The most heartbreaking stories are the ones where some people never make it to the end.
They fell in the long night after 1925, by the river, in the city, on the mountains, at sea, and in every moment that should have been enough to keep them alive. Some left their names behind; others died before they could. Later generations read history and say, “If only he had still been there,” but there are no ifs.
So in this story, I let them stay.
So you'll see many familiar faces in the chapters to come. They may not appear at the times you remember, and they may stand in different places, but that's all right. What matters is that they're still here.
Some were allowed to stay; some I went out of my way to bring back; some don't deserve to appear here.
Traitors to their country are not included. That principle has never changed, from the moment I wrote down the first name.
This is all the tenderness this book has to offer.
This is a work of alternate-history fiction. Apart from the period atmosphere established at the beginning, all characters, institutions, events, organizations, and technology are unrelated to real history. Please don't assume they refer to real people or events.
Theme: The most heartbreaking stories are the ones where some people never make it to the end. So in this story, I let them stay.
