The first book by the famous St. Petersburg critic includes articles and essays devoted to Russian science fiction of the last Soviet decade. The 80s were a time of crisis for traditional “Soviet SF” and the time of the formation of “fourth wave” science fiction. The work of the Strugatsky brothers, Vyacheslav Rybakov, Andrei Stolyarov, Andrei Lazarchuk, Mikhail Weller, Boris Stern and other writers is considered by the author of the book in the context of specific political events and changes that took place in our society on the eve of the collapse of the USSR. A significant part of the materials included in the collection is published for the first time.