Master Version 1.1 LT Buy the bookBook

Antanas Marcelionis. Master Version 1.1

A near-future sci-fi techno thriller

Ukraine, 2028. When the war is streamed live.

  • ★ Kirkus Reviews’ Best Indie Books of 2025
  • Silver Falchion Award winner, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

The game is made for a computer with a mouse and keyboard.

[Missions]

Play the book

Revenge for Crow

Sniper duel | Chapters 27–33

Rain over the Pivden coal plant. Snipers wait for your slightest move.

In development

Escape from New York

Chase | New York, Donetsk region

Its real streets, seen from above. Mines, drones and a quad bike.

Classified

The next mission

More scenes from the novel are on the way.

Master Version 1.1: the paperback, open at an illustration, and its cover

[The book]

Master is a lone soldier, relying on near-future technology and his own creativity to survive in the Gray Zone of the Ukrainian warzone.

The year is 2028. The simmering conflict has transformed into a new kind of battlefield, where military streamers compete for followers and views while carrying out often deadly missions.

Armed with an arsenal of experimental technology—including an advanced computer-brain interface, a multifunctional prosthetic arm, AI, and drones controlled with his mind—Master embarks on a desperate run for his life as he searches for missing fellow streamers.

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Paperback
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Audiobook
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Free sample
The first 8 chapters, PDF ↗
In Lithuanian
Master Versija 1.1 · masterversija.lt ↗
Read it? Leave a review on Goodreads ↗

[Reviews]

★ Kirkus StarA starred review, and one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Indie Books of 2025See the list ↗
WinnerKiller Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and 2nd runner-up for Best Book of 2024Read the review ↗
Top 10 FictionShortlisted in the Lithuanian Book of the Year 2024 Awards

“A blistering and relevant near-future military-SF yarn.”

“Master Version 1.1 narrates the horrors of war which have now turned into a source of entertainment through live-streaming, a future where soldiers have become social media stars.”

“Marcelionis delivers a thought-provoking and visually striking science fiction novel that challenges conventions and invites readers to consider the fine line between entertainment and reality.”

“This highly immersive science fiction thriller keeps readers riveted until the very end. The locations where the action unfolds are described in such fine-grained detail that I can’t help but feel transported back to the very places I once visited—though not in 2028.”

Arūnas KumpisFPV drone pilot, combatant in the russia-Ukraine war

[Author]

Antanas Marcelionis

Master Version 1.1 is my first book. I’ve been writing for most of my life—not books, but code. I’m a software programmer. Together with Martynas Majeris, who translated Master Version 1.1 into English, we run a tiny company—essentially a two-and-a-half-man operation (sans Charlie)—but one that’s extremely successful in its field: amCharts. We estimate that our data visualization libraries are now used by at least half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of smaller businesses. Besides this main activity—which, even after nearly two decades, is still fun—I also enjoy long-distance bike travel and participate in competitive sailing events, both fully crewed and double-handed.

When it comes to my reading habits, I prefer science fiction. Like most readers, I have my favorite writers, such as Neal Stephenson, and eagerly await their new releases. In between, I enjoy giving new authors a try. Sometimes, they blow me away and become new favorites, like Andy Weir. Unfortunately, there’s also a fair share of disappointment. Every time I felt let down by a new book, I thought, I could do better. On one such occasion, I sat down and wrote my first chapter. Then I wrote another. And a couple more.

To make my texts believable, I wrote about things I know well. As a member of the Lithuanian Riflemen Union—an organization of voluntary fighters ready to take up arms and fight Russians if they come this way—and a regular participant in tactical drills and exercises, I’m well-versed in warfare.

Questions, reviews, interviews: write to me.

am@masterversion.net