Vladimir Kalinin…
[Note from Steve: Lots of spoiler alerts here. Of course, they just might pique your interest in some evergreen books. Proceed at your own risk.]
Vladimir Kalinin has a lot of staying power in my books. He makes his debut in The Midas Bomb, and his presence is felt through the rest of the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan, the “Clones and Mutants Series,” Soldiers of God, and several works of short fiction, including “The Phantom Harvester” (see the list of free downloadable PDFs on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page). He might be all that other Vladimir wants to be—debonair, ageless, strong, and wily. But that other Vladimir has neither the brains nor a softer side; that other Vladimir is a psychotic sociopath in comparison.
Kalinin, like many of us, is a product of his upbringing. As a boy in the time of Yeltsin, he murdered an old soldier for an overcoat because he was cold. He was on his way to wealth and power in Russia when that other Vladimir and the oligarchs went after him and made him flee his home country. But he wasn’t to be denied. Through legal and illegal Machiavellian machinations, Kalinin becomes a force on the world stage who drives authorities crazy by creating mayhem, even among Putin and his oligarchs.
While his cloning business provides him longevity (Full Medical), it also was thwarted by several main characters. His plans to develop super-soldiers produces one who hates him (Evil Agenda). And his plans for world domination using a weapon derived from an ET artifact go boom (Soldiers of God)! There’s no lack of grandiose plans, and he’s got an able aide in an old IRA bomb-maker. Yet he doesn’t quite make things click…fortunately.
Kalinin fails once to assassinate a U.S. president (The Midas Bomb) and goes after a candidate who doesn’t want to play along with him (The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan), but he gets her later on when she becomes president. That doesn’t make any difference in the long run because ordinary citizens always seem to step up to foil his plans.
Like many villains, Kalinin is a lonely man. His aide and confidant is a constant in his life, but he can’t ever seem to have a meaningful relationship. He might have had one with the Russian terrorist in The Midas Bomb, but she is killed by Castilblanco. And he loses his protégé in No Amber Waves of Grain.
You can’t say Kalinin doesn’t try. And his revenge against the oligarchs is largely successful. It’s mostly carried out in the novels Gaia and the Goliaths and No Amber Waves of Grain. In general, his failures are because he doesn’t have good help; except for that close aide, they’re largely incompetent.
Kalinin is a complex character, good at times but mostly evil, with weaknesses that work against his brilliance. It was fun to watch him develop through many books. Sometimes villains are more interesting than main characters, for both readers and writers.
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Comments are always welcome.
Angels Need Not Apply. Vladimir Kalinin is only in the background doing his scheming in this novel where a terrorist from The Midas Bomb and a cartel leader team up to create mayhem and murder. The cartel leader is a villain I created before I saw a picture of El Chapo, but it’s uncanny that they look similar except for my character’s Yosemite Sam mustache. I’d say my villain is more evil than El Chapo too, and that’s saying something! Available at Amazon in .mobi format and at Smashwords in all ebook formats as well as the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) and library and lending services (Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, etc.).
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
