Alexander Gromov

Alexander Gromov (Алексáндр Грóмов) - is a Russian science fiction writer who began writing in 1986 impressed by works of Strugatsky brothers', his first publication having occurred in early 1990s.

Most of Gromov's novels combine a well-defined world created by the means of hard science fiction and a foreground of "social science fiction", as the author explains it:

I still have to tell a couple of words about my works - not about each one, but about all of them. Most of the things I wrote can be considered social science fiction (not in the sense of "capitalism-socialism" - this topic does not interest me). The recipe of it, worked out by H.G.Wells, has not changed till the present day and looks like this: you take a socium (limited number of people is better - easier to work) and do some ugly thing to it, and then you sit and look at the consequences...

Of course I'm kidding, and let the shadow of the great writer forgive me. But every joke has a grain of truth... [1]

Also to be mentioned, Gromov's language is of high quality(sometimes with scientific wisecracks). His characters are not flat, they can evolve... His remarks of socio-psychological kind(about people's habits, bosses, crowds and whole societies) are combined with grains of gloomy humour.

Gromov's works

Until now none of Gromov's novels are known to be translated into English. Yet the article will gain sense with few comments made on his books.

Softly landing the Humankind...

Adaptants, the main threat

In future the Humankind faced simultaneously two catastrophic processes, that is global climate cooling(on a halfway to ice age) and unaccountable deep fall of IQ level of 70% of the population(the author called such people oakcephals). Probably the Humankind could survive any of these processes alone, but not the both ones.. Yet the fate of the Humankind was different from what one can guess now. The flight of the humankind will interrupt, but it will be not be as an explosion... It will be as soft landing. A caprice of genes gave rise to a new biological branch of people, so-called adaptants, beings with different(less of) intelligence and better biological ability to survive. Adaptants usually weren't visually discernible from oakcephals; they parasitized on human society and acted as bands(flocks) on the streets. To complete the view of adaptants,

Each hidden adaptand touchs first or last that the teacher is as well vulnerable. Just then such a fury flares up in his eyes, that a normal person really shrinks aside. It's important not to miss this moment. A weird fure, inhuman. Virtually, an adaptant isn't a human, he only isn't aware of it. A curious thing -- eyes of an adaptant. The sign of species, equally as the hair of mammoth, and it's impossible to fabricate one -- adaptants feel the alien with their inside. If we could introduce our people into street flocks, perhaps one could live in the city.

At a moment(long after their first occurrence) adaptants increased their activity and ceased the existence of the Humankind in a couple of years.

Sergey, a look from inside

Of course, this novel Myagkaya posadka (Soft landing) is not a cynical exercise in futurism. The main protagonist, Sergey, an university teacher of physics(that is electricity -- cold climate, a need for electrostations!) does live in that world of eternal snowy coldness. Although having no hope for future, Sergey doesn't stay actionless; the situation just doesn't leave him at rest.. and often cause him to fight. Pictures of Sergey's life.. Testing oakcephals for knowledge of Kirchhoff and Ohm laws..

"Rybin, come here."

The slender youth, a kind of mentally-crushed. The face is good, the look is, no dumber possible. But it was he who solved the problem for an adaptant, otherwise i understand nothing in my profession and must be driven out. He isn't a nose, it's exact. And certainly not an adaptant. In my opinion, he even isn't an oakcephal.

"Right, answer."

The mentally-crushed one begins to explain, passing his finger, and griveously selecting the words. "A"'s and "m"'s. When there are synonims, he chooses the most idiotic one.

"Enough", i stop him, "Why don't you learn at the first stream?"

He stupidly winks, inserts a finger in his nose up to second phalange inclusive, and is flapping his mouth like an encatched carp. Overplays.

"Well it's enough, enough.", I say rigidly, "Played a bit, and that will do. For me all is clear. You don't want to be open, -- no need then. You are not a moron and occupy the place of other's. I will be obliged to report to the sorting committee about you."

I am not in the least joking and this reachs him. He sweeps away from face the stupid expression. Intimidation remains.

The false moron looks sideways behind his shoulder, fright on his face. I can't confuse real fright with faked one.

"You may speak, the place is sound-proofed."

He, floundering, explains his situation. He doesn't attempt to knock a tear out of me, and I like that. He can't send his mother and sister out of the city. No, not necessarily to the South. They have no possibility to drive out. When he brought documents in the previous year, he asked right away, whether a request would be viewed of passing examinations without attending the lectures. He was asked whether he considers himself the cleverest one there. He was answered "no". Then he cheated the sorting committee. He has to, he obligatorily has to complete the institute in two years, they wouldn't bear more here. When he will drive to a place of assignment, he will be able to take relatives with him, he inquired about it.

