The Fatal Eggs: A satirical science-fiction novella from the author of The Master and Margarita

by Mikhail Bulgakov, Carl Proffer (Translator)

What begins as a miracle of science soon turns into a nightmare...

After a plague wipes out all of Russia’s chickens, eyes fall on zoologist Periskov and his strange discovery that promises to revive their population. But quickly, the state’s attempt to control nature spirals rapidly out of control, and soon all of Moscow is under siege by creatures they hadn’t bargained for. The Fatal Eggs is Mikhail Bulgakov’s savage, darkly comic tale of progress gone wrong. Blending satire with science fiction, it captures the dangers of unchecked power – and the absurdity of believing that catastrophe can be neatly managed.


BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2026

About the author

Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was a Russian writer, medical doctor, and playwright. His novel The Master and Margarita , published posthumously, has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.

He also wrote the novel The White Guard and the plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also called The Run ), and The Days of the Turbins . He wrote mostly about the horrors of the Russian Civil War and about the fate of Russian intellectuals and officers of the Tsarist Army caught up in revolution and Civil War.

Some of his works ( Flight , all his works between the years 1922 and 1926, and others) were banned by the Soviet government, and personally by Joseph Stalin, after it was decided by them that they "glorified emigration and White generals". On the other hand, Stalin loved The Days of the Turbins (also called The Turbin Brothers ) very much and reportedly saw it at least 15 times.

Reviews

[T P Kennedy]

A competent little tale - leaning more into the absurdity of Soviet Russia than science fiction. The premise of a particular growth ray being discovered is hard to invest in. There's not much of a plot but some characters do briefly poke through. A lesser work of a masterful author.

[Corey Richards]

Bulgakov once again leaves me wanting a little more. I’m starting to think his particular brand of absurdism just isn’t for me. That said, Professor Persikov was great fun and kept me interested. Much easier to get into than The Master and Margarita, and more enjoyable for me, but still not quite enough to push it into four-star territory.