Author: knari

Book: Robert E. Howard “The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane”

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Today, there are probably few people who are unfamiliar with the character of Conan the Barbarian. Even if they haven’t read a single book about him, they are likely to remember the iconic image of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger portraying the character. However, in the Soviet Union, the author of the Conan series (and many other works), Robert E. Howard, was virtually unknown until 1989. Although Howard himself didn’t write a large number of works, several of his characters became cult figures, Conan being the foremost among them. The series about this hero, which many other authors have continued, now includes not just dozens but hundreds of stories.

Personally, I first encountered Robert E. Howard’s work back in the distant year of 1990, when the Minsk publishing house Eridan released a collection of the author’s works titled The Hour of the Dragon.

A year earlier, in Krasnoyarsk, a thin booklet of just 52 pages had been published, containing two of Howard’s short stories translated by Alexander Bushkov under one cover. Eridan, in its full-length book, used both of these stories in the same translation. The Eridan collection included works about various characters, including the titular novel about Conan the Barbarian. However, one of the stories translated by Bushkov was Wings in the Night, featuring a protagonist named Solomon Kane. At the time, this character didn’t leave much of an impression on me. The story was the only one about him in the collection, and for a 13-year-old, his image clearly paled in comparison to the ruthless, muscular barbarian Conan. It was read and forgotten, in short. Two years later, the same Eridan began publishing a four-volume collection of Robert E. Howard’s works, but even in this, Solomon Kane appeared in only two stories—Wings in the Night and Red Shadows. You’ll agree, that’s hardly enough to develop any strong feelings for the character.

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Song: Till Lindemann “Lubimiy Gorod”

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And here’s Till Lindemann (the lead singer of Rammstein) with a wonderful rendition of the song “Lubimiy Gorod” (“My Beloved Town”). I think even Mark Bernes wouldn’t have been ashamed to hear such a performance. As someone in the “Longplay” group comments noted, “The collab with Loboda turned out great.” 😉

Personally, I really liked his version—it turned out heartfelt.

Book: Olga Gromyko “Year of the Rat”

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Although I became acquainted with Olga Gromyko’s work even before her very first book was published and have since followed her writing closely, it so happened that one particular series slipped past me. As I kept reading Olga’s new works, I never found the time to go back to the Year of the Rat duology. This was partly due to several opinions I came across that were rather critical of the series compared to her other works.

However, the time finally came to fill this gap and form my own opinion by reading both parts consecutively. First of all, I must say that this series is best read as a single piece—both volumes together. It’s essentially one story split into two parts, with the second book (Wanderer) released about a year after the first (Seer). The first book ends quite abruptly, right in the middle of the story. Secondly, I must admit that my opinion of the series was mixed, both during and after reading it. I can understand some of the critics, but let’s try to delve deeper into the details.

Year of the Rat was published in 2009 and 2010, and it can, in a way, be considered a transitional work between the Belorian series (which made Olga Gromyko a well-known writer) and the subsequent space epic As*troheads. Yes, there was also the novel A Plus for a Minus, co-written with Andrey Ulanov, which explored an almost contemporary world. But stylistically, Year of the Rat is closer to the Belorian series. The action takes place in a pseudo-medieval setting where magic exists and is generally acknowledged by the populace. The protagonist is, once again, a young woman, although she is now accompanied by two companions. In the next series, Olga would depart from this approach, but here it seems she was still experimenting with new creative directions. Of course, this is just my speculation.

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Song: Zdob și Zdub “Sanziene” / “On Ivan Kupala Night”

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I realized I’ve never mentioned one of my favorite bands, Zdob și Zdub, in my blog. By the way, when I watched Alexander Tobolsky’s show Longplay on bands that started out in a completely different style than the one they’re known for now, Zdob și Zdub immediately came to mind. Their first album and what they’ve become since are worlds apart (though you can see hints of their current style even in the first album).

