Valery Gurov, Denis Stary – Griden 1: The Beginning (Dmitry Kuznetsov)
“Griden: The Beginning” tells the story of a protagonist who is a time traveler from our modern era and finds himself transported to the 12th century, to the lands of Ancient Rus’ during the height of internecine wars. There, he becomes a junior warrior (ratnik) and tries to help Rus’ survive in these difficult historical times. Along the way, he is confronted with political intrigue, military conflict, and the process of growing up in an alien world.
In spirit, the plot is very similar to the second book; the first volume serves mainly as an introduction to his journey into the past.