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The definitive English-language translation of the internationally best-selling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman) , combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way. Our life is brief.... While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin. As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels its the only place she should be. Against her mothers wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education. As she quickly discovers, the institutes "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences that are nothing she has ever dreamed of...and suddenly all she could ever want. A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction - brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey - is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossmans The Magicians, Max Barrys Lexicon, and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds. Read more AMAZON.COM REVIEW An Amazon Best Book of November 2018: If Hogwarts was in Russia instead of Great Britain, if failing your O.W.L. exam meant death to family members, and if learning how to bend reality might deform your brain and physical body ... well, Harry Potter wouldnt make it past year one. Vita Nostra, a Russian urban fantasy novel, audaciously expands the concept of magic and philosophy well past their current comfortable doctrines. The strenuous, stressful lessons that Sasha Samokhina assimilates at the Institute of Special Technologies forces Sasha and her classmates to rethink their assumptions and break past mental barriers - even when the barrier is simply identifying as human. Reading Vita Nostra exposes just how complacent novels about magic have become as they evoke the tried-and-true magical systems based on inherited abilities, willpower, or enchanted items. As Sasha expands her vision of the world, so, too, the readers vision of fantasy literature expands. Vita Nostras ending doesnt have the tidy satisfaction I expect ... but perhaps that reveals how pigeonholed some of my own reading expectations continue to be. - Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Originally published in Russian, this modern fantasy follows Sasha Samokhina as she is unwillingly recruited and forced to attend the mysterious Institute of Special Technologies. The teachings seem nonsensical, and failure comes at a high cost, sometimes resulting in the untimely death of a close relative. Through fear and coercion, the students learn at an accelerated speed, unlocking secrets to higher human potential and beyond. The lyrical writing will appeal to those who favor magical realism, and the college atmosphere grounds the novel in the real world. Readers will look forward to the next installment of this fascinating, strange tale. Recommended to fans of Lev Grossmans The Magicians and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries serving fantasy-loving mature teens.-Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FLα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. REVIEW The Dyachenkos deftly create a supernatural environment without using magic, spells, or potions. Recommended for readers who appreciate the intensity of student bonding in extreme situations. --Library Journal A book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre. -- Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author" While a magical school is a familiar trope, Harry Potter this is not. Dark and foreboding, this fantasy, translated from Russian, is more of philosophical treatise on growing up and the nature of reality than an adventure tale. Readers willing to challenge themselves and slowly digest this deep book will enjoy it immensely. --BOOKLIST An unnerving, deeply philosophical coming-of-age tale...Herseys translation is plain and straightforward, a wise choice that enhances the deep strangeness of this trippy, vivid novel. --Publishers Weekly This dark, ambitious, and intellectually strenuous novel will feel like a fresh revelation to fantasy readers glutted with Western wish-fulfillment narratives. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) FROM THE BACK COVER The definitive English-language translation of the internationally bestselling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way Our life is brief . . . While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerles
About the Author
Marina and Sergey Dyachenko -- co-authors of novels, short fiction, plays and scripts. They write in Russian and Ukrainian languages with several novels soon to be published in translation in the United States. The primary genres of their books are modern speculative fiction, fantasy, and literary tales.Visit their website at:http://www.dyachenkowriters.com/