Shock for readers of the 70s. was the publication (even in a version distorted by censorship) of I. A. Efremov’s novel “The Hour of the Bull.” This novel appeared 10 years after “The Andromeda Nebula” and was a kind of dystopian warning about the real danger of the “other path” of civilization from today to tomorrow. This time, the “post-communist” Earth is just an alternative background for the story about the terrible fate of the planet Tormans. Tormans is a planet of an evolutionary dead end, into which civilization has reached, having violated the basic law of evolution - the parallelism and interdependence of scientific, technical and moral progress. Having followed the path of technological progress, the rulers of the planet soon lost control over the social, ethical, and environmental situation. The dehumanized mind has become give birth to monsters - this is how the world of INFERNO (continuous and endless, hopeless suffering) arose. The final idea of the novel is that the fall of civilization is determined primarily by its obsolescence, emotional and spiritual impoverishment, turned out to be too “dangerous” for its time: 5 days after Efremov’s death, a thirteen-hour search took place in his apartment for “harmful ideological literature” , they took away all the drafts, even the suicide letters to his wife, Efremov’s name was forgotten for 18 years, and the “disgraced” novel was banned from publication.

The novels “The Razor’s Edge” (1963) stand somewhat apart from Efremov’s work. dedicated to the mysteries of the human psyche and the laws that drive the development of the human personality - and “Thais of Athens” (1972) - written in the name of the immortal art and its female inspiration. Both works are a unique set of philosophical, social, aesthetic views of the author, presented in a fascinating adventure form; in both cases, the focus of the author’s attention is the noosphere of human consciousness and the image of a whole, harmonious person.

Both the talent and personality of I. A. Efremov were unique. Penetration into the deep patterns of development of nature and society gives the bearers of such intelligence the phenomenon of premonition and foresight. To this should be added the gift of a futurologist. It is well known that a diamond deposit in Yakutia was found exactly where the action of the story “The Diamond Pipe” took place. A mercury deposit predicted in the “Lake of Mountain Spirits” was discovered in Altai. Efremov's fantasy has become reality, when the Kapova Cave with ancient drawings of African animals was found in Bashkiria. The inventor of holography, Yu. I. Denisyuk, emphasized that he got the idea for his discovery from the story “The Shadow of the Past.”

The last period of Efremov’s life and work turned out to be very difficult for him - his novels required a lot of work, his health deteriorated catastrophically. Many plans remained unfinished. They were conceived and “carried out”: a story about Rus' in the 13th century. “Children of Dew”, the novel “The Chalice of Poison”, the story of the battle of the battleship “Retvizan” with the Japanese squadron, the autobiographical story “The Last Prongs”. Contents: 1. Andromeda Nebula2. Hour of the Ox3. Heart of the Snake4. Starships5. Razor blade6. Thais of Athens7. Great Arc