Month: October 2021

Book: Alexey Pehov “Wind and Sparks”

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I’ve often heard that Alexey Pehov’s Wind and Sparks series is perceived as a continuation of The Chronicles of Siala about the thief Garret. To be honest, I used to feel the same way myself, especially after the details of The Chronicles of Siala faded in my memory following my first read. I even thought of it as “the next books after Garret.” Though I knew that wasn’t the case.

The Wind and Sparks series was written between 2005 and 2008. Between it and The Chronicles of Siala, Alexey managed to write The Last Testament (co-authored with Andrey Yegorov) and Under the Sign of the Manticore (which I still consider one of his best novels, by the way).

He also wrote the first half of the Kindret series at the same time as Wind and Sparks. So it’s impossible to say that the next story about Garret followed immediately after The Chronicles of Siala. By this point, Pehov approached his craft as a much more experienced writer.

The events in Wind and Sparks take place in an entirely different universe—it’s not the grim world of Siala’s thief. Although echoes of that world exist, they can easily go unnoticed, especially if there’s a long gap between reading the two series. But if you do catch those subtle connections, it adds an extra layer of enjoyment. There is a link, but the main connecting thread is indeed Garret. I don’t think this is a spoiler, as many have mentioned it before. That said, Garret is far from the main character here, though it would also be unfair to call him a mere supporting role.

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Cyprus: Where the Heck Is That?!

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I’ve come across this multiple times—people often have only a very vague idea of where Cyprus is located. Everyone knows it’s somewhere warm, with oranges. Fewer people know it’s somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.

Recently, I came across an excellent photo of Cyprus taken from space, apparently by astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Cyprus has a very distinctive shape, making it easy to recognize on maps and from space (with enough magnification). For some reason, this shape is sometimes referred to as a “fish,” though I don’t see any resemblance to a fish here. The island’s silhouette is also featured on its national flag:

But let’s get back to the photograph, where this silhouette is clearly visible:

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Vladimir Levshin: How to Make Children Fall in Love with Mathematics

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I recently started reading a book about mathematics written by a mathematician. The title and description intrigued me, but so far, as I’m just at the beginning, I’m not particularly impressed. This got me thinking—how do mathematicians become mathematicians? When does their love for the subject begin, and why?

I don’t consider myself a “true” mathematician, although my degree officially labels me as a “mathematician-system programmer.” However, I fell in love with mathematics back in my school years. Two factors played a significant role in this: my math teacher, who later became my homeroom teacher, and several books by the remarkable writer Vladimir Levshin.

Getting hold of Levshin’s books wasn’t easy, but they were available in libraries. I read all of his books I could find (around ten). His most famous work, in my opinion, is the trilogy about the Magister of Scattered Sciences. That trilogy itself, however, is part of a larger cycle centered around a character named Nolik (which means ‘a Small Zero’ in Russian).

The books are likely intended for students in grades 3–6 (this is my personal estimation based on childhood impressions). They are written in the style of a fairy tale adventure, comparable in tone to The Lost Time Fairy Tale or Old Man Hottabych. The key difference is that Levshin’s main magical characters are personified numbers, primarily Nolik, after whom the entire series is now named.

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Book: Babaykin “F*ck You Money”

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I won’t lie—the first book by Babaykin, Retired at 35, didn’t really appeal to me. However, intrigued by the topic and the titles, I bought both of the author’s books at once. Even though I wasn’t too impressed with the first one, I decided to read the second to understand why both books have such high ratings and so many positive reviews.

If the first book was about how to retire at 35, the second delves deeper into the F.I.R.E. movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and provides a closer look at the lifestyle of these early retirees.

Indeed, the main impression from the book is that it’s more about the author’s worldview and lifestyle. Personally, I didn’t find much practical value, especially since much of it feels like a verbose rehashing of the first book. There’s nothing particularly new here—just the same stories told in different words.

Moreover, the book lacks clear structure. The blog-like nature is very evident: individual chapters feel like blog posts written at very different times. This approach inevitably leads to repetition. While that’s understandable in a blog, it doesn’t work as well for a book. A book requires some structure—a logical progression through which the author conveys the core idea they set out to share.

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Who Needs Credits?

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Recently, there’s been another heated debate on the internet about the rules that certain game companies use to decide whether to include or exclude employees from the credits of their games. And this is indeed a fascinating topic!

Games weren’t the first to come up with credits. Movies come to mind much earlier. However, even in films, credits have undergone massive changes. I remember absolutely hating the credits in Soviet children’s films, especially when they were placed at the beginning of the movie. You’d sit down in front of the TV, all ready to enjoy your favorite film—perhaps one you’d been waiting for all week (this was before you could just hop onto Netflix and watch anything). And then you’re hit with “film director,” “cinematographer,” “director”… I couldn’t care less! I wanted to watch the movie, not read their names!

That said, I have to admit that sometimes creators managed to make this part interesting. In some films, they would show the actor in their role alongside how they looked in real life. That, I loved to watch—it didn’t make me want to switch off. Off the top of my head, I can recall this approach being used in New Year’s Adventures of Masha and Vitia and the later Don Cesar de Bazan. In those films, the actors in their everyday appearance looked nothing like their characters on screen.

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Song: Underwood “All Those You Loved So Deeply”

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This time, my post about music is going to be very personal. I’ve thought for a long time about whether to write about this song at all and what exactly to say. But sometimes, you just need to write and let go.

