Oddly enough, the most common question I get about the Immortal Wake saga has nothing to do with the plot or characters. On a semi-regular basis, a reader will ask, “What does [some Russian phrase] mean?”
As a non-spoiler explanation, the sociopolitical environment of the series involves the use of phonetic Russian for greetings and exclamations. Most are contextually obvious, but some are more nuanced and require some thought. I was always happy to answer those questions, but then Transient (book one) got optioned for a feature film. The sudden wave of interest made it clear that a proper language reference would be useful to readers.
And so, I decided to share the list I created to help write the books.
NOTE: I have since released an updated edition of Transient with a Russian reference included. And, as a special thanks to all of my wonderful readers, the eBook is now available for FREE at every major outlet!
Below is the full reference I created to help write the books. Not every phrase made the cut, but all were considered at some point. Keep in mind that these are phonetic translations, as the Russian alphabet uses different characters.
In alphabetical order:
Ahueyet (WTF)
Blyat (Shit : exclamation)
Bolshoe spasibo (Thank you very much)
Bozhe moi (OMG)
Bychit (Behave like a bull)
Da (Yes)
Dasvidania (Good bye)
Dobry dyen (Good day)
Dobry vecher (Good evening)
Dobroye utro (Good morning)
Droog (Friend)
Harasho (I’m fine)
Hooy na ny (No fucking way)
Izvinite (Sorry)
Kak dyela? (How are you?)
Mudak (Asshole)
Neechevo srashnava (No harm)
Neeploha (Not so bad)
Nyet (No)
Nyezashta (That’s all right)
Ohooiet (Holy fuck)
Ooveedeemsya (See you)
Otva li (Fuck off)
Paka (Bye-bye : informal)
Pazhalusta (You’re welcome)
Pizdec (Shit : exclamation)
Prahsteetye (Sorry)
Privyet (Hi : informal)
Proschaite (Farewell)
Schasleevava pootee (Have a nice trip)
Shto? (What?)
Spakoyni nochi (Good night)
Spasibo (Thank you)
Suka blyat (Whore bitch : exclamation)
Ty che blyad? (What the fuck?)
Udachi (Good luck)
Yobani vrot (Fucked in the mouth : exclamation)
Za druzhbu (To friendship : a toast)
Za zdorovye (To health : a toast)
Zatknis (Shut up)
Zdrastvootie (Hello)
