Alexander Belyaev—the very “Russian Jules Verne”—wrote these texts almost a century ago, but today they sound even darker. Here is science fiction that turns into a merciless mirror of reality far too easily.
Three great breakthroughs. Three broken destinies. And one unchanging adversary—human greed.
Open the collection and see what price the miracle demands where everything has a price tag.
What if they transplanted shark gills into you?
You could live underwater, become hardier and stronger than any person. But who would you be after such an “evolution”—a new species, or simply an expensive tool for harvesting pearls? Ichtìandr was given a gift, and in return he received loneliness and the loss of freedom.
What if you learned how to freeze oxygen out of the air?
That could save people from drought, warm the Arctic—or… make breathing a private commodity. A brilliant meteorologist creates a force more terrifying than an atomic bomb—and it immediately ends up with the one who’s ready to sell wind for gold.
What if food became inexhaustible?
No hunger at all: a talented scientist finds a way to bake bread out of air and water. But Earthly “paradise” quickly comes to an end—when something vital becomes available to everyone, monopolies stop fighting over scarcity and start fighting for control. For profit, they’re willing to destroy even eternity.
The collection includes:
“Man of the Amphibian” — a romantic and unsettling story of a person caught between sea and shore.
“The Air Seller” — a tense thriller about a climate war after which it’s hard to breathe calmly.
“Eternal Bread” — a social anti-utopia about an abundance humanity wasn’t ready for.