Vladimir Vasilenko was born in the far north of Siberia, where he still lives. An economist by trade, he has never pursued that occupation. Instead of financial reports and spreadsheets, his main calling became the written word, and on top of being a writer, he also worked several years as a journalist.
He began writing stories at the tender age of 7. At 13, Vladimir started working on two novels, and a few years later, they were picked up by the largest publishing house in Russia. Those novels that came about in the early stages of his writer’s career weren’t particularly remarkable: your usual sci-fi space action, but in the writer’s own words, “they did give me the opportunity to hold my own books in my hands and believe that one day, I cVladimir Vasilenko was born in the far north of Siberia, where he still lives. An economist by trade, he has never pursued that occupation. Instead of financial reports and spreadsheets, his main calling became the written word, and on top of being a writer, he also worked several years as a journalist.
He began writing stories at the tender age of 7. At 13, Vladimir started working on two novels, and a few years later, they were picked up by the largest publishing house in Russia. Those novels that came about in the early stages of his writer’s career weren’t particularly remarkable: your usual sci-fi space action, but in the writer’s own words, “they did give me the opportunity to hold my own books in my hands and believe that one day, I could become a successful writer”.
However, after an almost ten-year gap since his first childish attempts at writing, Vladimir learned about the litRPG genre that was gaining momentum in Russia and gave it another go in 2016. An avid gamer himself, he started contemplating the possible significance of video games in a futuristic setting with the invention of technologies allowing total immersion. What was at first just a passing fancy quickly turned into a genuine fascination and he returned to writing.
Ironically, as a reader, Vladimir isn’t a big fan the litRPG genre. His biggest pet peeves are Mary Sue protagonists, the excessive use of game slang, and the abundant overviews of character statistics. “I just cannot stand it when fights are described as someone using a fireball and dealing 180 damage to the enemy,” says Vladimir.
What distinguishes his works from other litRPGs is their closeness to classic fantasy fiction. Instead of being generic accounts of someone’s powerleveling, Vladimir’s stories describe how the game becomes a second life to some people, opening up new opportunities, allowing them to discover new qualities, and sometimes putting them before difficult moral dilemmas. None of this, of course, takes away from battles, exciting quests, rare artifacts and other attractive things, irresistible to many gamers.
Chronicles of Artar by Vladimir Vasilenko is currently in full swing. The technology used in the world of the story is futuristic and highly developed, turning it into something more than a game, yet never depriving the reader from the feeling of adventure, which is the essence of the genre. “This is the world of my dreams, to which I invite my readers. See you in Artar!”...more