The debut book by Ilya Tekhlikidi. A contemporary fantasy dystopian novel about the world of the future, which very soon may become our present
AIM:
- to write a first novel
- to release it in a big publishing house
- to promote the book brighly & effectively
A book-trailer of “Antonov Collider”
RESULT:
I was writing "Antonov Collider" more than 6 years
In December 2022 it was published in one of the most iconic and influential publishing houses in Russia & all post-Soviet region — Elena Shubina Editorial Board
"Ilya Tekhlikidi debuted with a dynamic text that combines a futuristic setting with socio-philosophical overtones and skillfully written entertainment content"
Elena Shubina Editorial Board
ANNOTATION:
“Antonov Collider” is the debut novel by Ilya Tehlikidi, a creative producer, musician and writer, a graduate of the “Glagol” literary school. Working in the dystopian genre, he explores themes of interaction between new media, technology, politics and society
Mid-21st century. RNCR is a Russian Neo-Communist Republic run by artificial intelligence and large Chinese corporations. Every citizen here is under surveillance. And those who fight the system of total control are declared enemies and extremists
Anton, a corporate data courier, must deliver twelve encrypted messages per day, equal to the number of stations on the capital’s Ring Subway. It’s impossible not to be in time. The collider is already running
Based on the novel, a web game “In The Air. Fakes that kill" is also being released
The book illustrations: AI-generated map of futuristic Moscow subway
SETTING:
The second half of the 21st century, the era of the Great Indefinite Isolation and the quietly smoldering Great Anti-Western War
The former Russian Federation, which finally turned towards the oriental path of development, turned into the Russian Neo-Communist Republic (RNCR) and was clearly sinicized, falling under the influence of large corporations with a legal address in Beijing. The capital's residents of a totalitarian state controlled by the artificial intelligence of the Great Supreme Ruler (VVP) have long adapted to new conditions
But, despite advanced hybrid technologies, widespread bioimplants and illusory opportunities just a few decades ago, citizens suffer greatly from social inequality, poverty, poor environmental conditions and are under the vigilant total control of the government
“The synthetic world of fake neo-communism declared by the authorities in the cheap shell of cruel cyber-capitalism simulates an endless explosion of positive emotions from owning a brand product — therefore, the more we differ from the characters in commercials, the colder we are towards these very goods, services, people, animals and even ourselves, the more holistic and organic we look”
Ilya Tekhlikidi, from "Antonov Collider"
MAIN HERO:
The story is told on behalf of data courier Anton. Its physically and mentally exhausting task is to deliver information using a special device implanted in the retina. In one working day, Anton must go through twelve locations at twelve stations of the Moscow metro ring line
On the hero’s path, “recipients” await him — mysterious and charismatic residents of the gloomy metropolis: from a gang leader to an extremist hacker, from the head of a police station to a subway neural network
And, of course, Anton will meet someone who will radically change the rules of the game: from now on, an already difficult task will turn into a deadly route to a stunning ending
The book illustrations: AI-generated main hero from the cover
3 FACTS ABOUT THE NOVEL:
1. Work on the text lasted for six and a half years (from January 2016 to July 2022). Thus, the book anticipated current socio-political events long before they occurred. The relevance of the novel is emphasized by its slogan: “The future becomes present before your eyes”
2. The design of the book uses illustrations generated using the Midjourney visual neural network
3. The author’s plans include a film adaptation of the book in the format of a fiction series
“A frighteningly timely novel — and yet it was written before 2022. Russian cyberpunk as it should be (and apparently will be): high technology multiplied by state dictatorship, corruption and general indifference. The forecast is eerily plausible, and it would be better if it did not come true. But it’s already coming true!”
Dmitry Kolezev, editor-in-chief of Republic.ru
Well-known Russian literacy critic Galina Yuzefovich speaks about “Antonov Collider”
AUDIOBOOK:
The immersive audioversion of “Antonov Collider” is narrated by:
- actress Liza Shakira
- actor, director and musician Igor Titov
- author of the novel Ilya Tehlikidi
- actress Liza Shakira
- actor, director and musician Igor Titov
- author of the novel Ilya Tehlikidi
The audiobook was created with a help of AI tools
An excerpt from “Antonov Collider” audiobook
SOUNDTRACK:
Together with HHD Label & Projects and students of Maskeliade Music School we created a big original book soundtrack with 29 original tracks inside
AI music tools were also used during music production process
The soundtrack was integrated in “Antonov Collider” audiobook & released on all music streaming services
"Antonov Collider" OST: AI-generated cover arts
GAME:
The universe of the novel does not end with the end of the last chapter — everything is just beginning: first of all, Anton’s world will develop in the locations of the web game “In The Air. Fakes that kill." The reader will learn more by following the link in the QR code on the book cover
“Hmm, over the past few decades, technology has leapt forward (despite the fact that after that dangerous military conflict with the West, its growth slowed down significantly), but the residents of our country hardly benefited from this: on the contrary, everything has obviously become worse — more terrible, dirtier and more ruthless. Here, before, they didn’t really value human life, and now even more so”
Ilya Tekhlikidi, from "Antonov Collider"
AI INTERACTIVE WEBSITE:
Together with Kirill Kazakov & his service Intellbot we created a special AI chat based on language model gpt-3.5-turbo from OpenAI. As part of the experiment, we gave AI the entire text of the novel, as well as key information about the book
Here you can ask the book’s antagonist Great Supreme Ruler (VVP) any questions of interest right now, having learned about the world of RNKR from the first person of the state
Examples of questions:
- What is this book about?
