"Little Sister from the Underworld" by Andrei Belyanin, summary

"Sister from the Underworld" is a humorous fantasy novel by Andrey Belyanin, published in 2001. The work intertwines elements of urban magic, a parody of Japanese animation, and ancient myths. It is part of the "My Wife is a Witch" series, serving as the second part of this duology.

An unexpected guest and a mysterious disappearance

St. Petersburg poet Sergei Gnedin lives a modest family life. His wife, Natasha, possesses the gift of witchcraft, and his young adopted daughter, Freya, is preparing for a trip to a health camp. Housekeeping runs smoothly: pots cook dinner, and plates and forks fly around the kitchen. Their peace is shattered by the arrival of Natasha’s cousin from Petrozavodsk. Sixteen-year-old Tanya, who insists on being called Bunny, is obsessed with anime about warriors in sailor suits. She sees dark entities all around her and strives to exact justice in the name of the moon.

A random misstep sets off a chain of strange events. Bunny takes Grandma Natasha’s ancient witch medallion, reads a lyric poem from a poet’s notebook without permission, and instantly vanishes into thin air. The poet’s personal ethereal spirits — the light angel Antsifer and the dark devil Freemason — report that the young woman has traveled to the Dark Worlds. Sergei sets out to search for her through an interdimensional portal.

Adventures in the Magic City

Sergei finds himself in the City at night, inhabited by vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers. On the deserted streets, the poet is attacked by steel roses released by a young man in a white mask. The renowned magician Sir Thomas Malory explains that the City is being terrorized by a golden-haired fairy in a sailor suit with a gentleman. The young warrior mistook the local evil spirits for dangerous demons and wreaked havoc.

Natasha appears and transforms into a gray she-wolf. Together with Sergei, they run to the bookseller, Master Semetsky. It turns out that Bunny demanded an ancient map of Tartarus from the merchant. Semetsky possesses immortality, which is why his regular murders for manuscripts have become a folk tradition among the townspeople, with an annual bonus. The poet recites poetry, which restores the spirit of the sea captain to the bookseller, who rushes to punish his recent offenders.

Chaos in the ancient Kingdom of the Dead

Sergei, Antsifer, and Freemason head through Koktebel to Hades. Along the way, they are joined by the talkative centaur Centauras, who is searching for love. At the River Acheron, Natasha, in wolf form, joins the party. The ferryman Charon engages the boat, and Sergei recites a poem that speeds the boat’s voyage and fills the bottom of the black river with gold coins.

Complete anarchy reigns in Tartarus. Bunny and her friends — Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter — have freed Tantalus, Sisyphus, and other sinners, deeming their punishments the demons’ whims. A poet is attacked by the three-headed dog Cerberus. Sergei subdues the guardian with a poem about a dog and sets the dog on the pseudo-demones. Meanwhile, Natasha secretly retrieves the left half of the golden seal of the Seven Magicians from the depths of the underworld.

Golden snakes and Aztec pyramids

After returning home, Sergei is approached by the head of the underground rat colony, General Koshkostrakhus the Fifth. His communications are under attack by fiery snakes made of solid gold. Sergei freezes one of the monsters with fire-fighting foam. It is revealed that the supreme demon, Veliar, is behind the attacks. The demon has taken the form of Tuxedo Mask, subdued Bunny, and convinced her that Sergei is the evil sorcerer Seragato, who destroyed her friends.

The poet penetrates underground passages into Ancient America, ending up near the Aztec pyramids in Cholula. He is captured by the priests of the war god Huitzilopochtli. During a ritual trial, Antsifer and Freemason temporarily possess the priests, thwarting the pagans’ plans. Cortés’s Spanish conquistadors appear and attack the city. In the chaos of battle, Bunny rescues an Aztec girl, but continues to regard the poet as an enemy. The sacred prayer book of a Spanish monk deflects the spell of one of the pseudo-demonesses, destroying the harmful entity.

The Trap of Veliar and the Triumph of the Light Forces

Natasha and Sergey travel to the Ancient Cemetery on Lame Mountain to deliver the seal imprint to Semetsky. A banshee, the messenger of death, arrives, but the poet counters her prophecies with lyrical lines. The buyer, Tuxedo Mask, arrives, revealing his identity as Veliar. A dispute over money causes Semetsky to fall off a cliff, receiving yet another bonus.

Veliar transports the heroes to Hell, showing them the horrors of the executions of sinners. The demon hopes to exchange Bunny and the heroes’ lives for the seal’s imprint and the poet’s soul. Natasha throws the purse containing the rarity into the boiling lava. The purse falls into the fiery abyss, and the witch nearly dies, but Sergei holds her and reads a love poem.

Veliar unleashes hordes of demons upon the heroes. Special forces of angels come to the rescue. With the support of true warriors in sailor suits, Bunny realizes the deception, breaks the dark spell, and, with the help of the moon diadem, dispels the servants of Hell. The demon’s attempt to possess the poet’s soul is thwarted.

Returning home

The heroes safely return to St. Petersburg. His cousin visited relatives and then returned to Petrozavodsk. The poet’s life returns to normal. In the epilogue, Natasha shares the good news with her husband: little Freya will have a brother in the spring.