But let’s get back to the band. In practically every one of their albums, there’s at least one song that I end up playing on repeat dozens of times. In their latest album, that song for me is Sanziene. I honestly don’t care what the original lyrics mean in Moldovan; I always listen to songs as a whole, where the vocals are just another instrument. And here, the energy and the voices completely blow my mind. Zdob și Zdub often collaborates with other artists, and this song is performed together with another Moldovan singer, Irina Rimes. Highly, highly recommended:

As is often the case with Zdob și Zdub, this song also has an official Russian-language version titled Na Ivana Kupalu (On Ivan Kupala Night). In this version, they perform as a “duet” again, but this time with a different singer—Masha Makarova, who many might recognize as the lead vocalist of the band Masha i Medvedi. The change in singer gives the song a slightly different feel; it sounds distinct (and it’s not just about the language). I personally prefer the Moldovan version a little more, but the Russian one is great as well:

Book: Vasiliy Sabirov “The Numbers Game”

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about Alexey Savchenko’s book Game as Business, which provides an excellent description of the gaming industry from the perspective of production and working with publishers. However, it says almost nothing about what comes next. Especially if your game is designed to last for years: how to work with users, how to study their behavior, and, ultimately, how to make millions.

That’s why Vasiliy Sabirov’s book Game by Numbers, which was also published last year, serves as a perfect complement. Its subtitle, How Analytics Helps Video Games Thrive, speaks volumes.

But first, a bit about the author. Vasiliy Sabirov is an analyst with extensive experience. Over the course of his career, he worked as an analyst and head of the payment solutions department at Xsolla (one of the largest players in the gaming payment market), as a lead analyst at the gaming company Alternativa Games, and then moved on to the emerging devtodev (now the largest gaming analytics service in the Russian-speaking game development sector). At devtodev, he worked as head of the analytics department and also served as an evangelist for both the service itself and its educational platform, where he released a course, including one on gaming analytics. In 2020, he made a major life change, transitioning (and relocating) to work as a lead analyst at the gaming company Easybrain (also one of the major players in the mobile gaming market). In other words, Vasiliy knows what analytics is and how it works. I would even say that if you’re talking about game analytics in Russian-speaking companies, Vasiliy Sabirov is the first name that comes to mind.

Now about the book and game analytics. If people around you are throwing around strange terms like MAU, LTV, ARPPU, and others, and you find yourself staring blankly, it’s time to read this book. Because behind these intimidating acronyms lie concepts that aren’t all that complicated. Learning how to work with this data properly, however, is the next step. But let’s take it one step at a time.

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Book: Esther Derby, Diana Larsen “Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great”

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When I wrote about Alexey Krivitsky’s book Agile Retrospective Kickstarter a month ago, I mentioned that much of his work is based on the work of Esther Derby and Diana Larsen (as he openly acknowledges in his book). At that time, I also promised to write separately about the book by these women facilitators. So here I am, fulfilling that promise.

I read the book in English, although in 2017, it was also published in Russian by Dmitry Lazarev Publishing under the title “Agile Retrospectives: Turning Good Teams into Great Teams.”

Why do teams need retrospectives? I’ve already written about this in detail elsewhere, but here’s a brief reminder: retrospectives help teams learn from their mistakes and grow. Without them, no Agile methodology can operate at full capacity.

Esther and Diana explain how to make such meetings as productive as possible, drawing from their many years of experience and unique insights. It is in this book that they propose the five-stage format for retrospective meetings, which Alexey Krivitsky actively adopts and promotes in his own book.

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Book: Debbie Tung “Book Love”

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The very existence of my book blog makes it clear that I read a lot and love books. But what few people know is that this love isn’t just a casual hobby; it’s a deep passion for collecting and cataloging that started in my childhood. Once I could afford to buy books with my own money, I would purchase far more than I could actually read. It brought me immense joy to lay out my collection, admire the covers, and revel in my growing library… “My precious!”

For a long time, I resisted transitioning to digital formats, but circumstances eventually forced me to. I simply had no more space for physical books, and it was far easier to bring an e-reader on business trips than to lug around several books (though I still remember carrying a 950-page tome with me everywhere and reading it at every opportunity).

Why am I telling you all this? Debbie Tung’s book Book Love immediately won me over the moment I read the synopsis: “If you love the rustle of book pages, the smell of fresh ink, find bliss in bookstores, and devote all your free time to reading or searching for new books, then this comic is about you and for you!” I thought to myself, this is exactly about me! Plus, the book was described as “a sharp, subtle, and humorous take on people who are deeply in love with books.”

