Marina Surzhevskaya’s "Penetration," a summary Automatic translate

This 2019 romantic fantasy novel tells the story of a clash between a high-tech civilization and a magical world inhabited by dragon-people. Olivia Orway, an anthropologist at the Academy of Progress, embarks on an expedition beyond the Great Mist — an anomalous barrier that separated part of the planet hundreds of years ago. She explores the boundaries of human morality while confronting primal instincts, striving to maintain scientific objectivity. The text meticulously describes the daily life and rigid social hierarchy of this closed society.

Arriving at the fjords

The Confederation team crosses the fog. Professor Maximilian Shah and security officer Jurgas Lith lead the group. Among the participants is Olivia Orway, a young twenty-seven-year-old specialist. The researchers are met by a delegation of Ilkh. The tall natives are dressed in furs and wear animal masks made of bones. The group’s leader, Sverr, speaks the Confederation language fluently.

The guests are transported in wooden carts, pulled by ur-onoks — predatory animals extinct in the civilized world. In the settlement near the Gorlokhum volcano, Olivia records a primitive society. The natives engage in gathering and manual labor. The women of the expedition are separated from the men. At night, Sverr enters Olivia’s tent. He calmly displays his naked body, ignoring the anthropologist’s disapproval. A black hoop stands out around the barbarian’s neck. Sverr calls the object the Gorlokhum ring and strictly forbids anyone from touching it.

Wild customs and rabble

During the day, Olivia explores the settlement. The tribe’s women obediently perform menial tasks, while the men train. The barbarians hold a tournament in a stone bowl filled with red clay. Participants generously anoint their bodies with tree sap. The winners earn the right to participate in the nighttime celebration. Olivia notices a huge shadow in a pool near the rocks. Sverr declares that deadly creatures lurk in the depths.

In the evening, the ilkh begin the shatia — a fertility festival. A naked girl, covered in someone else’s blood, is thrown into a circle of warriors for ritual intercourse. This terrifies Olivia, but her male colleagues succumb to the festival’s bestial influence. Sverr transmits a mental call that overwhelms the will of those around her. Olivia resists the compulsion. Riar demands obedience, but the girl categorically refuses. The ilkh, irritated, leaves Olivia, amazed by her resilience.

In the morning, it turns out the expedition’s men have succumbed to the call and are enjoying themselves in the tents. Professor Maximilian remains sober. He analyzes the food but finds no drugs. The old man concludes that Sverr is not human. Soon, Maximilian falls into a coma. The team is forced to evacuate urgently. At the edge of the veil, Ilh announces that he is flying to the Confederacy capital with them. Olivia takes responsibility for the visit’s safety.

Confederation and Exposure

In the metropolis, Sverr is installed in Olivia’s apartment. The barbarian breaks glassware, examines household appliances, and mocks human weakness. Olivia tries to keep her distance, but the ilkh continually violates her boundaries. Olivia sprays pepper spray. Sverr easily counters the attack, hanging her from a tenth-story window. Olivia’s resistance crumbles, and the barbarian attempts to force her into intimacy. Secretly, Olivia takes a blood sample from the ilkh. The analyzer confirms Sverr’s inhuman nature.

At a meeting of the Academy of Progress, Olivia publicly announces the discovery of an alien race. The military immediately attacks their guest, striking Sverr with electric nets and firing pistols. The wounded barbarian transforms into a massive black dragon. The monster smashes through the conference room’s panoramic windows, grabs Olivia in its claws, and flies back to its homeland.

Hostage of the Shining Peak

The dragon lands at the fortress of Neroaldaf. Sverr leaves the captive under guard. The city’s architecture is stunning: sturdy stone bridges, living fire in the walls, metal shaped by blacksmiths with their bare hands. Sverr’s brother, A-Tem Irvin, turns out to be a water dragon. At night, he kidnaps Olivia and carries her across the water to the icy cliffs. Irvin abandons the girl on the border of hostile lands.

