Writer and journalist Andrei Efimovich Zarin (1863–1929) was born in the German colony near St. Petersburg. Graduated from the Vilna Real School. In 1888 he began literary and journalistic activities. As editor of Modern Life, in 1906 he was sentenced to imprisonment in a fortress for a year and a half. He is the author of many fascinating and exciting books, including Sweepstakes, Dried Flowers, Satan's Gift, The Living Dead, Losing Honor, A Dark Affair, and several historical novels (Bloody Feast, “Dual power”, “At the breaking point”) and a number of books for young people. In 1922, he acted as a screenwriter for the film “The Miracle Worker.” The novel “Dual Power,” presented in this volume, tells the story of the years of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.