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Book: Victor Hugo “Les Misérables”

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Almost everyone from my generation is familiar with Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables in one way or another, even if they don’t realize it. How is that possible, you ask? Easily! During my childhood, there were a few heroes every Soviet schoolchild was expected to look up to. Off the top of my head: Malchish-Kibalchish, Arkady Gaidar himself (legend has it that he commanded a regiment as a teenager), Pavlik Morozov (whose heroism is now questioned, but back then he was unequivocally a hero who suffered for the revolution), and—Gavroche. The boy who was shot by cruel soldiers at the French barricades while trying to gather bullets for the rebels.

We all knew about Gavroche because the episode of his death was included in the school curriculum for foreign literature. It was even explicitly noted that this was an excerpt from Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. However, I doubt many paid much attention to that detail back then. Moreover, the way literature was taught in schools was such that few students were inspired to revisit or explore the works of these authors in depth later on.

So, I knew about the novel, I fully understood that it was a classic of world literature, and I could even point out exactly where it sat on the bookshelf at home 😉 But I never really felt inclined to read it. Then, in 2012, Hollywood released a film adaptation of the musical based on the book. Since I enjoy musicals, I watched it with great pleasure—without having the faintest idea what it was about. I loved Hugh Jackman’s performance (I like him in everything, really) and Russell Crowe’s as well. And a couple of scenes with Sacha Baron Cohen as Thénardier were pure burlesque! Several songs made their way into my playlist, and the story itself seemed intriguing, even though the musical presented it in a very superficial way, often leaving questions about what was left out. That’s when I decided—it was finally time to read the book.

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Book: Alexey Savchenko “Game as a Business”

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Alexey Savchenko is a name well-known in the Russian gaming community, and not just there. For some time, he officially held the position of Evangelist for the Unreal game engine, and even now, many still refer to Alexey by that title. Open in communication, always ready to help—a remarkable colleague. When he announced that he was planning to release a book about the gaming business, I had no doubt that it would be worth purchasing and reading.

Although Alexey is now primarily involved in working with business partners, he has had a long journey and knows game development from many different angles, including as the owner of his own studio. In his book Game as a Business, he set out to describe all aspects of the gaming industry and project development—”from dream to release,” as the subtitle states.

Alexey structured the book along this very path, beginning with “I have a dream… I want to make games.” From there, he meticulously yet accessibly explains what awaits an aspiring game developer on the road to creating their dream game and, ideally, achieving fame and fortune.

It is evident that the author has a deep understanding of the subject, and the book is both accessible to industry newcomers and engaging for professionals. Despite my many years in the gaming industry, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

One of the most valuable aspects is how Alexey begins his advice by helping newcomers understand what lies behind their dream. Does the aspiring developer truly want to create their own game? Are they ready for the challenges this path entails? This guide is specifically for people who have decided to start their own business and are willing to risk their time, money, family relationships, and ambitions. Because if all you want is to make games, then joining an established studio is also an excellent path to consider.

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Book: Alexey Krivitsky “Agile Retrospective Kickstarter”

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Lately, I have been actively rereading various books and articles about Agile, and sometimes even exploring new material. In my opinion, Agile methodologies offer a lot of valuable practices, but one of the most useful ones is retrospectives—meetings where the team can look back, reflect on what has been done, analyze their experiences, and choose a few experiments to improve how things are done.

When people implement different Agile methodologies, they often forget that flexibility is not just about introducing daily stand-ups and breaking tasks into short sprints. It is fundamentally about learning from experience, adapting, and evolving. Without retrospectives, this does not work. That is precisely why retrospectives are so important. However, even these meetings can either be conducted properly and effectively or simply for the sake of formality (“because it is required”). For this reason, retrospectives are sometimes the subject of not only individual articles but even entire books.

Agile Retrospectives Kickstarter is one such book. Although it was written by a Russian-speaking author, Alexey Krivitsky, it was originally written in English, with the Russian version created later with the help of his colleagues.

The book itself is relatively short, just over 50 pages. The author, a practicing Agile coach, shares his experience in conducting retrospectives. However, he does not do this by providing an extensive set of examples or academic knowledge. Instead, he has compiled experiences from many sources into a highly condensed “retrospective cheat sheet,” offering a collection of possible exercises for conducting effective retrospective meetings. Alexey candidly admits from the outset that he did not invent any of these exercises (or at least does not remember inventing any) and even borrowed the methodology for breaking a meeting into several stages from other coaches. His contribution was to compile all of this into one relatively short guide that can be kept handy and used whenever preparing for a retrospective.

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