"They Are Not People:
Book Two" by Viktor Dashkevich, summary Automatic translate

This book is an urban fantasy detective story, written in 2022. It takes place in an alternate Russian Empire, where mages control creatures from the Wasteland called Divas. The plot centers on the investigations of St. Petersburg detective Hermes Averin and his companion Kuzya. The story explores the evolving relationships between humans and demonic creatures, shifting the focus from total control to friendship.

The novel series quickly gained incredible popularity among readers, with total print runs exceeding half a million copies. A package deal was later signed for an upcoming film adaptation of the series.

Visit to the capital

Hermes Averin and his cat Kuzya are flying to Omsk. In this reality, the capital is located there. Averin is to receive the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called for his past service. On the plane, the diva reads a book on demon anatomy and dreams of looking out the window. The detective visits Emperor Alexander V. The monarch grants his royal permission: Kuzya officially becomes Averin’s familiar. At the hotel, the maid Irina asks him to find her missing daughter, Svetlana. The girl disappeared en route to St. Petersburg. Returning home, the magician begins the search.

The Little Dragon and the Lost Girl

A friend, police officer Viktor Smirnov, visits the detective at home. He shows him a tiny demon dragon named Dracula. Kuzya feeds the little one sausage and teaches Viktor how to give commands correctly. Later, the friends set out to search for the missing student Svetlana. The police find the girl’s stolen car near the old docks. Kuzya sniffs the interior and detects the smell of fish on the steering wheel.

Averin contacts forensic expert Albert Kaminsky. He shows the detective the decapitated body of a young diva, fished out of the Gulf of Finland. The wounds on the body indicate prolonged torture with silver, leading the detective to suspect the illegal summoning of a creature from the Wasteland. He resolves to find the killer and bring them to justice.

Svetlana’s tracks lead to the bay shore. Div follows the trail and realizes she was taken away on a hovercraft. Averin goes to the port and interviews the owners of the icebreakers. The involvement of Prince Andrei Rozhdestvensky is revealed. This aristocrat was Averin’s fellow student at the Academy.

Underground club

Kuzya searches the homes of the boat owners. In one of them, he finds another captive. Averin and Kuzya track down the kidnapper, Alexey Teterin. The criminal loads new victims onto the boat. The magician and the diva sneak into the hold. During a storm, they save the girls from certain death. Kuzya scares Teterin to death. The criminal confesses.

It turns out the kidnapped girls are being taken to an elite private club on an island. The establishment is run by Prince Rozhdestvensky. The island serves as a haven for wealthy sadists. There, demons are tortured and kidnapped girls are sacrificed. Kuzya notices a multitude of terrified divas on the club grounds. He demands the owner stop these atrocities immediately.

To infiltrate the club, Averin temporarily binds the powerful diva Anastasia to himself. She takes on the guise of an oriental beauty. On the island, the detective and the divas witness horrific scenes of creature abuse. Unexpectedly, they encounter Vladimir, an agent of the government agency. Vladimir is working undercover as a young sorcerer, Sergei Monchinsky.

Averin and Vladimir stage a demonstration fight in the arena. They conceal their true intentions from the public and coordinate the capture plan. Averin communicates with Rozhdestvensky and lulls him into a false sense of security. Then the operation begins.

Defeat and new secrets

The operation is successful. Prince Rozhdestvensky’s familiar, Arina, has hated her master for years. She allows Vladimir to consume her. Thus, the police div preserves her memory as irrefutable proof of the prince’s crimes. Rozhdestvensky is arrested. Averin sends a letter to the emperor. He hopes that the guilty will not escape punishment.

Soon, Averin is urgently summoned to a secret meeting with the Emperor. The Emperor has assigned the detective a top-secret case: Oda Nobunaga’s Japanese sword has been stolen. Many years ago, Alexander Kolchak used it to summon the Imperial Diva. The relic disappeared from an armored truck en route to the palace.

Averin and Kuzya inspect the car and the plane. The cat uses its scent to locate the ambush site. The magician deduces that the thief was moving inside the car, out of the guards’ blind spot. Soon, Averin visits his uncle, Vasily Metelsky. His uncle is acting suspiciously. Averin realizes that Metelsky orchestrated the theft.

Family secrets

Averin visits the family estate. There, his brother Vasily and his familiar, Anonymous, reveal the truth to the detective. Anonymous has held the memory of Averin’s deceased father close for years. Div recounts the final battle at the destroyed Vector base. It turns out the base was destroyed by their own military aircraft. It was the sorcerers’ secret research center where Averin’s parents died.

Returning to his uncle, Averin demands the sword. The old mage confesses he stole the relic for blackmail. He wanted to force the monarch to allow his family to leave the country. Metelsky knows the terrible truth. Emperor Alexander V is long dead. The country is ruled by the Imperial Div, who has assumed his guise. The demon destroyed the Vector base. He was afraid the detective’s father would discover the substitution.

Exposure

While talking with their uncle, they are attacked by Anastasia. The impostor has taken her young master, Alyosha, hostage. The imperial div has forced her to attack the mages. Averin, Kuzya, and Metelsky engage in a fierce battle. Their uncle uses the devastating spell "Northern Lights." Together, they incapacitate Anastasia. The detective opens a portal and sends her away. Vladimir soon arrives and arrests their uncle.

Averin travels to the Winter Palace. He returns the sword to the impostor emperor. The demon confesses to the murder of the detective’s parents. He offers Averin service, promising unlimited power. At that moment, Kuzya suddenly attacks. Div shouts a loud slogan, distracting the demon. Averin manages to activate the magical star on the monster’s body.

Consequences

The star’s activation sends the Imperial Div straight into the icy Wasteland. Kuzya is sucked into the vortex with him. Averin is certain his companion is dead. Averin begins to suffer sorcerer’s withdrawal, a severe symptom of losing the connection with his Div. Familiar Anonymous and Brother Vasily attempt to bring the mage back to life. The detective wanders the estate’s park, numbing the pain with alcohol. He comes to the family crypt and mentally bids farewell to Kuzya.

In the epilogue, it is revealed that Kuzya is alive. He awakens frozen in ice in the harsh Wasteland. Having shrunk in size, the div frees himself from the trap. The Imperial div is stuck nearby. Kuzya mentally connects with the defeated demon. He declares that Averin will surely find a way to free them both from the icy captivity. The former enemies discuss the possibility of true friendship.