Living and dead

Book Cover 2010 (Publishing House "Faculty")

The idea of ​​the world described in the book came to Mikhail Kostin in 2008 - 2009, and he also had several plot pieces. He shared his best practices with Alexei Gravitsky , who, in turn, liked the plot move, and he joined in the work on the book.

Initially, the novel was released by the publishing house Faculty ^[3] in 2010 . After the book was published, the Faculty, together with Nightstreet, organized a city game in Moscow on the theme of the work, “The Living and the Dead. The way of the living ”, which was carried out for a month ^[4] . Alexey Gravitsky noted that the event was very successful, he even took part in it, however, after passing a couple of levels, he felt that running around the city with solving logical problems was too difficult for him personally ^[5] .

In 2012 , the publishing house “ Snow Com M” re-released the first two volumes of the cycle - “The Living and the Dead” and “The Sorcerer 's Apprentice ”, and also published the sequel - “ The Third Force ” ^[6] .

Residents of Vitano are sure that their city is the last bastion of mankind. Thanks to the exorbitant efforts of the ancestors - the great magicians - life was preserved in their world. Mages created a barrier between the world of people and the all-consuming, unknown, but unknown, endless Wasteland. Rumor has it that the Wasteland is inhabited by eerie monsters that will eat up any person they meet along the way. None of the inhabitants and in their thoughts allow the opportunity to cross the magic line. A wise city council takes care of the life of every citizen, providing him with clothes, housing, food and work. In turn, residents pay him their respect and obedience. This lasted many, many years, until one day a young man in a dispute decided to cross the barrier.

Young Vinnie enters the world of the Wasteland, where, indeed, various monsters are found, but it turns out that the monsters on the outside are far from always those on the inside. Winnie aims to return to his hometown and tell everyone that, in fact, the Wasteland is not so dangerous and completely suitable for life. But the city disappeared into the swamp fog, the only chance to find it is to ask for help from local magicians. Vinnie goes in search, but it turns out that some in Vitano do not want the truth to come out. An experienced killer follows in the footsteps of a young man to draw a line between the living and the dead.

• Winnie Lupo is the main character. Seventeen years. Lives with his mother in Vitano. Studying at the Academy. He wants to work in the Ministry of Life Support.
• Petro Zulgir is a man of about thirty with brown eyes. On the face is a mottled, black-red stubble. The skin is earthy, grayish brown in color. Ghoul.
• Derrek Griffo is a tall black-haired man. His skin looks almost transparent and snow-white, his facial features are thin and graceful, like a person’s not only a high circle, but also an innate internal nobility. He looks about thirty-five years old. The figure is trained with strong relief muscles. In the past, he was an instructor in a sports club. He is currently working on the book “Healthy Lifestyle - The Path to Immortality.” Vampire.
• Nana is a fabulously beautiful woman, aged 22-24, with amazingly regular features, huge bottomless eyes, full lips and long hair the color of molten gold. Werewolf.
• Lord Messer - the exiled Lord, a magician, wears a black hoodie, leather gloves and expensive boots. Skeleton.
• A mercenary is a memorable person with a very, oddly enough, unusual appearance - bald, glasses with thick glasses. Search and eliminate professional.

Vitano is the last and only human city in this world. Behind a tall stone wall it is surrounded by a moat with muddy water, and along the border of the moat there is a magical line that protects residents from the invasion of hordes of monsters from the Wasteland. The city itself, due to limited perimeter, continues to grow deep into the earth and up. On the roofs of multi-storey buildings are farms.

The Code of Life is a holy book compiled by the first mages of the Guild. It is a list of strict rules and laws that govern each side of life in Vitano within extremely limited resources.

The guild is the ruling sector, but not directly involved in the public life of the city, its work is focused on the study of magic and sorcery. The main task of the Guild is to find a way to defeat the Wasteland.

The Supreme Council is the authority that administers the city and monitors compliance with the Code of Life. The Council approves new laws, selects trackers, protects the walls of the city and distributes products among the needy citizens. The Council consists of forty people whose posts are inherited. A new member of the Council can be elected only if the departed does not have an heir.

Rangers are the only inhabitants of Vitano who are allowed to go beyond the magic barrier. Due to the fact that this event is considered quite dangerous, the pathfinder must have remarkable abilities. Being a ranger in Vitano is considered a great honor - and out of the hundreds of young applicants who come together on the main square every year, they choose only a few dozen. The lucky ones go through a two-year course of study and training, and then go to the Wasteland.

Economics

The Council and the Guild have built and maintain a functioning system that is best described by the motto: "From each according to his capabilities, to each according to his needs." From the faithful citizen of Vitano, only one thing is needed - so that he clearly, like a machine, fulfills his duties, works qualitatively in the acquired specialty. The Council and the Guild do not require their fellow citizens to become slaves or work to the limit. Nobody asks for anything supernatural from anyone. But nobody is allowed to hack. And if you work in good conscience, then you will have nothing to worry about in life.

The Council and the Guild undertake the distribution of products and goods between residents. As a result of their efforts, the entire population of the city exists at approximately the same average level. Unless the members of the Council themselves live a little better. But nobody knows how magicians live.

Zodi are universal means of exchange (money) commonly used in taverns and taverns.

Wasteland is an island on which all garbage and waste of magical production, unnecessary things, all kinds of dangerous artifacts, as well as creatures created with the help of magic and unsuccessful scientific and magical experiments are brought.

Main population

• People are ordinary people. They prefer to live mainly in the city of Lupa Nopa.
• Ghouls are bloodless, slowly decaying living dead.
• Wolkolaki - werewolves, capable of turning into huge wolves under certain circumstances.
• Skeletons - living things, which are a set of body bones.
• Vampires are blood-sucking humanoid creatures.
• Mages - any creatures - living or nonliving, - possessing magical abilities.

Major Settlements

• Buna Nona is a small village. It is located in close proximity to the swamp where the city of Vitano is hidden. The settlement has an inn, a market.
• Lupa Nopa is a large port city of people. The road from Lupa Nopa to Vitano takes about three days on horseback and more than five days on foot. The city has a water connection with the mainland. The city has many shops, taverns, hotels, educational institutions, squares, markets, etc.

Attractions

• Abandoned railway with a steam locomotive.
• “Theater of the Moon” is a theater in which all actors are volkolaki.

Basic laws

• The undead who want to live in the city of Lupa Nopa must have an official guarantor - a living person.
• A living person is inviolable, anyone who encroaches on his life will be convicted and imprisoned or exiled to the neighboring small island of the Crypt.
• Magic is prohibited, anyone who is seen using magic will also be convicted and imprisoned or exiled to the neighboring small island of the Crypt.

The mainland is a world of big cities, technological progress and civilized magic.

• The idea of ​​the world described in the first book, Living and Dead, Mikhail Kostin saw in a dream ^[5] .
• Initially, Living and Dead was conceived simply as a separate novel ^[5] .
• Professional dubbing of the novel started on 04/19/2016 on the site " Bukinin's Dream " ^[7] .

• Kostin M., Gravitsky A.A. The Living and the Dead . - M .: Faculty, 2010 .-- 416 p. - (Living and Dead). - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-904358-09-9 .
• Kostin M., Gravitsky A.A. The Living and the Dead . - M .: Snezhny Kom M, 2012 .-- 304 s. - (Living and Dead). - 2000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-904919-46-7 .

• Review in the magazine "Colorful" .
• Review in the magazine "Fantasy World" .