Vasily Yan (Yanchevetsky) is a recognized classic of Soviet historical fiction, author of the renowned trilogy 'The Invasion of the Mongols,' and the novellas 'The Phoenician Ship,' 'Spartacus,' 'On the Wings of Courage,' and others. The historical novella 'Lights on the Barrows,' written at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s and first published in 1932, and reprinted only in 1959, after the author's death, tells the story of the confrontation between Central Asian tribal peoples—the Sogdians and Scythians—and the invading army of Alexander the Great. Yan portrays the renowned military leader, ruler of the world, and wise ruler, as he has been portrayed by historiographic tradition since ancient times, as a cruel conqueror, a proud tyrant, an oppressor of the nomadic peoples of Asia, who mercilessly exterminated his opponents.

The warlike and despotic king of Macedonia is contrasted with the Scythian leader Spitamenes. In Jan's depiction, he is not a descendant of Persian nobility (as he was in reality), but the son of a simple Sogdian farmer and a woman from the Scythian Saka tribe. He is a talented and courageous leader who inflicts continuous defeats on Alexander's troops, while remaining elusive himself. Dramatic clashes of strong characters, colorful battle scenes, detailed descriptions of Scythian customs, and a skillful blend of historical truth and literary fiction make Jan's story and thematically related stories 'Zarathustra's Blue Jay,' 'Letter from the Scythian Camp,' and 'Vatan' extremely captivating reading.