“The differences between friends cannot but
reinforce their friendship.”
The following is a list of spoiler-free bios from characters featured in the novel SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor.
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Sonny Zharostin
A patriot without a motherland
An immigrant going by the alias ‘Sonny Zharostin’ (Сонни Жаростин), who hails from an undisclosed communist Eastern-European
country he only refers to as “The Motherland.” Sonny is forced by his parents
to flee the unstable nation where a Civil War is brewing in order to secure a livelihood in Loynne’s Island, an island nation in the North Atlantic
Ocean of unsurpassed wealth and luxury, undoubtedly the best place in the world to live in. Forged in the most rigid communist doctrine and highly reluctant to living in a hyper-capitalist country, Sonny is forced to remain in the island and await orders from his parents, surviving the hedonistic Loynner society and its penchant for the inane, the idiotic and the superficial. Soon finding himself shunned at school because of Loynner racism and xenophobia, he finds friends in fellow expats and social outcasts, oddly enough, from the United States.
His life takes a sharp turn when two things
happen, almost simultaneously: he receives a mysterious package on his doorstep
containing a most bizarre and sought-after object, and he falls in love at first sight with a
girl from the United States named Faith. When mysterious forces begin to
conspire against the stability of the island, it’ll be up to Sonny to make the
hardest decision of his life, and risk his family’s future as
well as the safety of his beloved Faith in order to protect the island, all the while
trying not to stray from his ideology and live up to the principles of communism he was raised to uphold.
Cold, brave, detached, analytical and highly idealistic yet kind and noble, Sonny strives to show the shallow citizens of Loynne’s the ideological superiority of the communist East.
Faith ‘Faye’ Mantis is
the younger sister of Ryan Mantis. Sonny falls in love with her at first
sight. A beautiful and angsty Santa Monican teen of punk-rock likings, she’s mistrustful,
awkward, apathetic and cold to Sonny at first, but she slowly opens
up to him as the two strike an inconvenient and unlikely relationship.
Cold, brave, detached, analytical and highly idealistic yet kind and noble, Sonny strives to show the shallow citizens of Loynne’s the ideological superiority of the communist East.
“I knew nationalism was a disease, a bringer of death over territory, an ancient device aiming at separating our borders further. Yet, who could ever reject the sacredness of a Motherland?”
Faith Mantis
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Faith ‘Faye’ Mantis is
the younger sister of Ryan Mantis. Sonny falls in love with her at first
sight. A beautiful and angsty Santa Monican teen of punk-rock likings, she’s mistrustful,
awkward, apathetic and cold to Sonny at first, but she slowly opens
up to him as the two strike an inconvenient and unlikely relationship.
Although Faye engages constantly in self-loathing and seems to lack any semblance of self-esteem, there is more to
her than Sonny could possibly imagine, starting with why she always wears a
Christian cross necklace with the US flag motif, the extremist religious symbol
of the Theocratic United States, which Sonny finds troublingly beautiful.
Throughout their friendship, Faye and Sonny will unleash the full spectrum of their beings in one another, eventually leading to an astoundingly dark revelation.
“With time you see there are things that you can’t believe in and people who you can’t trust … I don’t believe blindly in things, I find it hard to put my faith in anything or anyone, you always get some kind of dissatisfaction … I only believe in what I see, and nothing else.”
Ryan Mantis
A rebel looking for a cause
A rebel looking for a cause
Ryan is hardly taken seriously by anyone, including Sonny. He has a deeply affectionate bond with his sister Faye, who he protects above all else, even from Sonny himself.
Ryan rejects his
country of origin, the United States, with a passion, often praising Loynne’s
for its true freedom of individuality, something he claims cannot be achieved
within the peer pressure mentality of the US. There is more to Ryan than he
himself lets on, and his unorthodox and gross nature might hide a terrible
secret.
“Motherland is where you live. Where you make your life. I don’t live in the US anymore, so what? I’m not defined by my nationality. In a place like this, you are free to become what you want, not what your country wants. And that’s what a Motherland is to me: the place that lets you be whoever you want.”
Wolfgang Emmerich
A comrade to the end
Wolfgang ‘Wolfie’ Emmerich is a highly nerdy,
shy and noble student, with an obsession with Japanese culture and the code of honor
of the Samurai, Bushido. Born in Japantown in San Francisco, to a Unitedstatian father and a Japanese mother, Wolfgang is an example of a nisei, a Unitedstatian with at least one parent hailing from Japan.
Wolfgang’s admiration for Japan might be highly influenced by his father, a soldier posted in a US military base in Japan who came to deeply resent US interventionism in Asia and Japan, leaving Japan out of shame and eventually renouncing his own US nationality, opting to settle down in a neutral place like Loynne’s.
