This is an ongoing series of short stories I’m developing about Aaron Volzinsky, a certified mage who runs a small shop selling magical goods and services somewhere in a sprawling metropolis.
I’m rather fond of this character — clever, eccentric, scholarly just enough to be credible, and in some ways a complete amateur. What he loves most in the world is sitting quietly with a detective novel; what he hates most is being interrupted while doing so — though, having chosen a job that involves dealing with people, he really should be used to it by now. That’s why Aaron treats the chime of the bell above his shop door as an omen of trouble — and he’s usually right. And in some ways, I truly understand him! Still, let me remind you that identifying an author with his protagonist is a sure sign of poor literary taste! 😜
The universe where the stories unfold is a glorious patchwork of borrowed worlds. On one hand, Aaron checks the astrological influence of Coruscant, a statue of Senator Jar Jar Binks stands in the middle of the square outside his shop, he dates events from the Battle of Yavin, and the local Tarot deck includes a suit of light staves. On the other hand, the police are called „Bobbies” like in Britain, peering into the past is impossible because yesterday is devoured by monsters, and one of the sports teams proudly bears the name „Ur-Quan Dreadnought”. In short, this setup gives me the freedom to introduce any phenomenon, event, or character I like, whenever the story calls for it.
So far, I’ve written three stories about Aaron Volzinsky, all in Russian:
- Counterstrike — published in „The Natural Reserve of Fairy Tales: Selected Works 2024”
- Shards of the Coming — published in „The Natural Reserve of Fairy Tales: Selected Works 2025”
- A Miracle for a „Thank You”