Tag: I-recommend

Book: Alexey Pehov “Wind and Sparks”

No comments

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.

Read more

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

No comments

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.

Read more

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

3 comments

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.

Read more

Book: Alexey Pehov “The Chronicles of Siala”

1 comment

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:

Read more

Book: Roman Papsuev “Marvelous Wonder” (Volumes 1 and 2)

1 comment

I’ve been following Roman Papsuev’s wonderful world of “Old Rus’” almost since the first illustrations appeared, back when it wasn’t even a world yet—just the artist’s fresh take on well-known characters from Slavic folklore. I wrote more about this project earlier this year when I discussed the book “Tales of Old Rus’. Origins.”

By that time, however, Roman had already drawn, written, and released two additional volumes under the collective title “Marvelous Wonder” (Divo Chudnoye). I purchased both in mid-summer, devoured the first volume over a couple of evenings in July, and left the second one lying around, waiting for its time, all the way until September.

These are still art books, where the illustrations and high-quality printing are incredibly important. However, “Marvelous Wonder” already has some distinctions from the earlier books.

The very first volume, “Tales of Old Rus’. The Beginning”, was a pure art book, almost devoid of text. The second book, “Tales of Old Rus’. Origins”, as I mentioned earlier, reused many of the same illustrations, but Roman took the time to describe in detail how he created his characters, pointing out numerous details that one might easily overlook during a casual viewing. In this book, he also began to expand on the world in which his characters live. This turned out to be significantly more engaging than simply looking at the pictures.

Read more

Book: Patrick Lencioni “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”

3 comments

I’ve already written about Patrick Lencioni and my introduction to his books two years ago, so there’s no need to repeat myself. In that same review, I mentioned that the first book of his I read was the bestseller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, written in his favorite genre—a business novel. To briefly remind you what that genre is: the book is presented as a work of fiction, but it addresses a specific business problem, and throughout the narrative, it shows how the fictional characters solve that problem. At the end, the author usually summarizes the key points in a more straightforward, business-like manner.

Recently, during a discussion, I found myself referring to several of Patrick’s ideas from this book. I decided to open it again to find the exact quotes, and the book immediately pulled me in. I read it over just two or three evenings before bed, even though I was already familiar with the content. However, I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the concepts, applying them to my own experience and the realities of several of my clients (as I now work as a management and process consultant). I think I may have appreciated the book even more this time than when I first read it.

Read more

Book: Sid Meier “Sid Meier’s Memoir! A Life in Computer Games”

No comments

In the video game industry, there are trendsetters, visionaries like Steve Jobs, and other legends. And then there are the gods. I’m not afraid of this comparison—Sid Meier can be counted among the gods of game development. Because it’s impossible not to know him, and his creations have forever changed the industry, setting the course for a significant number of genres and franchises. Even players who may not recognize his name almost certainly know at least one of his games, and that game is Civilization.

There are people whose names became their calling cards. Their games were bought without question, their name alone enough of a guarantee, because they had already created masterpieces in the past. But I can’t readily recall anyone else whose name was consistently placed directly in the titles of their games. With Sid Meier, this happened multiple times, starting with that very Civilization, officially titled Sid Meier’s Civilization (though the idea of adding his name to the titles didn’t actually come from Sid Meier himself).

Why can he be called a god? Precisely because, with resources modest by today’s standards, he managed to create an entire world with its own nations, a world that grew and evolved according to the rules set by its creator. He made his own Earth, where every player could also feel a bit like a god, guiding their chosen group of people from the dawn of time to the era of space exploration (in the original game, humanity’s journey to Alpha Centauri was one of the possible endings).

Read more

Slot: Slot feat. Neuromonach Feofan “Ancient Russian Soul”

No comments

The Russian-speaking audience is likely familiar with the band Neuromonakh Feofan (literally meaning “Neuromonk Theophanes”), but I doubt it is well-known outside those circles. A few years ago, it became a phenomenon—a mysterious performer embodying the image of an old Russian schemamonk, singing in a style that resembles traditional ancient Russian folk music (or at least what we recognize as such, inspired by Russian fairy-tale movies) but with a modern twist.

The song I want to share today is a collaboration between two bands: Neuromonakh Feofan and Slot. Its title in English is “Ancient Russian Soul”. The track combines Neuromonakh’s traditional style with elements of techno dance music. I believe it could be intriguing for non-Russian listeners to hear at least once. For me, it was a very impressive discovery. Unfortunately, there is no official video for this song. Below, I’ve included a concert video and the Spotify version of the song. I hope you enjoy it!

Book: Peter Thiel “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future”

No comments

Peter Thiel is the founder of PayPal, who later merged with Elon Musk, and together they created a unique solution for the payment market, supporting the growing eBay at the time. Later, as an investor, he backed a relatively young Facebook. In short, he has plenty to be proud of. But beyond pride, he decided to share his knowledge and views on business and startups with students at Stanford University. His lectures gained widespread popularity, partly thanks to the efforts of student Blake Masters, who recorded them in detail. Masters’ notes took on a life of their own, spreading far beyond the university. After some time, Peter Thiel decided to turn Masters’ notes into a book (hence, Masters is credited on the cover as a co-author).

The core idea of the work is to create businesses that bring something entirely new, rather than simply copying or slightly improving existing concepts. The reasoning is that existing ideas can only be improved to a certain extent, whereas new ones offer entirely unprecedented opportunities. Thiel supports this idea by sharing his views on what a startup team should look like, what they should focus on, and more.

To jump ahead slightly, I didn’t initially expect the book to offer groundbreaking insights, but it turned out to be less of an instructional guide and more of a stimulus for reflection on the examples provided and the questions posed by the author. Peter Thiel doesn’t try to teach; instead, he shares his perspective on building businesses, the ways in which the educational system and ingrained American beliefs help or hinder this process, and he poses very interesting questions that have no definitive answers:

This book is about the questions you must ask and answer to succeed in the business of doing new things: what follows is not a manual or a record of knowledge but an exercise in thinking. Because that is what a startup has to do: question received ideas and rethink business from scratch.

In this form, the book became not only interesting but also useful for me. I definitely recommend it to anyone involved in business and the creation of unique products in one way or another. But let’s talk in a bit more detail about the points Peter Thiel emphasizes in his book.

Read more

Book: Fredrik Backman “Britt-Marie Was Here”

No comments

As I mentioned earlier, Fredrik Backman is a writer whose books need time to leave an aftertaste. Therefore, no matter how much I enjoy the books I’ve already read, I’ve made it a rule to give myself a break before starting a new one, even if they are interconnected.

Britt-Marie Was Here is exactly that kind of book. It tells the story of one of the characters from the novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. The events of the new novel begin almost immediately after those of the previous one, although they are mostly unrelated. This is expected, as Britt-Marie is a secondary character in the first book—one you cannot forget because of her obsession with order and extreme meticulousness about every little detail. She is perceived by everyone as a “pain in the neck,” someone who is not just difficult to negotiate with but even hard to talk to.

Partly because of this character trait, I took such a long pause between the two books. I simply couldn’t convince myself that the story of this woman would interest me. Especially since my wife told me that she liked this book significantly less than A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother… But it’s always important to form your own opinion.

Read more