Povesti "Kotrabasy ili dikie gusi voyny" i "Chuzhoy" yavlyayutsya opisaniem budney rossiysko-chechenskikh konfliktov 1994 i 1999 gg. i popytkoy pereosmysleniya etikh istoricheskikh sobytiy. Povest' "Gryebanyy sakasaul" posvyashchena armeyskim budnyam i problemam, kotorye iz sovetskoy armii perekochevali v rossiyskuyu armiyu. Eto rasskaz o vcherashnikh mal'chishkakh- shkol'nikakh, khuliganstvuyushchikh podrostkakh, prevrativshikhsya v soldat, ob ikh kazarmennykh budnyakh, o tom, kak normal'naya muzhskaya druzhba legko uzhivalas' zdes' s zhestokost'yu i podlost'yu. O tom, kak lyubaya sluchaynost' ili bezdushie legko mogli slomat' chelovecheskuyu sud'bu.