Wolfgang is proficient at Aikido, but always prefers to avoid confrontations. He often plays online computer games, daydreams about girls out of his league and seems to live in an idealistic world created to battle the unsatisfying realities of everyday life. He shares many interests with Sonny, whom he respects deeply, referring to him as Doshi (comrade).
Wolfgang ‘Wolfie’ Emmerich is a highly nerdy,
shy and noble student, with an obsession with Japanese culture and the code of honor
of the Samurai, Bushido. Born in Japantown in San Francisco, to a Unitedstatian father and a Japanese mother, Wolfgang is an example of a nisei, a Unitedstatian with at least one parent hailing from Japan. Wolfgang’s admiration for Japan might be highly influenced by his father, a soldier posted in a US military base in Japan who came to deeply resent US interventionism in Asia and Japan, leaving Japan out of shame and eventually renouncing his own US nationality, opting to settle down in a neutral place like Loynne’s.
Wolfgang is proficient at Aikido, but always prefers to avoid confrontations. He often plays online computer games, daydreams about girls out of his league and seems to live in an idealistic world created to battle the unsatisfying realities of everyday life. He shares many interests with Sonny, whom he respects deeply, referring to him as Doshi (comrade).
However, Sonny’s friendship with Wolfgang will be tested, as he soon
questions the truthfulness to the loyalty he professes for his comrade.
“The best we can wish for in this world, is for our lives to be taken from us by respected comrades, and not by contemptible enemies.”
Billy Nazareth
A wolf among wolves
Billy is dauntless and extremely loyal to his friends, and assists them in any way he can at school, forming what he calls a Brotherhood, a group where all members are equal and abide by certain common rules, such as standing up for one another in a confrontation. He fervently and actively opposes bullying and cruelty, to the point of being excessively cruel and even sadistic himself against his abusers, oftentimes resulting in overkill and disproportionate revenge plots.
Ideologically, he’s a pro-Confederate secessionist and a military enthusiast, who hates the Union (the United States) and supports a neo-Confederacy instead. He admires Confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and likes to dismiss arguments about the Secession being about slavery.
When it becomes clear that the island is imperiled, Billy offers Sonny a unique opportunity to protect the insular nation from the forces seeking to undermine it, by the side of his cold and icy friend Tory; it isn’t long before Sonny becomes entangled in Billy’s shady web of political conspiracy.
“They say you learn to appreciate peace only after you’ve been through war; but sometimes, it goes the other way round.”
Tory Baglionni
A Man of Honor
Ettore “Tory” Baglionni is the grandson of notorious entrepreneur Mario Baglionni, who happens to be the Don of the US-Sicilian branch of the Mafia in the island. Detached, tight-lipped and consistently menacing, Tory is present wherever Billy is, and the duo’s alliance proves a good-enough deterrent against the hostile environment at the school. Tory is the only man Billy refers to as a full-blooded Brother of his, and the feeling appears to be mutual.Tory’s family will play an instrumental role in Billy’s schemes, and the influence of the Mafia and its customs will have a long-lasting effect on his power-hungry tactics.
“In Sicily, the ceremony for men of honor, uomini d’onore, involves dripping blood from your trigger finger on a picture of the Virgin Mary. We respect and hold that tradition.”
An ammoral alpha male
A sociopathic bully who
always gets what he desires, Jason Clarke “JC” Vega is the son of the famous New Jerseyan oil tycoon Leon
Zachary Vega, a powerful man from the former United States who emigrated after the Theocratic takeover. Spoiled, neglected and accustomed to extreme luxury since birth, JC abuses his peers for personal satisfaction at every
turn, and has been instrumental in the perseverance of a devastating bullying
culture in the island Sonny refers to as Kannovschina,
Russian for “rule of the Kannies.” JC’s only ideology is racism and hatred for foreigners and non-Loynners, despite being an immigrant himself. Due to his rampant sadism and unpredictable, volatile behavior, it is rumored he might have severe psychiatric disorders; he even attends Pilgrim Coast High School as a last resort instead of a private school, due to his having being expelled from all other schools for violent behavior. Moreover, he always gets bailed by his father’s powerful connections, something instrumental in keeping him off a correctional institution.
Being the captain of the football team and an accomplished kickboxer, JC Vega is also the boyfriend of the feared tracking athlete and kickboxer champion Monika Strössner, daughter of the Chief of Police, and the two are inseparable, often found together at school.
Seemingly a simple
meat-headed thug and a sadistic bully, JC will become a thorn on Sonny’s side in
more occasions than one, for very complex, disturbing and mysterious reasons.
“We gonna get you deported, you illegal alien fucks. We have connections. We can get you out of this island so quick your heads will spin. You’re immigrant scum, ain't nobody gonn' care!”
Monika Strössner
A racist fueled by hate
An unstoppable and
skillful athlete and kickboxer of South African descent, Monika Strössner is also the daughter
of Garry Strössner, Police Chief of the LIPD, a rumored pro-Apartheid government official who somehow escaped to Loynne’s and got to this position of power after the fall of Apartheid. Gary constantly protects his beloved daughter from
the law and sweeps her wrongdoings under the rug.
