Book Review: Age of Witches, by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko

A world of witches, the Inquisition, and nuclear warfare.

Amazon Digital Services, 2014 (originally published in Russian in 1997), 330 pages

Is it easy to be a witch? Who can, and more importantly, who would want to understand her: this evil otherworldly creature, the symbol of promiscuity and whimsy? The symbol of the Woman?

Is it easy to be the Great Inquisitor? Who can, and more importantly, who would want to understand him, a heartless executioner, carrying out the will of the Inquisition? What would happen if the souls of these two, as incompatible as ice and fire, come into contact?

The novel THE AGE OF WITCHES contains several winningly rare combinations: that of a thriller, detective and melodrama, Western traditions and Eastern European textures. The epic scope of events and tension go hand in hand with the intense psychological twister representing the characters’ inner lives. An element of mystery allows for a new approach to the ancient questions.

What makes the novel unique? The dense atmosphere of a modern city is invaded by the poetry of folk demonology. The characters abide by the cruel laws of nuclear society, and by those of a mythical world. This is a book about love, but also about the price of freedom, and the meaning of life. It is about what can save our world from being suffocated by contradictions and hate.

( 'Death to all things foul!' in this weird contemporary Russian urban fantasy. )

Verdict: Weird, a little bit wondrous, with interesting and complex but also confusing characters, Age of Witches also suffers from a sub-par translation. It's not my favorite novel by the Dyachenkos, but I still recommend this Ukrainian pair's work for all Western speculative fiction fans. 7/10.


Also by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko: My reviews of The Scar and Vita Nostra.

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