Welcome to Kyrgyzstan. I don't know about anyone else, but I knew very little about this landlocked Central Asian country. I am looking forward to taking this journey with you all and learning more about the region (note - the author is Kyrgyz, however, it seems that the novel is set in what is now Kazakhstan).

The schedule is here, and the marginalia here

Summary

• Preface - We learn of Burannyi Yedigei hardworking nature. Chingiz explains his use of fantasy in his story telling.

• Chapter One A vixen searches for food along the train line that cuts the steppe running east-west.

Ukubala rushes out to her husband's, Yedigei, at the train signal box to inform him Kazangap has died. He sends his wife back to the 8 house settlement of Boranly-Burannyi to wake everyone with this information. Kazangap's children, Sabitzhan and Aizada must also be informed.

Yedigei reminisces about previous hard winters clearing the tracks of snow by hand.

Yedigei knows many of the train drivers and he asks one to tell Aizada in Kumbel' about her father's death, and to bring her and her family back on his return.

Yedigei hands over to Edil’bai and wonders on the way home how to tell his daughters the news. He remembers the 2 hour camel ride from home to Kumber and the girls' station boarding school.

He suddenly feels a distant shockwave and sees a rocket take off in a plume of fire from the Sary-Ozek-1 cosmodrome 40km away. He watches it rise and disappear into space not knowing that another rocket leaves Nevada both heading for Parity station, on the Trampoline orbit, where they would dock simultaneously. The crew aboard - the American-Soviet space programme, Demiurgos, station - Parity have gone silent.

• Chapter Two Only Yedigei knows where Naiman tribe’s cemetery of Ana-Beiit lies. He insists Kazangap be buried there (as he wished). Sabitzhan has arrived on a passing freight train. Yedigei is disappointed by Sabitzhan'a behaviour, and he only gets in the way while the locals prepare for his father's funeral and wake.

Kazangap had given a young Yedigei a baby camel upon arriving in Boranly-Burannyi from the war. The same camel (Karanar) he saddled and dressed for Kazangap's funeral.

Aizada and her husband arrive the evening before the funeral. She mourns loudly and complains of her drunkard husband and 6 wild children. This results in an argument with her brother. Edil’bai calms the situation by taking the men to his home where they sit drinking and talking. They discuss the rocket and how it has not been mentioned in the news. Sabitzhan becomes more and more drunk. He talks about radio waves controlling all humans, among other things. Yedigei leaves.

• Chapter Three Aboard the aircraft carrier Convention every role is duplicated filled by both an American and a Soviet staff member. The Demiurgos programme, a huge undertaking, is the study of planet Ex. Ex is a water containing planet with huge energy mining potential. Just as the first group of hydrologists are about to go to Ex the cosmonauts aboard Parity disappear. Upon arrival of the rockets the cosmonauts find Parity empty. The occupants of the last 2 months are gone leaving a message in the log. They had discovered Radio signals from a point in space. After sending a radio transmission to it they realised it was intelligent life. They communicated initially in formula, but later in language (which the alien recipients had learnt from watching amd listening to Earth for some time). When invited to the alien planet Lesnaya Grud they agree in the hope of avoiding conflict on earth.

Representatives arrive on the aircraft carrier in the pacific ocean called Convention. However, before they can meet to discuss the current situation a message is recieved from the two cosmanauts in Lesnaya Grud...

• Chapter Four. Yedigei prepared Kazangap's body during the night ready for the long trip to the cemetary.

In 1944, suffering from shellshock, Yedigei was discharged from the army. Upon returning home he learnt his baby son had died of measles. He decided to leave his dying fishing village, but couldn't bare to go to live with Ukubala's family. At the big junction station of Kumber they got work unloading coal from waggons. Yedigei shovelled while Ukubala moved barrows of coal up ramps dumping into the tip. Yedigei hated that his wife had to do the hard work he should have been doing. One day whilst working a man asked him to watch his camel. Upon returning they began chatting. It was Kazangap and he invited Yedigei to return to Boranly-Burannyi with him where they stayed with him for several days before moving into a barrack. Kazangap gave Yedigei a camel and her young baby (Karanar), who needed a lot of care. In time, with fresh air, camel milk shubat and calm Yedigei recovered his strength.

Karanar became famous, thanks to Yelizarov and even ended up on the cover of a camel breeding textbook.

Kazangap had not had to go to war as Stalin had ordered all railworkers exempt.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Yedigei and Kazangap are both Aral’ Kazakh. They return to the Aral Sea (which is actually a lake), but it is drying up. Interestingly the the (north) east of what remains of the Aral Sea is Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is what I now imagine Sarozek cosmodrome is based upon. (I haven't googled any info to confirm this or not as I want to avoid book spoilers).
• On route to Boranly-Burannyi Kazangap, Yedigei and Ukubala cut 10km off their route by cutting across a railway track loop built around a takyr) aka a salt flat.
• Kazangap's father was mistaken for a kulak and died during the dekulakization.

Thanks for joining me. Next week u/WanderingAngus will guide us through chapters 5-7. See you then globe-trotters 🌏📚