Vladimír Šlechta
Vladimír Šlechta is a Czech science fiction and fantasy author. Life. Šlechta was born in Liberec in 1960, but most of his life he spent in the South Bohemian Region, in České Budějovice or its surroundings. In 1967, his father joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia but one year later he opposed the party line, so his membership was terminated. He was also removed from his teaching post at a university, and he couldn't find another job. Vladimír Šlechta couldn't study a secondary school in České Budějovice, that's why he studied in Trhové Sviny. He  then went to study at the Czech Technical University in Prague's Faculty of Civil Engineering. After that, he was employed in design departments of various water management institutions. He worked three years as clerk for firemen, and a few years as a project and investment manager. Since 1999 he has been self-employed, designing water supply and sanitation. Since 1984 has been married and he has two grown-up sons. Author. In 1993 Vladimír Šlechta published his first short story‚"Legendary Weapon" in the magazine Ikarie. In 1999, his two novels were published: "Project Bersekr" and "Sharp Echoes". By 2007 , about 15 thousand copies of his books were sold, making him one of the best-selling Czech authors of fantasy and sci-fi. Twice he received The Academy Prize for Science Fiction and Sci-fi in the Best Published Short Story category. At present, he is the author of nine books, in which he combines adventurous science-fiction and fantasy elements. Bibliography. The Bloody Borderland "The Bloody Borderland" is a cycle of fantasy stories which take place in the place called Borderland. In "The Bloody Borderland "the borders lead along territories of people, elves and hobgoblins. The borders are bloody  because there are never-ceasing struggles for these borders (for its shifts, crossing the border, keeping). People fight with people, people fight with hobgoblins, people with elves, hobgoblins with hobgoblins and elves with hobgoblins. During which time individual fractions conclude temporary truce and alliances. Novels. Next cycles – Havran "Havran " is a cycle of four short stories which take place in the near future in Bohemia which are laying waste by ethnic war when the newcomers rebelled against the majority society. Next cycles – everything on Mars This cycle of the short stories and fictions takes place in Europe after the second  energetic war caused by lack of fossil fuel and the world backed to the Middle Ages after exhaustion of nearly all sources of energy. And Germanic Empire enforces its laws on these ruins of Atlantic civilization. Meanwhile, the colonization of Mars is proceeding and new sources of fossil fuel are discovered. Mankind has a chance to begin on Mars again. Fictions. Everything that doesn't belong to cycles