- Who is the protagonist of the novel?
- What will the world be like in 30 years?
Ask VVP about anything. But remember that the future is full of manipulations and fakes: your interlocutor can skillfully evade questions and even brazenly deceive you, mixing truth with lies
“Precisely written in detail in an everyday, applied sense, this novel is perceived as stunningly documentary and reads (from the point of “the end of the 22nd”) as a very possible near future. I look forward to the continuation — not in reality, but on the pages of the author’s next book”
Svetlana Dolya, theater producer
PROMO & PR:
An article in a well-known Russian lifestyle media Afisha Daily: “Antonov Collider” is in the top of must-read books selected by literacy curators
The book premiere at Non-Fiction International Book Affair (Moscow, December 2022)
Live stream interview: Elena Shubina Editorial Board Brand Manager Tatyana Stoyanova talks with the author
Live stream discussion: promo print of talk by Elena Shubina Editorial Board on Non-Fiction International Book Affair (Moscow, April 2023)
Live stream: special offline event “17th page” by Elena Shubina Editorial Board dedicated to “Antonov Collider“
“17th page” by Elena Shubina Editorial Board: immersive intro video from the author
“17th page” by Elena Shubina Editorial Board: AI video perfomance by actor Igor Titov that reveals a story of the book creation
“17th page” by Elena Shubina Editorial Board: public book reading by actress Liza Shakira
REWARDS:
“Antonov Collider” is selected in the long list of the International Sci-Fi ABS-Awards 2023 founded by legendary Soviet writers Strugatsky Brothers
“The main secret of Tehlikidi’s book is that it is not just a book, but a real and meticulously detailed synopsis of a futuristic series that, in better times, would be on Netflix. Ilya feels and portrays the capital’s total hopelessness, but leaves us a small chance of salvation”
Egor Mostovshchikov, founder of The Order, a subscription service for implementing creative ideas
ADAPTATION:
Currently, Franck Zussy, a student at the Faculty of Writing, Translation and Communication at the Free University of Brussels (Université Libre de Bruxelles), is translating first quarter of the book “Antonov Collider” into French as part of his student thesis under the supervision of the Faculty Assistant Professor Marie-Hélène Boucher
5 REASONS TO READ THE NOVEL:
1. “Antonov Collider” is a current cyberpunk dystopia. This is a dynamic and fascinating reflection on the advanced technologies used to regulate society
2. The main character, a data courier, moves around the stations of the Moscow metro ring line, passing through them like locations in a multiplayer online game: the outcome of each quest is unpredictable
3. This is an interactive virtual journey. Readers can become participants in a web game based on the novel's universe
4. The author develops dystopian and futurological themes raised by William Gibson, the Wachowski siblings, Vladimir Sorokin, Viktor Pelevin and Dmitry Glukhovsky
5. Cyberpunk or social foresight? The novel takes place in the near future, but seems frighteningly realistic. Read and try to predict whether the author’s prediction will come true
“After all, why does the state need a weak and sinful person if he can easily be replaced by a strong, tireless, insensitive robot in the broad sense of the word? This state needs people only in three cases: to pay taxes, which are only growing every year, to maintain machines and technologies, and to perform specific slave work like mine”
Ilya Tekhlikidi, from "Antonov Collider"
TEAM:
Ilya Tekhlikidi, Writer & Creative Producer
Tatyana Stoyanova, Brand Manager (Elena Shubina Editorial Board)
Veronika Dmitrieva, Editor (Elena Shubina Editorial Board)
Igor Titov, Audiobook Narrator
Liza Shakira, Audiobook Narrator
Kirill Kazakov, AI Interactive Website Devepoler (Intellbot)
Serg Gaev, Musician (Maskeliade School)
3rn4mpl3, Musician (Maskeliade School)
Alda, Musician (Maskeliade School)
Velikanin, Musician (HHD Label & Projects)
Skela, Musician (HHD Label & Projects)
Subflower, Musician (HHD Label & Projects)
Dj Hich / L33CH, Musician (HHD Label & Projects)
LEGOGHOST, Musician (HHD Label & Projects)
Franck Zussy, Translator (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Marie-Hélène Boucher, Curator of Adaptation (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Alina McKenna, Video Editor