I ask leading questions, hitting in the aim. Mother? Yes, ill. But it's recent with her, after his sister was caught by adaptants and couldn't be found for two days; as it is she is a strong woman. Sister? No, sistryonka is alive. But... On the whole, she...

What happened with her, I unfortunately, understand very well.

"Are you at all in right senses?" at first I'm speaking in a calm and admonishing way, as an elder, who supposedly looks farther and knows better. Then I don't control myself, rushing the fist against the table, shouting and splashing. "A know-all! Lopuh razvesistyj! You became glad -- two years! But with so diploma you for all your life will blow off dust from voltmeters in some kind of Labytnangi! For all your life, up to the moment, until you there with your electrostation will be frozen into ice, do you understand this?"

He nods dolefully. Then he begins to explain with animation, that all is not so frightening, as it seems to me, one needs just to drive out here, and to wait through several years, and then all will surely change, there is no way of not changing, such things don't occur..

Such conversations last for five minutes, but you got tired of them as of a training in the Uncle Kolya's basement. The chap is right in his sense. And I can't do anything for him. Just only not to shake my tongue anywhere, but after all the chap doesn't need anything more... Sometimes you think, that the one who devised our society was mad from the birth.

"Go", i nod exhaustedly, "You passed the test. And... I wish luck for you."

He thanks. Leaving, he looks around:

"Sorry, Sergey Yevgenyevich, but how did you know?"

"The mistake in your problem", I say, "is so stupid, that it is even talented."

"Thank you" he sais, "Great thank for you. I will take measures."

He will do. He will correct the tactics, will begin rehearsing in front of a mirror releasing saliva, and will not be catched more. I know such ones.

Driving home to his wife Darja (who after a time will become an adaptant), while fighting from still scanty bands of adaptants.. Then, after wars of "local" type arose (small, half-autonomous groups of people acting against elusive flocks of adaptants) -- being at war among his colleagues..

Unwelcome power

Evolving of the situation lead Sergey to take his own actions.. Other character, Sashka (Alexander), the adaptant who retained human minds(officer of Security Service in his human life), wished to make Sergey a controlled leader of remaining people (e.g. he organized fake attempts at Sergey to "teach" him caution). And Sashka nearly completed his plan, murdering all members (except himself) of Headquarters for Mopping-up the city, but he was killed by uncle Kolya (trainer of Sergey) while forcing wounded Sergey for collaboration. By the way, the last words of dying Alexander concerned Sergey: Raw material... Still to work and to work... How little.... However, it caused situation of vacuum of power:

I still stretched and stretched them my stupid submachine gun. I could agree to all. I wouldn't resist if any of them would point on me the flat black circle, and while muttering a curse would bend his forefinger on trigger.

None of them did this. I suddenly became to understand, and I got frightened. They haven't shoot me in the first moment. Now they already couldn't shoot me, even if they have wanted to. I was needed by them. I occupied the place, that earlier belonged to someone, and now to me. And exhausted people, armed by submachine guns, looked at me so, as if they were waiting for a command from me. Why, it was so.

In the epilogue we see Sergey, a ruler in a free group of several thoudsand people(who settled near a thermonuclear electrostation), which seems to survive for long, despite the seeming death of the rest Humankind. Is it happy end?..

...and a Year's admire of Lemmings

A healthy spite began waking up in me -- just, a means of self-defense. I don't stand being guilty, and that's all {...} Why do you look on me? Answer me, what is better -- to take the responsibility of one's death and to save a thousand ones so, or to be not implicated in the death of the whole thousand? Have you never happened to die slowly -- day by day -- under ruins of the building, that some fucker hasn't built seismically proofed? I saw how it occurs, and it's untruth that the hope dies the last. {...}

Half a century ago we didn't exist yet -- embryos did, foetuses of today's Services with laughable actual might. {...} For me one thing was always utterly clear: somebody has to do so that on our manysinful, wrongly arranged planet one may live, though.{...}

Sanitary Service. Service of Technology Supervision and Protection of the Environment. Rescue and Emergency Service. Service of Mental Health of the Population {...}

Four pillars, propping up this world.

It's planned to describe the prequel to "Soft landing" "God Lemminga" (Year of Lemming) in this section...

And many of Gromov's works yet remain out the scopes of the article...

See also

• Official (old enough) web-page of A. Gromov
• Gromov at lib.ru (Russian)
• Gromov fans forum (still Russian ;) )