Case No. FM‑001
Opened: age nine
Presale open
A memoir, and a manual

I picked up a metal object, tapped it on the ground three times and it exploded in my hand.

That's where Fearless Manual ends. It's not where it begins. Between the first surgery and the tenth, before I turned nine, I learned the thing most people spend a lifetime avoiding, and wrote it down so you don't have to learn it the same way.

Refundable any time before it ships. No account required.

10 surgeries before age 9 1 hand, changed for good 1 manual written from it
Entry one

Siberia. A roof. A curious kid.

I found it wedged under the overhang of a roof, small and metal, warm from the sun. I turned it over in my hand. I looked at the sun through it, the way kids look at things they don't yet know to be afraid of.

Then, for some reason I still can't fully explain, curiosity, mostly, I decided to hit it on the ground.

I climbed down, kneeled, and hesitated, just slightly. Maybe I shouldn't hit it that hard. I tapped it once. Then again.

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Closing line, Fearless Manual

"I picked up this little metal object, held it in my hand, and looked at the sun in fascination. Then, for some reason, curiosity, mostly, I decided to hit it on the ground. As I kneeled down, I felt a slight hesitation. Maybe I shouldn't hit it that hard. So I just tapped it. On the third tap, it went off."

Rus Nikita, Fearless Manual, final page

What this actually is

Not a book about an accident. A manual built from one.

Fearless Manual is the true account of the first nine years of Rus Nikita's life, ten surgeries, a hand rebuilt from what was left, and the specific, repeatable lessons that adversity forced him to learn early. It's written for the reader who already knows fear isn't the problem, avoiding it is.

A true story, told straight

No dramatization. What happened, in the order it happened, with nothing rounded off to make it easier to read.

A framework, not just a memory

Each surgery maps to a lesson about control, fear, and recovery that applies to whatever your version of the operating table is.

Built for the reader under pressure

Founders, operators, and anyone rebuilding something that broke. Short chapters. No filler. Nothing softened.

The author
Author photo
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Rus Nikita

Rus Nikita spent the first nine years of his life in Siberia, in and out of operating rooms, before the accident that took most of his hand. He now advises founders and CEOs on decision-making under real pressure through his practice, Clarity Under Consequence, and has spent the years since building companies, giving keynotes, and living by the same rule the book is built on: the fear is real, and it goes second.

Early readers

What people close to this manuscript are saying

"I read the opening chapter in one sitting and then read it again. This is not a typical survival story."

Early manuscript reader

"The lesson in chapter three changed how I run my own team through a crisis."

Advisory client, Clarity Under Consequence

Placeholder quotes, swap for real endorsements before this goes live.

You decide, not just me

Reserve a copy, help pick the cover

I've narrowed the cover down to a short list. I'm not deciding alone. Every reservation comes with votes toward the final cover, the number depends on which tier you choose. After you order, you'll get a link to cast yours.

Cover A
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Concept A

Cover B
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Concept B

Cover C
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Concept C

Real cover concepts go here before launch. Voting opens once you've reserved a copy.

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Reserve your copy before the price moves

Three tiers, all shipping the same finished book. The difference is what you pay today, what comes with it, and how much say you get in the cover.

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Standard presale
$98
 
  • Finished hardcover, first print run
  • Shipped on release day
  • Presale bonus chapter (PDF)
  • 1 vote on the final cover
Reserve, $98
Founding reader
$948
Includes 30‑min call
  • Everything in Early Bird
  • Signed hardcover shipped first, before general release
  • 55‑minute conversation with Rus
  • Unique individual memento
  • 10 votes on the final cover
Reserve, $948
Limited to 50 copies

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Before you ask

Questions people have

Founding Reader copies ship first, ahead of general release. Early Bird and Standard copies ship together on release day. Exact date is confirmed by email once the presale closes.

All presale tiers include the hardcover. An ebook and audiobook edition will be available separately at general release.

Presale reservations can be refunded any time before the book ships. Reach out and it's handled, no questions asked.

Yes. Fifty-five minutes, one on one, scheduled after your copy ships.

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