Gvadelorka

On August 3, Vladislav Petrovich finished his new large novel “Guadelorca” (326 pages). He writes that this is the second novel of the duology “The Steel Hairpin” (the first was “The Brig ‘Artemida’” (277 pages). After the novels “The Trophy Bank, Broken in Duels,” “Daggi-Titz” (M.: Eksmo, 2008) and “The Brig ‘Artemida’,” “Guadelorca” became the fourth major work by Krapivin, written after his move to Tyumen in March 2007. After reading it, I got the impression that it is one of the best works by Vladislav Petrovich. An incredibly interesting plot, and very high dynamics. The book reads as if you’re watching a film at the same time—every turn of events and every character is drawn so vividly and clearly. By the way, if the story of “The Brig ‘Artemida’” takes place in the 19th century, then the new novel’s events end on August 23 of this year—the day a point was put in the very novel :) That gives it special interest. Especially since in the novel Vladislav Petrovich raises issues relevant not only to today, but also to the one that will become increasingly more important for all of us in the coming years. In terms of content, I can’t even imagine how it could be compared to other works by Krapivin—similar plotlines hadn’t been done by the author before. Only one thing—I don’t see the point in retelling the plot itself. For two reasons. First, because there’s no interest in retelling books in advance. And second, the storylines of this novel are so tightly intertwined (as well as with “The Brig ‘Artemida’”), so fast-paced and multi-layered that a retelling becomes almost impossible. Except that I’ll mention the main impression I was left with: the book teaches the boys where to grow, who they become, and into whom they turn.