Aurolhall Castle is made of white stone. The local ruler, Danar, takes Olivia captive. The girl offers the Riar a deal. She promises to find the reason why the snowy Höggr only bear daughters. Danar gives the girl until the full moon. Olivia, together with the young chronicler Bjorn, studies the Riar family tree. She discovers that dragons have been marrying relatives for centuries to preserve their color. The blood has degenerated.

Soon, the Confederate army finds a gap in the fog. Armored vehicles with laser turrets attack Aurolhall. The snow towers collapse. Sverr flies to Danar’s aid. The Black Dragon rescues Olivia from the rubble.

The Great Council at Warisfold

Sverr takes Olivia to Neroaldaf. An old woman named Velma appears in the town and predicts the imminent awakening of the red beast. Sverr publicly declares Olivia a freeborn daughter of his land. The girl reciprocates Riar’s feelings. Soon, Sverr departs for the council of a hundred Höggs in Varisfold, where Olivia is introduced to the other leaders.

Twenty-three Riar are present at the meeting. Olivia asks to speak. She explains to Elder Magnus the reason for the thinning of the mist. Nature requires new blood, so the protective veil disappears. The Riar mock the woman’s words. Then Olivia takes out the spare ring of Gorlokhum, which Sverr removed from Irvin’s neck. She puts the artifact on herself.

The hall is immersed in ancient magic. The souls of wild dragons burst from the stone bas-reliefs. Olivia dodges the fangs of illusory beasts. The Red Dragon, Helehöggr, appears in the center. No one has seen it for millennia. Olivia leaps onto the beast’s back, successfully completing the fusion. She becomes a full-fledged red höggr. The fjord leaders are stunned and immediately offer Olivia marriage alliances. She refuses to choose.

The awakening of the Gorlokhum volcano

The Confederates are massing troops at the ravine. Laser installations are destroying the mountain defenses. Irwin, Sverr’s brother, is killed in the battle. The Black Dragon suffers a severe burn from a laser beam. Olivia shields Sverr with her body, demanding the Confederates cease fire. Rescued scientists Klin and Jean stun the soldiers, stopping the laser beam.

The wounded Sverr needs healing. Danar and Olivia deliver the black dragon to the caves of Neroaldaf. Riar recuperates on a pile of gold. Olivia tends to him, their mental connection growing stronger. But the Confederate army continues its invasion. The fjord warriors are no match for their high-tech weaponry.

Olivia makes a desperate decision. She transforms into a red dragon and flies to the crater of the Gorlokhum volcano. She mentally calls upon the magma, asking for protection for the fjords. The volcano awakens. A powerful outburst of lava and volcanic ash halts the Confederate armored vehicles. A thick cloud of smoke fills the gaps between the mountains. The Great Mist reforms, cutting off the invaders. Sverr helps the exhausted Olivia escape the crater. On the snowy plateau, Riar confesses his love for the girl.

Peace agreement and finale

A year passes. The parties are forced to negotiate. Olivia mediates between the Academy of Progress and the Riar of the Fjords. The Confederation agrees to peace. Professor Maximilian awakens from his coma and supports Olivia. The Høggis release the captive researchers and return the captured ships.

According to the terms of the agreement, thirty-five women and three men from the Confederation are to move to the fjords. The volunteers receive generous gifts from the dragons. The settlers are obliged to remain in the lands of the Höggs forever. A strict requirement for candidates is complete immunity to the dragon’s call.

At the Council of Varisfold, the Riars confirm Sverr’s right to rule Neroaldaf. Sverr breaks off his previous engagement to the daughter of the Riar Rowengard. He pays the family of his would-be bride a huge gold ransom. Olivia finally accepts her fate. In the main hall of Neroaldaf, Sverr places the wedding crown on her head. In the final scene, the couple stands between stone dragon statues, awaiting the arrival of the first settlers from the Confederation.