“Knowledge is power, and like any power, it can be used in different ways.” This is the main idea of the novel “Knowing”. The idea runs through the entire work, it is well expressed and implemented. This is a novel about the fate of the intelligentsia in general and scientists in particular. The problems raised in the novel are the most real, but they are presented through the grotesque prism of the original fantastic assumption. The conflict between the disinterested desire for knowledge and the thirst to unprincipledly use everything and everyone exclusively for one’s own benefit is presented through satire and farce, sarcasm and sad irony. The events taking place in the novel are painfully reminiscent of our current reality - despite the fact that the novel was written much earlier than this reality acquired such ugly features. So to some extent the novel can be called prophetic. In general, if you are interested in contemporary social fiction, grotesque and satire, this book is for you.G. L. Oldie.