Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Fayroll: More Than A Game’

Review Fix chats with Andrey Vasilyev, author of Fayroll: More Than A Game, who discusses the first book in the series and the huge plans to attract it to an English-speaking audience.

About the Book:

Fayroll: More Than A Game is the first book in a twelve-part series – with a thirteenth out this year – by celebrated Moscow-based author Andrey Vasilyev, who is widely credited as one of the originators of the relatively new, wildly popular ‘LitRPG’ genre that blends cyberpunk, classic sci-fi, and fantasy. Bringing readers into a future in which advanced technology creates a virtual world with superior capabilities that allows players to experience real-world sensations, More Than A Game centers on an ‘everyman’ protagonist named Harriton “Harry” Nikiforov – a binge drinking tabloid columnist who suddenly finds himself ripped away from his normal routine of Moscow society life as he embarks on a journalistic assignment that leads him deep into the virtual world of Fayroll. A brilliant synergy of fantasy fiction and online gaming, Fayroll is an epic series gives readers the best of both worlds – and, with over 10,000 copies sold, More Than a Game’s North American market release in December 2017, is well on its way to becoming as popular in the English-speaking world as it is in Russia.

Review Fix: What inspired the Fayroll series?

Andrey Vasilyev: There were few things. First of all, I’m a gamer with a lot of experience. Second: I liked the LitRPG genre as soon as it appeared. In Russia I mean. Third: many of us dream of writing a book one day. One day, I had some free time to make my dream come true.

Review Fix: What was the creation process like?

Vasilyev: Speaking about the first book, “More than a Game,” it was written quickly and easily. The book appears to be better than an actual game. Imagination is a never-ending world with no borders, where you can create your own alternative reality.

I considered it as a joke, writing just for fun. I got really surprised when it actually became popular. I wasn’t expecting comments like “I need more! What’s gonna happen next?” I was surprised when two huge Russian publishing houses suggested publishing it.

Review Fix: What makes Fayroll special?

Vasilyev: The storyline of the Fayroll world and the real world intertwine in an interesting way to intrigue the reader. It’s a mystical detective, but with no tragedy in it. It’s a trend in LitRPG for the main character to be emotionally vulnerable and suffering. You won’t find any of that in my book. My character is an ordinary middle-aged man, a journalist; he doesn’t need to overcome anything. Moreover, his profession has had an impact on his personality: he is quite cynical. He’s playing the game only because he has to because of his job. He doesn’t dive completely into the virtual world; he still pays much more attention to his real life.

Review Fix: What creators and authors do you think have influenced you the most?

Vasilyev: Being a fantasy writer, I have to mention J.R.R.Tolkien. His influence on the genre is hard to downplay. Also, Russia has a rich history of literature; we grew up reading Chekhov, Bulgakov, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky. It is in our blood, in our minds, and in our souls.

But speaking about the Fayroll series, I was mostly inspired by Dem Mikhaylov, the author of World of Valdira series and my good friend. He was the one who laid the foundations of the LitRPG genre in Russia, and he set the canon for all other authors, no matter what others say.

Review Fix: How do you want it to be remembered?

Vasilyev: I am proud that my book was chosen to be translated and presented all over the world. For now, I have lots of readers in many different countries; I can share my story and my world with every one of them, no matter how far away they are. I will be happy if somewhere far away, someone will say: Oh, Vasilyev? I know him, he is that Russian LitRPG writer!”

Review Fix: What’s next?

Vasilyev: I have lots of plans ahead. The world’s very first VR book (the digital publishing house LitWorld has chosen Fayroll for this super-project), which readers will be able to try this year. Also, there are comics based on the Fayroll series in the process.
About Fayroll itself — new adventures await the English-speaking audience. Hagen still has clan wars, ancient Gods, and new characters, loved so much in Russia, all waiting ahead…

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