Scan barcode
A review by sanjastajdohar
A Town Called River by Igor Rendić
5.0
"Rijeka literally means ‘river’ in everyday Croatian. Growing up, it never seemed strange to me - only after we moved, and I was surrounded by other languages on a daily basis, did I realize it was like naming a town Forest or Hill without using an old-timey word to do it.”
4.5
These are the opening lines of the first instalment of the Slavic mythology urban fantasy saga (that's a lot of words!), written in English, so all of you can savor it! The Town Called River is a story about Paul, an expatriate who comes back to his hometown Rijeka (River) in Croatia, which also happens to be the town where I live!
Paul gradually discovers he’s a 'krsnik' - think witcher + werewolf, but born with it, not made magical by potions. He had no idea he was anything out of the ordinary until his grandma’s death triggered the transfer of those powers to him. Not only did he inherit those powers, but also her home with a few surprises in it, including his childhood friend Katrina who knows about the situation and is a friendly guide for him. The thing is, he wants no part of this. Plus, when it comes to using his powers efficiently, he’s no Geralt, to say the least.
What made this novel so interesting and entertaining is not only does it take place in my town, but also it draws from Slavic mythology and local mythology which have been so underappreciated. Also, as I said, Paul is no Geralt, he doesn’t know what to do and he just deals with all this like a faulty and confused human being, making it up as he goes, which brings about so much humor, but also so many threatening situations. It makes it believable and relatable.
Plus, the people and beings he meets are so colorful (Bowie is a gem and the late grandma Lena such a badass) and the adversary sometimes soooo frightening and eerie (finishing this in the middle of the night also wasn’t a great idea, but here we are).
The language and style could sometimes use more polishing (hence half a point less), but I’m so happy this novel exists and I’m excited to read more. Well done, Shtriga books!
P.S. We need some kind of an adaptation of this, movie, series, manga, what ever, we'll take it!
Can't wait to read book 2!
4.5
These are the opening lines of the first instalment of the Slavic mythology urban fantasy saga (that's a lot of words!), written in English, so all of you can savor it! The Town Called River is a story about Paul, an expatriate who comes back to his hometown Rijeka (River) in Croatia, which also happens to be the town where I live!
Paul gradually discovers he’s a 'krsnik' - think witcher + werewolf, but born with it, not made magical by potions. He had no idea he was anything out of the ordinary until his grandma’s death triggered the transfer of those powers to him. Not only did he inherit those powers, but also her home with a few surprises in it, including his childhood friend Katrina who knows about the situation and is a friendly guide for him. The thing is, he wants no part of this. Plus, when it comes to using his powers efficiently, he’s no Geralt, to say the least.
What made this novel so interesting and entertaining is not only does it take place in my town, but also it draws from Slavic mythology and local mythology which have been so underappreciated. Also, as I said, Paul is no Geralt, he doesn’t know what to do and he just deals with all this like a faulty and confused human being, making it up as he goes, which brings about so much humor, but also so many threatening situations. It makes it believable and relatable.
Plus, the people and beings he meets are so colorful (Bowie is a gem and the late grandma Lena such a badass) and the adversary sometimes soooo frightening and eerie (finishing this in the middle of the night also wasn’t a great idea, but here we are).
The language and style could sometimes use more polishing (hence half a point less), but I’m so happy this novel exists and I’m excited to read more. Well done, Shtriga books!
P.S. We need some kind of an adaptation of this, movie, series, manga, what ever, we'll take it!
Can't wait to read book 2!