In Natalia Lazareva’s “scientific novels”, fantastic events burst into seemingly ordinary life. Conventional computing technology is unexpectedly replaced by mysterious corporations working on ligocrystals, the origin of which is shrouded in mystery (“Leaves of Copper”). Trying to uncover a complex code hidden in ancient documents, engineers stumble upon signs of the presence of another civilization... Two students of the Ligotechnical College begin to have their peers disappear without a trace (“To Strive to the Limit”), and then they themselves find themselves in a strange and scary world of edges, similar to Dante’s "Hell." Wits, knowledge and loyalty help friends return home. But did they return to where they left?.. Both works are included in the cycle “Tales of Temporary Surfaces” by Natalia Lazareva.