Andrei Belyanin

Andrei Belyanin in 2009

Andrei Belyanin (born in 1967) is a Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy writer. Most of his novels are known for humor and parody. Oftentimes, the novels involve Time Travel and feature a hearty dose of Anachronism Stew. The author is also quick to subvert the typical fantasy notions of Light and Dark, pointing out that Light Is Not Good and Dark Is Not Evil. Belyanin is also known for translating certain foreign works into Russian.

A tragedy struck the author in 2004, when his son was kidnapped for ransom. While the culprits were arrested a few days later, Belyanin's son was killed the day of the kidnapping. Despite this, the author continues to write in his usual style.

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Works written by Andrei Belyanin include:

• Sword with No Name (1997-98). Belyanin's most popular series involving a modern-day man finding himself in a Medieval European Fantasy.
  • Sword with No Name has a man go to a Renaissance fair in a Medieval castle and, while looking for the bathroom, ends up in a magical kingdom ruled by an Evil Sorcerer from his floating city. Suddenly, the plastic fake sword in his hands is no longer a fake (nor made of plastic), but the legendary Sword with No Name, and he is the long-awaited Landgrave Skiminok, destined to free the kingdom from the usurper.
  • The Furious Landgrave brings the protagonist back to the kingdom (which exists in Narnia Time) to defeat the son of the sorcerer he defeated the first time around.
  • The Age of Saint Skiminok finishes off the hero's adventures by having him once again return to the "past". This time, however, It's Personal, as Lucifer has kidnapped his son.

• Jack the Mad King (1999). No Time Travel in this series, but still plenty of deliberate anachronism.
  • Jack the Mad King is the nickname given to an amnesiac of clearly royal blood (a mosquito who dares to drink his blood gets immediately squashed by a pinecone), who one day shows up on the doorstep of an old wizard. The wizard and his apprentice decide to follow the "Mad King" on a quest to rediscover his identity. On the way, they meet a knight's daughter, who decides to join them. All through their journey, they are constantly in danger from the Queen's assassins, which only serves to drive them towards the truth.
  • Jack and the Mystery of the Ancient Castle has the protagonist and his companions find a strange castle whose female ruler is behaving very oddly.
  • Jack in the East has the group travel to an Arabian Nights Days setting in order to find the sultan's missing daughter.

• Tsar Gorokh's Detective Agency (1999-2009). The author's longest-running series, involving a young Russian policeman finding himself in a mix of Medieval European Fantasy and Russian Mythology and Tales.
  • Tsar Gorokh's Detective Agency. Mladshiy Leytenant (Third Lieutenant) Nikita Ivashov is a modern-day rookie cop, whose training has not prepared him for being trapped in a fairy tale tsardom ruled by the benevolent but strict Tsar Gorokh. After finding out who the new arrival is, the tsar quickly persuades the young cop to open a detective agency of sorts. Choosing Baba Yaga's home as his headquarters and the reformed Baba Yaga herself as a forensics and magic specialist (and an incredible cook), Ivashov sets out to keep the tsardom safe using modern-day methods. He is also given an assistant - a simple-minded but good-hearted country boy named Mit'ka (mostly used for manual labor thanks to his amazing strength) and a squad of the Tsar's personal streltsy (city guards) to help apprehend suspects. The first case starts out as a simple case of thievery: a stolen ring and a missing chest of gold. It quickly unravels into a conspiracy to take over the tsardom.
  • The Plot of the Black Mass sees the arrival of a German ambassador with a Catholic priest to the capital, which coincides with a series of minor crimes. Naturally, the investigation reveals a plot to summon a demon to upset the delicate Balance Between Good and Evil that exists in the tsardom.
  • The Flying Ship. Mladshiy Leytenant Ivashov is investigating the murder of the Tsar's mistress and the theft of the royal blueprints for a flying ship. Realizing that this invention could upset the balance of power and spell an end for the tsardom, the detectives are in a mad rush to solve both crimes, which are likely related. Along the way, Ivashov meets and becomes attracted to a young woman who appears to be involved in the case.
  • Bride Elimination. The Tsar's palace is overrun with princesses from all over the world, as Gorokh has finally decided to get married. Then a princess ends up comatose... then another. It's up to the detectives to find out who's responsible and why before an international scandal breaks out, which could lead to war.
  • The Case of the Sober Buffoons. A travelling circus is in town. Simultaneously, girls begin to turn up missing. All clues point to the show. Meanwhile, to Ivashov's amazement, a caped hero in tights shows up to, seemingly, clean up the tsardom.
  • Detectives on Vacation. After the last case, the Tsar sends the detectives to the countryside to rest up. Then strange persons begin to show up, which may be working for the greatest criminal mastermind in all the land - Koschei the Deathless.
  • To Marry and Neutralize. The detectives finally return home after their vacation, only to encounter new problems in the capital: the Tsar has turned Japanese, Ivashov's bride-to-be will arrive any minute, and a new threat to take over the tsardom has taken root.

