Almost certainly today in Turkmenistan this novel would be read the same way as in 1961 in the USSR - “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.” It is unlikely that anyone would put it aside even for the night. Only the residents of Turkmenistan are not given such an opportunity - although the novel is written in the Turkmen language. Yes, the country now has a different president, yes, the most odious monument to Turkmenbashi has been dismantled, but Saparmurat Niyazov is still revered as a national hero, and people still prefer not to talk about his atrocities. And the author of the novel, Tirkish Dzhumageldiev, is one of the most notable Turkmen writers - according to - still remains unpublished and not allowed to travel abroad. The novel “The Energy of Fear, or the Head of a Yellow Cat” was written not according to “living traces”, but directly under the heel of the tyrant, at a time when the very thought that he and his regime would no longer exist could be equated to a state crime. What could the truth about what is happening be equated to? It's scary to think about. If this is not a feat of a writer, what then is a feat?