Creation of the glorious dream could not have existed for long among the mighty and savage kings or army leaders, or priests of false faith, greed and deception.
The tiny island of the budding new morality in the sea of ignorance, Uranopolis, was soon wiped from the face of Gaea by a horde of experienced conquerors.
The two friends vanished along with the city. Did they manage to escape enslavement, sailing to other, still peaceful isles? Or did they give themselves to Thetis, pursued by invading soldiers? Did Eris send her Thais to the underworld with the firm hand of a black priestess and follow her immediately? One could invent any ending to correspond to his own dream. One thing is certain: neither Thais nor Eris became slaves of those who destroyed Uranopolis and ended their good service to people.
About the Author
Ivan Yefremov (1908–1972) was a Soviet writer and paleontologist. In addition to introducing a new paleontological field taphonomy — the study of fossilization patterns, Yefremov has written a series of novels and short stories, including science fiction, historic fiction, adventure and drama.
Yefremov is frequently ridiculed for his enthusiasm and faith in the viability of a communist society, as described in his best known science fiction novel Andromeda Nebula. It is not widely known that his more mature works such as Hour of the Bull and Razor Blade, had the writer blacklisted by Stalin’s administration, as Yefremov’s interpretation of a fair and balanced society deviated sharply from the government propaganda of the time.
To Yefremov’s fan he is known for his thorough scientific analysis, study of art and history, emphasis on physical and intellectual balance and strong female characters.
About the Translator
Maria K. is a pen name of Maria Igorevna Kuroshchepova — a first-generation Russian-Ukrainian immigrant. An engineer by education, an analyst by trade, as well as a writer, photographer, artist and amateur model, Maria brings her talent for weaving an engaging narrative to stories of life, fashion and style advice, book and movie reviews, and common-sense and to-the-point essays on politics and economy.
Acknowledgments
Huge thanks to my husband Gerry Seymour who had to put up with months of questions like, “Where in the world is Harmonia?!” and “Any idea where I might find a picture of a battle elephant?”
I bow before my incredible editor Genevieve Graham-Sawchyn, who took upon herself to untangle the grammatical mess that is an enormous work of literature written by a Russian and translated by another (albeit bi-lingual) Russian.
I am grateful to my sisters and brothers in writing for providing feedback on the illustrations and unedited snippets from the book I shared with them, and for cheering me on all the way.