The Fatal Eggs by Mikhail Bulgakov

What begins as a miracle of science soon turns into a nightmare... After a plague wipes out all of Russia’s chickens, eyes fall on zoologist Periskov and his strange discovery that promises to revive their population. But quickly, the state’s attempt to control nature spirals rapidly out of control, and soon all of Moscow is under siege by creatures they hadn’t bargained for.

Set in 1928 but written four years earlier, during Stalin's rise to power, The Fatal Eggs is Mikhail Bulgakov’s savage, darkly comic tale of progress gone wrong. Blending satire with science fiction, it captures the dangers of unchecked power – and the absurdity of believing that catastrophe can be neatly managed.

Part of Penguin's new Brief Encounters series.

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