In a world that has survived nuclear attacks, proton storms, and a dictatorship, a new myth is born. Colonel Raud—hero or bloodthirsty tyrant? For some he is a liberator, for others he is a destroyer of cities and souls. His opponent is Anton Vesik, a front-line rebel writer, whose book “The Usurper” becomes a symbol of resistance. But while they argue about the truth, a threat far worse than dictatorship looms over the planet.