Zimina Svetlana – Dance of the Demon

A world of demons and devils in which there is no place for people. There are no such things as pity, compassion, kindness. There are only own goals and subordination to stronger ones. And if you are already almost at the top, then there are only a few equals in the entire empire. But the problems being solved are also not so simple and can affect the very existence of the world.

A peculiar main character who looks extraordinary even among demons. He is a scientist, a tactician, a scout, a fighter, and an imagist. Moreover, in all his endeavors he reached almost the top. But at the same time, the geoy remains so secretive that almost everyone underestimates him, despite the high position he occupies. In general, the hero looks quite phlegmatic, and only in battle the mask comes off and real madness breaks out. Only a couple of demons know the “real face” of the hero, and not the mask behind which he is used to hiding. In general, the hero’s capabilities are certainly too much, but given the surroundings and the fact that a high position in this world implies the same magical capabilities, one cannot speak of implausibility.

The world around us is not kind. There is no place for pity, love, mercy. Ordinary demons and even subordinate demons are consumables or raw materials for experiments. In fact, greater demons only consider their equals and their targets. So even that little sympathy that the hero expresses towards his subordinates causes surprise among the other demons, and among the subordinates it becomes a source of devotion. After all, the world here is cruel, thousands of ordinary inhabitants can be sacrificed to ambitions, and not just killed, but infected with parasites or become subjects for experiments. And an ordinary war quickly turns into the destruction of all life, since what is at stake now is not the seizure of new lands, but the protection of the world from something more terrible.

After all, the world turns out to be even worse before. Powerful entities - the original demons - existed in the past, and for them there were no restrictions at all, except for the right of the strong to destroy the weak and be saturated with his energy. And those who are now in power were powerless slaves who were able to rebel and hundreds of years ago imprison their former owners in a magical prison, from which they, of course, want to get out. Especially if they are helped on the other side by those who, for the sake of their ambitious plans, are ready to risk the future of the whole world.

The world is full of magic, although only higher demons can use it. Ordinary demons fight with the help of their own body, which can take various forms. At the same time, genetics is well developed, which, in conjunction with magic, allows one to change the physiology of both ordinary demons and demons. Moreover, the world, it seems, did not exist from the beginning, but was created by a powerful entity, with a far from healthy mind, and perhaps it is generally a figment of the imagination of a maniac capable of illuminating his own dreams. In general, dreams and illusions here turn out to be no less deadly weapons than traditional magic. And an astrologer can have no less influence on the outcome of a war than a couple of thousand soldiers. So the battles here are not quite traditional magical duels, but are shown purely symbolically, the reader will have to figure out a lot of things for himself

Some rejection is also caused by the personal relationships of demons, who almost all turn out to be bisexual. Moreover, they are not shy about showing signs of attention to the main character, who turns out to be sexually attractive to almost all the opposing demons, including the emperor himself. And although the hero himself is not particularly eager to embrace his comrades-in-arms, the constant signs of attention and hints may not please the reader very much. Perhaps the author wanted to enhance the feeling of alienation of the world of demons, but still the romantic relationships in the book are far from familiar

In general, it is interesting to read, despite the somewhat abstract nature of what is happening, the author still managed to show, albeit not the most pleasant (what do you want from demons), but at the same time a non-standard world. And it has a certain appeal, even if the romance here has nothing in common with the generally accepted one, but is revealed precisely in battles and intrigues

Non-standard world

Unexpected plot twists

Unusual magical abilities that differ from traditional elements

intrigues of entities of different levels and powers aimed at achieving their own goals

Quite an abstract magic system. Despite the fact that everything here is based on it, the author does not go into detail; many features are not paid attention to at all

General gloom and some phantasmogorism of what is happening

A very unconventional view of demons on romantic relationships