Knights of Forty Islands

Infobox Book |
name = Knights of Forty Islands
title_orig = "Рыцари Сорока Островов" ("Rytsary Soroka Ostrovov") )
translator =


image_caption =
author = Sergey Lukyanenko
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Russia
language = Russian
series =
subject =
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher =
release_date = 1990
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 5-17-022344-7
preceded_by =
followed_by =

" Knights of Forty Islands " is a Science fiction novel by Sergey Lukyanenko

Plot introduction

Written from 1988-1990 in Alma-ata, this harsh tale describes children moved into an artificial alien-created environment in an expedition sent by an advanced civilization, examining psychological charts of the kids detected as potential future leaders and forced to fight with each other. Their "Copies", indistinguishable from them, make sure their absence isn't noted on Earth.

Explanation of the novel's title

In the story, children, designated as "knights" must conquer all forty islands in the world so as to return home, thus the name.

Plot summary

Dima, who used to fight in streets now has to fight in a place where swords are used instead of fists.

The new environment consists of forty islands, each connected to three others via high and narrow bridges. There is a castle on each island; and about 18 kids ("knights") live in each one. The islands are distinct: dictatorship or democracy, a brutal rude leader or a quiet one. The population is made up of 70% boys and 30% girls in homogenous or heterogeneous national groups, no one older than 18. Everyone wants to return home, but to do so they must conquer all 40 islands - then, the aliens promised, they would return the winners to their homes. There are also several rules of engagement, also set down by aliens.

Swords are wooden at first, but (unknown to the wielder) a sword turns steel when the owner feels hatred towards the opponent. Although retaining the world of feelings of usual children, these "knights" change: they learn to fight to the death, not to pay much attention to wounds; they cover friends and take revenge for fallen ones. Dima sees his new friends being killed, and he kills, too. He and Inga, a girl he knew before, propose the establishment of a Confederation of islands as the way to stop the Game. Some knights refused to join the Confederation. They are killed when they do not surrender to the conquerors. In fact the Confederation, even realized, is doomed at the beginning.even so, Confederation proves to be unstable. Although all want to return home, some only want power and sex for themselves. The newly founded Confederation falls, and ideals of knights are downthrodden.

The way of life at islands has proved to be very stable, since Aliens took into account human psychology and sociology. Dimma and his friends even were not the first. They discover a hidden room with remains of children, who got on islands during the Second World War and locked themselves in, when their Union collapsed due to the betrayal. But the heroes also find in this room old weapons, including dynamite. Now the action rushes...

Major themes

This novel contrasts with the books of Vladislav Krapivin, who emphasises the inherent goodness of children. Lukianenko draws on a harsher city subculture and is closer to Golding's pessimistic outlook in "Lord of the Flies", though his skepticism expresses on higher levels of social and inter-cultural interaction, than just descent to savagery.

The author's attitude towards the topic is expressed openly:

"{...} Author believes, that in the childhood, when every courtyard is an island, and every street is a bridge to unbeknown, one day there will remain no place for the Game, in which they kill."

Award received

* "Sword of Rumatha" Aelita award