About the book: 2002 / History textbooks lie! During the Civil War, Crimea was not taken by the Bolsheviks, but remained a free and independent territory, whose name is Crimea Island. This fantastic historical hypothesis formed the basis of probably Aksenov’s most famous novel, which was first published in 1981 in America and was then inaccessible to the Russian reader. Twenty years have passed since then, Crimea has indeed in many ways become an island for us, and we are still reading this fascinating book with a fast-paced plot, exciting adventures and colorful characters.