• My Wife Is a Witch (1999-2001). Another popular series, in which the protagonist is a young poet named Sergey who discovers that his Hot Librarian wife comes from a long line of witches.
  • My Wife Is a Witch. While at first, the protagonist is seemingly ok with his wife disappearing every month into another world where she turns into a wolf and runs with her pack, he later finds some wolf hair from her and burns it. She vanishes. He then meets his personal angel and devil, who accompany him on a journey through magical worlds in search of his wife. In these worlds, he finds that his mediocre poetry suddenly has magical powers.
  • The Little Sister from Hell. Sergey's wife's cousin comes to visit and appears to be obsessed with Sailor Moon. She even cosplays as the titular character and prefers to be called "Bunny". One day, she touches his wife's amulet and disappears. Sergey, his wife, and his angel-and-devil team once again have to travel through the magical worlds to find the girl. Apparently, the girl has somehow obtained the powers of her favorite heroine and seeks to destroy evil in all the worlds. The problem? Dark Is Not Evil. A Friendly Neighborhood Vampire does not deserve to die simply because he's not human. Realizing that someone is pulling the girl's strings, the heroes continue on their journey for the answer.

• The Thief of Baghdad (2002-2006). The twist in this duology is the Framing Device. Apparently, this is a story told to the author by a good friend of his. Naturally, this means the protagonist's fate is a Foregone Conclusion; otherwise, he wouldn't be there to tell the tale.
  • The Thief of Baghdad. A modern-day Russian man is magically transported to Baghdad in Arabian Nights Days by a Literal Genie, following the wishes of an old poet and thief named Omar Khayyám. Thanks to the spell, the protagonist has Laser-Guided Amnesia. Omar's goal is to train a young man in the art of thievery in order to shame the Emir of Baghdad, who has enacted draconian measures for rooting out thievery in his glorious city. His adventures take him through the streets of Baghdad, the endless dunes of the desert, the Emir's harem (naturally), and even aboard a flying saucer (because... why not?). Along the way, he befriends a man named Nasreddin, who joins the protagonist on his quest.
  • The Shamer of Shaitan. The Thief of Baghdad returns to Arabia to continue his adventures. Unlike the first time, he has his full memories now. This time, his enemy is no mere mortal but Shaitan himself.

• Professional Werewolf (2002-2009). Co-authored by Galina Chornaya. The protagonist is a young female college student (who also appears to be Muslim, but that almost never gets mentioned), who, while walking home alone from class at night, gets attacked and bitten by a werewolf. She then meets a time-traveling duo of agents from the future: a young man and a talking cat (naturally, the smarter of the two). Realizing that she will irreversibly turn by the next full moon, they offer her to temporarily join them on their mission to travel through time and fight evil forces, while looking for the cure to her condition.
  • Professional Werewolf
  • Werewolves' Vacation
  • Werewolves' Chronicles
  • The Return of the Werewolves
  • Werewolves' Stories

• Cossack (2005-2008). A modern-day man re-enacting his Cossack heritage is hit by a car. At the same time, a female soldier is killed in Israel by a suicide bomber. Both find themselves in what appears, at first glance, to be Heaven (although the "Cossack" is a little dismayed to see a Jew in "his" Heaven). Naturally, Heaven turns out to be different than they were taught.
  • Cossack in Heaven
  • Cossack in Hell

• Aargh (2007).
  • Aargh
  • Aargh in the Elf-Nursery
  • Aargh on the Throne

• The Redheaded Knight (2000). The author's typical Time Travel theme is inverted in this novel. Instead of a modern-day person ending up in the past, an English Crusader is sent by an evil spell to modern-day Russia. He meets a teenage girl, who, at first, thinks he's an obsessed re-enactor. That is, until monsters start attacking them. The two of them, joined by the girl's gay best friend, embark on a journey to get the knight home and put an end to an evil kingdom that was trapped in time centuries ago by the forces of good. They will travel through centuries to the past and the future, unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy spelling an end to the kingdom.

• Taste of the Vampire (2003). Dan Titovsky is not your typical vampire. He is an avant-garde artist in modern-day Russia who feeds on emotions, not blood, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts. His long-time attachment is a Shadowless Clan vamp named Sabrina von Strastenberg. However, Sabrina may be the target of someone who doesn't particularly care for vampires, belonging to the secret Hound Order.

• The Hunt for the Hussar (2004). Description coming soon.