Wealth

11 hrs. 9 min.

Language Russian

Author Valentin Pikul

Narrator Alexander Bordukov

The territory of the British Isles is 315 thousand sq. km, the territory of Kamchatka is 472 thousand sq. km. To those boundless expanses of the peninsula—guarded by a Cossack commandant with four drill Cossacks—a bureaucrat Solomin is appointed as the head.

The plundering of Kamchatka’s fur and fish riches has been set on a nonstop flow: the Japanese and the Americans, ignoring state borders, behave as at home, exporting goods worth millions of dollars with impunity, and when the chance arises, they rob and kill the local population. Even their own greedy merchants completely ignore Russian laws, making fortunes of millions. This whole disgrace must be dealt with by an honest, incorruptible Chief of Kamchatka.

And outside it is 1904. On the island of Shumshu, in immediate proximity to Petropavlovsk, a Japanese battalion with artillery is stationed; Kamchatka is flooded with Japanese spies. And then the moment comes when the people of Kamchatka had to face an invasion, and each person had to decide for themselves what in this life is most important.

This novel is about how ordinary hunters and gardeners—Russians and Kamtchadals—turned into Defenders overnight. And in essence, it is about Patriotism with a capital P. Though it was written almost forty years ago about events from nearly a century ago, it has not lost its relevance even today.

1. Wealth 2. Three Ages of Okini-San (narrated by Vsevolod Kuznetsov) 3. Cruisers (narrated by Ivan Litvinov) 4. Hard Labor (narrated by Vladimir Sushkov) 4. Hard Labour (narrated by Alexander Bordukov)