Viktor Pelevin's prose became an expression of the doubts and fears of the generation of the 1990s, who tried to formulate and build new life strategies on the ruins of a collapsed empire. Despite many years of reading success, Pelevin’s texts did not become the subject of serious literary reflection for a long time. Sophia Haga's book aims to fill this gap; The author focuses on the philosophical problem of freedom in the context of the writer’s artistic worldview. How did Pelevin move from deconstructing Soviet ideology to criticizing today's global reality? What dangers does the writer see in accelerated technological development? Why, in his opinion, is the concept of freedom radically distorted in modern society? The author seeks answers to these questions, offering a close reading of the unique socio-metaphysical fantasy created by Pelevin. Sofia Khagi is a professor of Russian literature in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).