The political novel is a special genre, seemingly “borderline” between realism and phantasmagoria. It seems that it is no coincidence that works that gravitate toward this genre (for the actual genre boundaries are very vague and practically never occur in a “template” form) usually turn out to be dystopias or gloomy forecasts, or they sin with excessive journalisticism, behind which the artistic component is lost. Due to the exotic nature of this genre, it is probably not represented in Russian literature by many novels. Small forms, even stories, are inappropriate here. Savva Dangulov and Yulian Semenov worked in this genre in the Soviet past, and today, with many stretches, a number of novels by Yulia Latynina and Viktor Suvorov, plus several lesser-known names and books, can be attributed to it. titles. Unlike other “niches” of Russian literature, there are still vacant places for novelists. However, becoming an author of political novels is objectively difficult - at a minimum, this role implies not a casual, but a close acquaintance with the underside of that huge and motley whole that the uninitiated call “big politics”... Prose writer and publicist Valery Kazakov is just one of these people. Behind him is a military-journalistic career, Afghanistan and more than 10 years of public service in structures, the very names of which cause a cautious chill between the shoulder blades: the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, assistant to the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Siberian Federal District. Throughout his service, Valery Kazakov was engaged not only in government affairs, but also literary creativity. His result is logical - he is the author of seven prose and journalistic books, a collection of poems and several cycles of short stories. And now the Vagrius Plus publishing house has presented readers with a new novel by Valery Kazakov, “Shadow of the Goblin.” This book can be called a duology, since it consists of two completely independent parts, united by a common main character: “Mezhlizen” and “Shadow of the Goblin.” The abrupt, as if torn, ending of the second “book within a book” gives a hint at the continuation of the story, the essence of which in the annotation is expressed as follows: “... the complex and sometimes cruel world of modern men. This is a world of worries and betrayal, a world of loneliness and prayer, a world of bureaucratic intrigues and simple human weaknesses...” It is clear that this is not just any kind of “modern men”, but the very color that is nations, people invested with high powers due to the exorbitant positions in which they found themselves, some by their own ardent desire, some by a coincidence of favorable circumstances, some by a long path consisting of intrigue, trial and error... It is an axiom that in fact At the top, nothing human is alien to people. But the human factor intrudes into big politics, and the consequences of this are unpredictable... This is the main leitmotif of any political novel, not just those written by Valery Kazakov. Unless we are talking about a work of art that allows us to make assumptions. If you completely reject the author’s fantasies, you will be left with a dry historical research or a memorandum about the prospects of some event with the stamp “Top Secret” and an access code for those who personifies the state... Valery Kazakov successfully dealt with the assumptions, turning political games into a fascinating novel. True, in the same field there is also the only nuance that can be reproached by the author... It seemed to me, as a reader, that Valery Kazakov did some harm to his novel by prefacing it with the sacramental phrase: “All the characters and events described in the novel are fictitious, and the coincidences of names and surnames are accidental and are a figment of the author’s imagination.” It is clear that this postscript is necessary for the personal safety of the writer, whose imagination soars at a height that is painful to look at... If it was present, if some of the readers thought the coincidences of the names of the characters, names of structures and geographical points were too transparent - it just seemed like it! The exception, however, is the main character, whose name rather evokes an allusion to the times of Ivan the Terrible: Malyuta Skurash. And who, like the main character of the works of most historical novelists, according to the balance of power set by the father of the historical genre, Walter Scott, is between several warring camps and is wondering how he can save not only his career, but also life itself... For in big politics it is uncomfortable, like on a tightrope over an abyss. Moreover, the ominous shadow of a goblin adds darkness to what is happening - a certain force of evil, which gives the name to the novel, is not present in the foreground, as befits negative infernity, but the darkness it exudes permeates everything around. However, if not for the warning about the fantasy of what is happening in novel, its power of influence on the reader, and on the ruling stratum could have been more lethal. Because then the meaning of the book “Shadow of the Goblin” would be - there is no need to consider the people as a stupid mass, all political games have been deciphered, all the intrigues at the top are clear. We know in what ways you achieve your places, your power, your significance! We know that each of you has “Koshcheev’s Death” in an egg shell... Nothing stronger than the artistic power of truth has been invented in literature. And if you extract this moment, you will be left with a very dark phantasmagoria that is very typical of Russian relevance and very dark. And we need to look for other keys to understanding and comprehending purely reading pleasure. Let's say, the belief that the current difficult times will pass, and the methods of political technology will change for the better, or even become unnecessary - after all, there is no more darkness more perfect than the darkness before the dawn. It’s not for nothing that the last phrase of the novel begins very beautifully: “Time, flying into the abyss, slowed down its fall and became alert in anticipation of change...” And we are still, as bequeathed to all living, waiting for change. Elena SAFRONOVA