Monika has only two hobbies: competition and abusing her peers. Much like her boyfriend JC Vega, her lifestyle revolves around extreme contact sports and vices of all kinds.
Monika is a white-supremacist who proudly sports a tattoo with her name stylized with SS lightning bolts: “ströϟϟner.” She openly enforces pro-Apartheid views and only surrounds herself with white people, discriminating all others and violently abusing them physically and psychologically, often using very offensive South African slang.
A racist fueled by hate
An unstoppable and
skillful athlete and kickboxer of South African descent, Monika Strössner is also the daughter
of Garry Strössner, Police Chief of the LIPD, a rumored pro-Apartheid government official who somehow escaped to Loynne’s and got to this position of power after the fall of Apartheid. Gary constantly protects his beloved daughter from
the law and sweeps her wrongdoings under the rug.Monika has only two hobbies: competition and abusing her peers. Much like her boyfriend JC Vega, her lifestyle revolves around extreme contact sports and vices of all kinds.
Monika is a white-supremacist who proudly sports a tattoo with her name stylized with SS lightning bolts: “ströϟϟner.” She openly enforces pro-Apartheid views and only surrounds herself with white people, discriminating all others and violently abusing them physically and psychologically, often using very offensive South African slang.
Monika makes sure never
to stray too far from JC, and she can be easily found whenever he’s in
sight, performing the most despicable actions by his side.
“These public premises and the amenities thereof have been reserved for the exclusive use of white persons. You redneck moegoe and your schoepit friends are free to roam around, but that aap chink’d better leave, before we kick his ass back to fuckin’ Gookland.”
Bogdana Nakazanyeva
A zealot from centuries past
Bogdana Nakazanyeva is a stunningly beautiful Russian-Orthodox Tsarist ultranationalist from the Theocratic US, freshly arrived on the island as a political refugee. She’s online
friends with Faye Mantis. Although
her name, faith and choice of attire suggest her nationality to be Russian, her preference for English and
previous country of residence suggest she’s Unitedstatian. Her origins are unknown, as her
accent is undefinable. She bears an uncanny resemblance to Faye Mantis in the
face, passing for her twin.
A zealot from centuries past
Zealously religious and enigmatically romantic about her faith, Bogdana establishes a mysterious role in Sonny’s
life as the two strike an uncomfortable and unlikely relationship. Eventually,
she will reveal to Sonny who she really is and what she’s doing on the island during a shocking turn of events.
“There is always beauty, because God is everywhere. God is there for you at all times. And you never have to fear Him abandoning you.”
A sassy and good-looking teenage girl of English-Spanish ancestry with a distinct Mancunian accent, Lianne ‘Lili’ Marino is part of a new urban rock subculture within the island, dressing in a very stylish punk manner and frequenting rock bars and heavy metal pubs. However, she appears to be very naïve and innocent.
“Love isn’t what books may tell us, what poems may be based upon, theater plays, fairy tales … love is something based on truth, trust and fidelity.”
Salvo Göncz is JC Vega’s stoner half-brother, and looks nearly identical to him in every way, except he’s a bit shorter and less muscular. Most notably, he has none of JC’s personality traits, being mild-mannered, dreamy, creepy and socially awkward instead.
“We’ll meet again in the deserts of Terandil, when the Luminous Beings finally take us to the City of Pulsars …”
Lianne Marino
A vehement omen
A sassy and good-looking teenage girl of English-Spanish ancestry with a distinct Mancunian accent, Lianne ‘Lili’ Marino is part of a new urban rock subculture within the island, dressing in a very stylish punk manner and frequenting rock bars and heavy metal pubs. However, she appears to be very naïve and innocent.
Lili turns up in Sonny’s life during a very unusual set of circumstances, and she proves to be highly carefree, affectionate, cheerful, and, above all else, faithful; she’s certainty too good to be true, but only time will tell what events her presence will unleash.
“Love isn’t what books may tell us, what poems may be based upon, theater plays, fairy tales … love is something based on truth, trust and fidelity.”
Salvo Göncz
A Luminous Being
Salvo Göncz is JC Vega’s stoner half-brother, and looks nearly identical to him in every way, except he’s a bit shorter and less muscular. Most notably, he has none of JC’s personality traits, being mild-mannered, dreamy, creepy and socially awkward instead.
Salvo is a heavy drug user, and talks constantly about beings he refers to as the Luminous Beings, who he claims will come to take humanity to The City of Pulsars. He even claims to know how to summon them. However, as mad as Salvo can appear at first sight, he may perhaps be the key to understanding what’s really going on in the island ...
“We’ll meet again in the deserts of Terandil, when the Luminous Beings finally take us to the City of Pulsars …”