Nick Perumov


Nick Perumov is the pen name of Nikolay Daniilovich Perumov, a Russian microbiologist, as well as a fantasy and science fiction writer.

Biography

Perumov was born 21 November 1963 in Leningrad, USSR. His father, Daniil Alexandrovich Perumov, was a biologist. Nikolai began writing short stories when he was a teenager, and after reading The Lord of the Rings in the early 1980s, he became a fantasy fan. After studying at the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, Perumov worked at a research institute, and later as a translator.
In 1985–1991 he wrote his first fantasy novel Нисхождение тьмы, which consisted of two volumes: Эльфийский Клинок and Черное Копье. The book was set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, 300 years after the War of the Ring. Perumov initially regarded his novel as just a Tolkien fan fiction written for friends, until one of his colleagues offered to publish it. In 1993 the duology, re-edited and renamed Кольцо Тьмы was published by Severo-Zapad, which paid Perumov a small sum of $300. The Ring of Darkness was a surprising success, both with readers and with critics. It sold at least 100,000 copies, and spurred Perumov's popularity. The book provoked a controversy in Tolkien fandom; some fans considered it was not fair to set the book in Middle-earth rather than Perumov's own setting, and to challenge Tolkien's philosophy of "Good against Evil" in it. The Ring of Darkness, however, was one of a number of such projects, as several other 1990s Russian writers, including Natalia "Niennah" Vasilyeva and Kirill Yeskov, went on to publish unauthorized Middle-earth books that challenged Tolkien far more sharply.
After the success of his debut, Perumov decided to start a career as a professional writer. He wrote the novel Гибель Богов, heavily inspired by Norse mythology. It was the first book to be set in Упорядоченное , a multiverse of many connected worlds. The Consistent became the main setting of his following books, including the most known, 8-volume series Хранитель Мечей.
Over 4 million copies of Perumov's books have been published, and his work has been translated into many languages, mostly in Northern and Eastern Europe. One of his books, Godsdoom, has been translated to English by Liv Bliss. At Eurocon 2004 he was given an award as the "Best Science Fiction Writer in Europe". He is a friend of Vera Kamsha, whom he persuaded to start a career as a writer. In the 2000s Kamsha became a popular fantasy writer. Perumov enjoys Melnitsa music and wrote a cameo appearance for the band in one of his books.
During the 1998 Russian financial crisis, Perumov moved to the United States, where he works for North Carolina Research Campus as a microbiologist. He claims writing is his 'hobby', while science is his job.

Series and other works

Middle-earth

Кольцо Тьмы
This fantasy novel takes place in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, 300 years after the War of the Ring. The books tell the story of hobbit Folko Brandybuck, the heir of Meriadoc, and his two dwarven friends, who are trying to protect Middle-earth from a new danger: powerful Olmer, the leader of the Eastern nations, who is gathering the remainder of the nine Nazgûl's Rings of Power. The original duology was later followed with the third book, Адамант Хенны. Judging by authors plans two more books of this series should come to the light.
  1. Эльфийский Клинок
  2. Черное Копье
  3. Адамант Хенны
  4. Небо Валинора
  5. Водопад

    Norse mythology

Хроники Хьерварда
Initially it was a three-volume series of non-connected novels telling the different parts of Hjorward world history, including the rebellion of Hedin and Rakot against the Young Gods, the main event of Consistent history. It is continued by some spin-offs and series of Godsdoom 2.
  1. Гибель Богов
  2. Воин Великой Тьмы
  3. Земля Без Радости
  4. Раб Неназываемого
  5. 1000 Лет Хрофта
  6. Белая Кровь Рассвета
Хранитель Мечей
Also known as 'Chronicles of The Rift' or 'Series of Mage', this eight-volume series tells the story of Fess the necromancer, who keeps the secret of magical Diamond and Wooden swords. Fess was caught in the 'closed' world of Evial, and suffers the pressure of local inquisition.
  1. Алмазный Меч, Деревянный Меч
  2. Рождение Мага
  3. Странств Мага
  4. Одиночество Мага
  5. Война Мага: Дебют
  6. Война Мага: Миттельшпиль
  7. Война Мага: Эндшпиль
  8. Война Мага: Конец Игры
Short novels connected:
  • Дочь Некроманта
  • Вернуть Посох
  • Эльфийская Стража, или Лемех и Борозда
Гибель Богов 2
A finale to the whole Consistent universe.
Apparently it is yet to be finished.
  • Гибель Богов 2: Память пламени
  • Гибель Богов 2: Удерживая небо
  • Гибель Богов 2: Пепел Асгарда
  • Гибель Богов 2: Асгард Возрождённый
  • Гибель Богов 2: Хедин, враг мой

    Science fiction and other stories

Империя Превыше Всего
This science fiction duology tells about a distant future in which the "German nation" became the human hegemon in the Galaxy, namely through abandoning its Nazi ideology in favour of a multicultural "Empire Above All" nationalism. The book centers on the quest of Ruslan Fateev to attain independence for his homeworld of New Crimea, the sole Russian-speaking corner of the Empire. All this is set in an atmosphere of uprisings of a federation of colony worlds against the Empire and the invasion of human planets by mysterious alien creatures named "Biomorphs".
  1. Череп на Рукаве
  2. Череп в Небесах
Техномагия
  1. Разрешенное Волшебство
  2. Враг Неведом
  3. Зона Магов
Семь зверей Райлега
  1. Тёрн
  2. Алиедора
  3. Имя Зверя:Взглянуть в бездну
  4. Имя Зверя:Исход Дракона
Я, Всеслав
  1. Русский Меч
  2. Выпарь Железо из Крови
  3. Пес Всеслава
  4. Случай под Кубинкой
  5. Эльф с Края Света
  6. Богатырская Застава
Out of Series
  • Специалист по безопасности
  • Миссия Мессии
  • Кормовые - Пли!
  • Суд
  • 41
  • Крепость Этенгарда
  • ... Погибнуть не представлялось возможным
  • Сказочка
Co-authored works
  • Чёрная Кровь with Svyatoslav Loginov
  • Не Время Для Драконов with Sergey Lukyanenko.
  • Армагеддон with Allan Cole.
  • Посредник with Polina Kaminskaya.
  • Похитители Душ with Polina Kaminskaya.
  • Один на Один with Polina Kaminskaya.
  • Млава красная with Vera Kamsha.
  • Черная Метель with Vera Kamsha.
  • Верное Слово with Darja Zarubina.
Story collections
  • Испытано на себе
  • Волчье поле
  • Воевода и Ночь
  • Молли из Норд-Йорка
Трилогия о Молли Блэкуотер
  • Молли Блэкуотер. За краем мира
  • Сталь, пар и магия