There are very few fantasy authors who have created their own worlds—where dragons breathe fire and knights answer by firing plasma from blasters, where princesses know karate and warrior maidens are fragile yet charming, and where the famous Stanislavski “I don’t believe it!” rules supreme. Right now, there’s a whole sea of such creativity—almost nothing. And to keep track of a pair of tiny folk who can save entire kingdoms and countries, you need to firmly know that Volkodav is, first and foremost, the name of a mighty barbarian—and only then a dog breed. Such creators are almost the only ones like this. Mikhail Uspensky managed to create a world of that kind: “Multibout”—a land of deep, unbroken forests, brave heroes, and beautiful girls. A world where you can meet the great underground Idrik-Serpent or, if you wish, play cards with the Water Man. Where the fairy boy Zhiharka—who was once the one a wicked witch tried to eat—has grown up, and now everyone calls him Zhihar. And now Zhihar the hero must, due to some accidental princely injustice, set off on a long and dangerous journey. Many battles and trials await him. But there’s also the boldness of a young man and the strength of a hero. And, above all, faithful friends. The novel was written in 1995 and is already considered a classic of Slavic fantasy.