excessive accumulation in one place. But since the brothers stayed together, it upset the balance, they created an eye for the funnel, they broke away from the general scheme. And Something immediately caught them and rushed at them."

  • © AST