Alexey Bessonov Russian and Ukrainian science fiction writer. Date of Birth: 16.12.1971 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Alexey Bessonov

Alexey Bessonov is a Russian and Ukrainian science fiction writer. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, into a family of doctors. In his school years, he developed a strong interest in rock music and spent five years playing drums, dreaming of a career as a professional musician and recording artist. However, financial problems forced him to give up on this dream.

After completing his military service in the Rogan separate radio technical battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bessonov remained in the army for an extended period. After leaving the army, he worked as a security guard and in an auto repair shop, where the first chapters of his novel "Wind and Steel" were born.

In 1996, Bessonov showed "Wind and Steel" to Dmitry Gromov, a science fiction writer from Kharkiv whom he had known since his youth. After reading Bessonov's work, Gromov convinced him to pursue a career in literature. Following Gromov's advice, Bessonov wrote the novel "Mask of Power" and the novella "World in the Red Stone" in 1996, continuing the story of Alexey Korolyov. A month after completing these works, the publishing house "Eksmo" showed interest in the young author's works, and in 1998, his debut book "Wind and Steel" was published, which included all three of these works.

Bessonov gained popularity for his universe of Alex Korolyov - the world of the Empire and the Confederation, which he created in 10 works. In 1999, he wrote a standalone science fiction novel, "Crimson Wings of Fire," set in Europe during World War II. This novel is his only major work outside of any series.

By 2001, Bessonov had written more than a dozen stories that were accepted for publication in various magazines. In the same year, he participated in the Kharkiv festival "Zvezdny Most" as a young writer and also took part in a jam session concert as a drummer alongside writers Yuri Burkina and Vladimir Vasilyev. Bessonov continued to participate in the festival in subsequent years.

In 2002, the first novel of the new series "Mr. Mediator" was released, titled "Black Crystal." The second book, also named after the series, was published the following year. The final part of the trilogy, with a working title "Night of the Dancing Shadows," was planned for the end of 2006 but was never completed.

Since 2005, Bessonov has been living in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he continues his creative work. In 2005, he published the novel "Outside," and its prequel, "The Concept of Lies." In 2007, his latest novel in the "Confederation Worlds" series, "Through the Smoke," was released. In 2008, his first collection of stories, "Phoenix Corporation," was published, including two cycles of stories.

Bessonov is critical of his own work, considering himself neither a genius nor even a strong professional. He is known for his love of science fiction and rock and roll, as well as his interest in cars, technology, and military history, particularly piston-driven aircraft from World War II. He enjoys building miniature models of airplanes.