"Sky over the Abyss" by Polina Dashkova, summary

The novel was written in 2009. It concludes the historical detective trilogy "The Source of Happiness," which also includes the novels "The Source of Happiness" (number one) and "The Secret Belonging to Everyone" (number two). The narrative connects the drama of the Kremlin doctors of the early Soviet era with the struggle of their descendants against a secret order in the twenty-first century.

Events of the early twentieth century

Kremlin medicine and secret forces

In 1921, Professor Mikhail Vladimirovich Sveshnikov operated on Central Committee member Joseph Stalin at Soldatenkov Hospital. The surgeon noticed alarming anomalies in the patient’s gaze and behavior. Sveshnikov continued to study a drug he had discovered based on an ancient parasite that inhabits the pineal gland. The substance rejuvenated the bodies of test animals and restored immunity, but the professor concealed his successes, not wanting to hand over the elixir to the authorities.

Professor Fyodor Agapkin, assistant to the professor, keeps vigil at the gravely ill Vladimir Lenin’s bedside in the Kremlin and Gorki. The leader suffers from cerebrovascular disease, memory loss, and seizures. Sveshnikov and Agapkin ease Lenin’s suffering with massage and care, recognizing the hopelessness of his condition. Gleb Bokii, head of the Cheka’s special department, recruits mystics, including the oracle Apollon Grechko and the talented psychiatrist Valentin Redkin.

Redkin is a master of hypnosis and places patients into a lethargic sleep to perform surgeries without chemical anesthesia. During the procedure, patient Vyacheslav Linitsky, in a trance, swears an oath to the demon Baphomet. Redkin explains to Sveshnikov that the revolutionaries were subjected to hidden coding of their consciousness, which disabled their conscience. Later, a wounded Chekist, Ada Karaseva, is brought to the hospital. She dies on the operating table, and through her dead body, an otherworldly entity mocks the doctors. Sveshnikov recalls a trip to Vienna in 1913, where the enigmatic Emanuel Siegfried von Hoth showed him two impoverished youths, Stalin and Hitler, calling them the future leaders of a global conflagration.

Agapkin’s Foreign Mission

In 1922, Bokii sent Agapkin to Berlin under the pretext of purchasing medications. In Germany, Fyodor met George Gurdjieff, performing under the name Prince Nizhedradze. Gurdjieff organized occult ballets, demonstrating the complete submission of his students to his will. In Munich, Agapkin met the neurologist Ernst von Kraft, a longtime friend of Sveshnikov.

Kraft shows Fyodor a rally at the Kindkeller beer hall, where Adolf Hitler speaks. A German doctor explains that Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler are instruments of an invisible dark force that feeds on human suffering. Kraft gives Fyodor an old letter from Stalin to Hoth from 1907, proving the future dictator’s ruthlessness.

In Berlin, Fyodor meets Osya, an orphan saved by the drug and now a journalist named Joseph Katz. Suddenly, Agapkin is kidnapped by unknown assailants. Fyodor comes to in front of Khot. The head of the order returns Stalin’s incriminating letter to Fyodor, but sets a condition: save the homeland by giving the document to Lenin, or save Tatyana Danilova, Sveshnikov’s daughter, who has been arrested by the Chekists.

Saving the family and the leader’s finale

Returning to Moscow, Agapkin learns of Tanya’s arrest and little Misha’s severe diphtheria. Fyodor gives the letter to investigator Mukhin in exchange for a warrant for Tatyana’s release. Misha’s condition stabilizes after his mother’s return.

Agapkin urgently takes Tanya, Misha, and Andrei to Petrograd, from where Osya ferries the fugitives across the frozen Gulf of Finland on an iceboat to Finland, and then to Germany. Sveshnikov remains in Moscow to care for his elderly nanny. In January 1924, the professor witnesses Lenin’s death throes in Gorki. Stalin, who had arrived, kisses the deceased leader on the lips.

Events of the early twenty-first century

Sonya’s return and Agapkin’s healing

In 2007, biologist Sonya Lukyanova, Professor Sveshnikov’s great-great-granddaughter, returns to Moscow after escaping from the Hoth yacht. Her sponsor, billionaire Pyotr Borisovich Colt, and her security chief, Ivan Zubov, convince her to continue researching the drug. Dr. Max Aldridge warns Sonya of the Imhotep order’s plot to unleash a global war between the sexes. Aldridge is struck by a mercenary car and, before his death, gives Sonya a vial containing a dose of the elixir.

In Moscow, centenarian Fyodor Agapkin’s heart fails after the death of his beloved poodle, Adam. Sonya administers the drug she’d just given to the dying man. Agapkin emerges from his coma, regaining mobility in his paralyzed legs. Fyodor Fyodorovich adopts a Puli puppy named Mnemosyne and prepares for the final confrontation with his ancient enemy.

Expedition to Voodoo-Shambhalsk

Colt, Sonya, and bodyguard Dmitry Savelyev fly to the Voodoo-Shambal Autonomous Okrug, ruled by Governor German Tamerlanov, nicknamed "Yoruba." The governor promotes the Party of Universal Values, attracting capital from Colt and his ballerina daughter, Svetlana.

Sonya begins working in a laboratory near an ancient excavation site under the supervision of archaeologist Elena Orlik. Elena Alekseyevna shows Sonya the crystal skull of the alchemist Alfred Plut, found underground. Analyzing a sample of Hoth’s blood, Sonya discovers a mutation in the red blood cells containing nuclei and a high concentration of telomerase. Hoth’s body functions like a malignant tumor, continuously regenerating tissue using the pain of others. The local janitor, Dassam, turns out to be the living Alfred Plut, who discovered the parasite four centuries ago.

The Crystal Skull and the Fall of Hoth

During a banquet at Tamerlanov’s palace, Hoth attempts to recruit Sonya. He lures her into an underground ceremonial hall, promising to discover the formula for immortality and a cure for cancer in exchange for recognition as his Master. Hoth begins the initiation ritual.

Sonya realizes the illusory nature of the monster’s promises and laughs in his face. Agapkin, Zubov, Dassam, and Savelyev penetrate the labyrinth into the dungeon. Hota’s plan collapses, his biological shell loses stability and disintegrates into a formless dark mass. Tamerlanov falls into a coma, struck by a mental attack. Sonya and Savelyev find mutual support, saving each other from death in the steppe.