Master of the Void is a novel by Russian science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 writer Alexander Gromov

Alexander Gromov

Alexander Nikolayevich Gromov is a Russian science fiction writer, who began writing in 1986 and was first published in the early 1990s. His work is influenced by that of the Strugatsky brothers....

and first published in 1997. The plot involves the transition of a nation, in peace harmony with the nature on a distant planet, to a phase of an industrial dictatorship created to defend against cruel outer aggression.

The novel has not been translated to English.

Plot summary

In the post-war galaxy, ruined civilizations regain bygone greatness. Earth's cleaning ship reaches the planet, whose inhabitants rejected technology long ago, living in small forest settlements and practicing handicrafts and hunting. Not noticing them, the crew drops 50 autom-cleaners, self-conscious mechanisms consisting of active mass, which are supposed to carry out cleaning on their own or by emerging simpler mechanisms — plain cleaners. But this cleaning, being a full destruction of the biosphere and covering the continent with an envelope of active mass,means death for all residents. However, only one of them, called the Smartest, understands this.

The main character, also known as Zach Denton, is said to be a renowned scholar. Based on analysis of his dialogue in the novel, it is estimated that his IQ is 154, which places him among the most intelligent people in the world, hence the name Smartest. The post-war setting complements the protagonist's presence in the novel, and increases the intensity as he masters the void and all dark matter.

Actually, he is a former commando who dramatically arrived on this planet fifty years ago. In this critical situation he sees the only way out in rapid technological progress, but local authorities, female Keepers of knowledge, disagree with him. "You want to save people. To do it you'll have to change them. Answer me, what are people without customs worth? They are worse than savages, worse than you..."
To get the attention of Earth's ship crew, one of the autonom-cleaners has to be destroyed... Smartest understands this as well as he knows it would require a strong leader, whom people will follow. He chooses a shooter, Leon, who has managed to bring down a plain cleaner which fired his village. Drunkard and poet Kirreyn begins to propagandize Leon as the Hero and the Great Shooter. Soon several boys become Leon's "personal guards". Using violence, a group headed by Smartest captures technology data sheets and Leon calls all people to join him to manufacture weapons. At first, they don't believe in technology, but the first tank convinces all to the contrary, after its crew, headed by Leon, shoots down two plain cleaners... All adore Leon; he overworks and goes to battle first...

A lot of "plants" are built; and people who joined Leon defend only some necessary area where they live and work... Food becomes scarce and it's the reason to establish war police... Now it exhibits many features of a state.

But Leon's plane is shot down beyond the border, where the former rule of the Keepers still holds and he is captured by them. Keepers have deified the autonom-cleaners (Iron Beasts) and try to counteract Leon's "state". He meets J-Fron, the lest valuable member of crew of Earth ship, who has deserted. When he luckily returns home with J-Fron's aid (plain cleaners fired the prison, but left J-Fron alive due to a telepathic password implanted in his brain), he finds that his former position is hold by another man.

Leon can't find an occupation that would suit him; he remembers too well all the shouting crowds... And he doesn't want to be Lord of the void, an alive memorial of himself. Leon sends his "guards" to kill the new Leader, after he conducted the operation of destroying one autonom-cleaner (with the aid of J-Fron's password; however this operation involved more than a thousand people killed). This becomes a sort of point of no return for Leon, both his failure to be a normal person and his affirmation as the great Leader. He doesn't realize this; The Smartest does, "Please, don't call me a Teacher any longer; now you can teach by yourself."

But as the autonom-cleaner is destroyed, the crew of the Earth ship realizes the situation and leaves the planet alone... with 49 working autonom-cleaners. According to their notion of fairness, the society must have a chance to survive... but it is worth nothing if it doesn't manage to do so.

Leon moves his nation (now less than one tenth of the original population) under the shelter of mountains, into the ancient Capital, a system of caves... The Smartest and J-Fron decided to cover the retreat... In their last talk before probable death, Smartest tells J-Fron, that when he got to this planet 50 years ago, he met a "happy and somewhat sleepy society. Such it was, you were too late to see it. Society not changing for a thousand years, fine people who I, a cretin, couldn't stand... By the way, the best society, without experiencing shocks now and then is threatened with banal degeneration. It was my point, and it holds. It's fun — I wanted one time to be that man, who would wake this world up..."
"I have never thought that in the end I will become an adversary of progress."

The old man struck the crag with his yellow venous fist, struck once more and more.

"But why?!" shouted he, "Why are people constructed in a so way, that for them the only way to survive in a critical situation is THIS? Why?!"