Orest Lastow
Orest Lastow is a Czech-Swedish author with a long career as a physicist, inventor, and entrepreneur. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was the CEO of a pharmaceutical company he founded in 2014. Built on his own inventions, the company is now publicly traded on Nasdaq Stockholm.
As a scientist, he strives to write science fiction grounded in real physics, maintaining a high level of realism. He describes his books as “not in space, not in the future, and no aliens.” His protagonists are often scientists facing both technical challenges and profound moral dilemmas — all while fighting for their lives.
His works uniquely blend science fiction and alternate history, earning praise for their philosophical depth and thought-provoking narratives.
Lastow draws inspiration from authors such as Dan Brown, Andy Weir, Philip K. Dick, Karel Čapek and, of course, George R.R. Martin.
Instagram: orestlastow
PetaHertz Trilogy
Our Life Is Not Our Own
When Lund University student Ulla sorts through the belongings of her grandfather—found murdered in his apartment—she discovers notes that completely change her perception of him. The seemingly anonymous taxi driver from Iran surprisingly turns out to have conducted advanced research earlier in life. Ulla, who has just begun her own path in physics, gains access to his technology—one that, in the right hands, can manipulate both time and space.
Meanwhile, three adventurers in Antarctica come across a gigantic floating digital clock surrounded by an impenetrable force field. Elsewhere, another researcher, Angus, discovers a phenomenon involving a signal at the frequency of 1.0 PetaHertz, capable of penetrating all matter. Ulla and Angus realize they must piece together how everything connects. But time is running out. As they search for answers to their mysteries, a massive physics experiment is underway—one that could trigger a global catastrophe if no one stops it.
This is the first book in the thrilling sci-fi trilogy PetaHertz, unfolding across multiple timelines from the 1940s to the present and beyond.
Original title: Vårt liv är inte vårt
Publication: Hoi publishing 2022
Rights sold: All rights available
Reading material: Full translation
The world is Mine
The year is 1967 and Nazi Germany rules Europe. Scientists Nicholas White and Amir Shirazi discover the truth about our world—and how petahertz technology can be used to manipulate time and space. They attempt to change the outcome of World War II, but everything goes wrong. The technology falls into the hands of Heinrich Künckel, head of Hitler’s secret research center.
After the war, Künckel uses petahertz technology to amass vast wealth, but he doesn’t stop there. Convinced he is destined to reshape the world, he begins to carry out his plan with ruthless precision.
Ulla Bengtsson investigates Künckel’s involvement in her grandfather’s murder. Will she realize the forces she has challenged before it’s too late?
Only a few know what is happening, and they are the only ones who can stop it. A desperate race against time—and against a seemingly invincible enemy—has begun.
Original title: Världen är min
Publication: Hoi publishing 2023
Rights sold: All rights available
Two Hundred Years in Vain
The year is 1962, and Deutschwelt spans all the world’s continents. A new science-based world order has been established. With the power of petahertz technology and his formidable security police, Zelt, Dr. Künckel rules the world with an iron fist.
Increasingly absent and disillusioned, he becomes vulnerable to Dr. Jahnke, who seizes the opportunity to strengthen his own power. Together with Zelt’s leader, Gabriel, Jahnke plans to fundamentally transform humanity through what he calls “intelligent evolution.”
Nicholas White manages to escape prison and reunite with Amir Shirazi. What Amir does not know is that White carries a terrible secret that could cost them both their lives. They soon discover that the ongoing viral pandemic is merely a smokescreen for an experiment that will make all previous crimes against humanity pale in comparison. It must be stopped. Help arrives from an unexpected source—but at a very high price.
Two Hundred Years in Vain is the epic conclusion to the Petahertz Trilogy.
A powerful finale to the trilogy, vividly portraying a terrifying dystopia in the wake of a German victory in World War II. The power plays and intrigues are skillfully written, keeping the reader on edge all the way through—what else can one do when the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance?
— BTJ Review no. 5, 2024, Frida Jönsson
Original title: Tvåhundra år förgäves
Publication: Hoi publishing 2024
Rights sold: All rights available
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