Great and boundless is Siberia. For the third hundred years, Russian settlers have been making sense of it—studying, settling, and adapting its endless, generous lands. A lot of different people came here at different times: some for freedom, some for happiness, some for wealth. Siberians are unhurried and sensible; they find common ground with everyone—newcomers and locals alike. Any matter they settle peacefully. And even if here there are “bad” people, they don’t manage to do evil for long—whether you’re a coachman or a merchant… The new novel by the well-known Siberian writer Mikhail Shchukin will surely delight all lovers of artistic historical prose.