Some songs seem to find you at a particular time and evoke certain emotions, and you start hearing in them something that perhaps the authors didn’t even intend (only the authors truly know what they meant). That’s what happened to me with the song “All Those You Loved So Deeply” by the band Underwood. This song came out back in 2008 as part of an album with almost the same name (I even don’t know how to translate or explain this difference in English).

The song struck a chord with me back then, as it reminded me once again of the loss of my younger brother. Its lyrics offer a glimmer of hope, even though I’m an atheist: “All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again…”

It became a permanent fixture in my list of favorite songs in 2014, which was a very painful year for our family. I was traveling to my hometown, Minsk, and the entire time, this song was playing on repeat in my headphones, offering me comfort.

Though it seems the song may not be about the meaning I’ve attached to it.

Men rarely say things like this, but every time this song comes up in my playlist again, I can’t hold back my tears. Even though I often try to hide them.

The song doesn’t have an official music video, so it’s only available in audio form:

Lyrics of the Song

I dreamed of Maestro Rostropovich, he told me that notes are the letters of angels,
Words must be sung; only then can they possibly be heard.

I know one thing: you can’t stop a soaring word, and
All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again.
All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again.
All those you loved so deeply…

I dreamed of Maestro Rostropovich, he told me he’d seen (wow!) my grandmother
In the heavens, on the edge of a sunlit stage, and I sing to myself:
Awakened: “It’s possible!”
Choir of angels: “Impossible, impossible…”
Awakened again: “It’s possible!!”
Choir of angels again: “Impossible, impossible…”

I know one thing: you can’t stop a soaring word, and
All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again.
All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again.
All those you loved so deeply, you will meet again.

Cyprus: A Bank, Like a Meal, Is a Leisurely Affair

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I was thinking about what else to write about Cyprus when the topic presented itself—we had to open a bank account for my daughter.

When I first came to Cyprus, everything was new to me. I didn’t know any Greek at all, but the similarity of the alphabets allowed me to at least try reading Greek signs. I remember the very first word I noticed was “Τράπεζα,” which I kept seeing everywhere. It’s pronounced exactly like the Russian word “трапеза” (meaning “meal”), but in Greek, it means “bank.” And since banks are everywhere in Cyprus, the word was hard to miss.

The first time I had to open an account, the company I worked for helped me. That’s a common practice in Cypriot companies that bring in employees from other countries. Back then, the process was pretty quick—everything was prepared for me, and all I had to do was sign where they pointed. Then it was straight to work, with my salary deposited into the account on the last working day of each month.

Later, when I had to handle various bank-related matters on my own, I began to learn the intricacies of the process firsthand.

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Book: Konstantin Borisov “To Hire or Not to Hire? Or How to Interview a Developer”

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In our turbulent times, people change jobs much more frequently than they did in the relatively recent past. In the 1950s-60s in the US, many people would join a company for life—it was the norm. In the USSR, with its system, there were often entire dynasties working at the same place. Working at the same job for life was almost a family tradition for many—grandfather at the factory, father in the same place, and the grandson destined to follow.

The “family” approach to building a team has many advantages, and I must admit, I often grow attached to a team myself. However, modern careers are all about constant job changes and constant interviews. These days, every manager seems to pride themselves on the number of interviews they’ve conducted. It’s strange that the quality of these interviews is discussed far less often, even though it’s much more important (after all, conducting interviews is just part of a manager’s job in a growing company).

I’ve come across numerous articles and books on topics like “how to write the perfect resume” or “how to ace an interview” (including a book I previously mentioned, Résumé for a Million by my former colleagues). However, there’s far less information about how to conduct interviews properly. Personal experience shows that not everyone is good at it (since I go through various interviews quite often, and it helps me stay sharp).

And then, unexpectedly, I stumbled upon the book To Hire or Not to Hire? by Konstantin Borisov. It’s relatively short, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It’s honestly one of the best management books I’ve read in recent years. Practically no fluff—everything is to the point, with clear arguments. The book primarily focuses on how to interview developers in the IT industry, but most of the material is applicable to any interview and isn’t specifically tied to IT. I’m not sure where the author works, but the company is certainly lucky to have such an interviewer.

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Book: Alexey Pehov “The Chronicles of Siala”

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It might seem odd to write about a series that was written almost twenty years ago. I hesitated for a long time myself, fearing it might come out poorly. But since I’ve just reread it—why not?

Alexey Pehov’s Chronicles of Siala is not just a trilogy; it’s essentially a single novel (an epic novel), divided into three large parts/books. This was Alexey’s very first work, and in the twenty years since, he has become a highly successful and sought-after author, with his books even being published abroad.

The main character of the story is a thief named Garrett. For years, readers have been puzzled by the question: is he the same Garrett from the world of the Thief video game, or not?

Formally—no. And here I’ll briefly repeat some information that Pehov’s fans are likely familiar with.

Yes, both are named Garrett, both are professional thieves living in the shadows, preferring to remain unnoticed but capable of defending themselves when necessary. Both favor a small crossbow as one of their preferred weapons. However, the worlds of the game and the book are different, and so are their plots (though meticulous fans do find “similarities”). That said, the first edition of the final book in the series, Shadow Blizzard, ended with the following phrase:

The name of the main character, as well as the thief’s attributes, come from the virtual reality of the THIEF universe. – The Author.

Later, the author adhered to a different version:

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