{"product_id":"vita-nostra-9780063054158","title":"Vita Nostra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Vita Nostra\" -- a cross between Lev Grossman's \"The Magicians\" and Elizabeth Kostova's \"The Historian\"  ...] is the anti-Harry Potter you didn't know you wanted.\" -- \u003cem\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eVita Nostra\u003c\/em\u003e has become a powerful influence on my own writing. It's a book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre, and I couldn't be more excited to see it get the global audience in English it so richly deserves.\" -- Lev Grossman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest Books of November 2018 -- \u003cem\u003ePaste \u003c\/em\u003eMagazine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe definitive English language translation of the internationally acclaimed Russian novel--a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOur life is brief . . .\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSasha Samokhina has been accepted to the Institute of Special Technologies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr, more precisely, she's been chosen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSituated in a tiny village, she finds the students are bizarre, and the curriculum even more so. 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, it is their families that pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 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 Grossman's \u003cem\u003eThe Magicians\u003c\/em\u003e, Max Barry's \u003cem\u003eLexicon\u003c\/em\u003e, and Katherine Arden's \u003cem\u003eThe Bear and the Nightingale\u003c\/em\u003e, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDyachenko:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eMarina And Sergey Dyachenko, a former actress and a former psychiatrist, are the coauthors of twenty-eight novels and numerous short stories and screenplays. They were born in Ukraine, lived in Russia, and now live in the United States. Their books have been translated into several foreign languages and awarded multiple literary and film prizes, including the 2005 Eurocon award for Best Author. They live in Marina Del Rey, California.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Voyager","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50606563098898,"sku":"9780063054158","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d13eb7e3-2bc5-4d46-9f62-de54914abaa6.jpg?v=1732296151","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/vita-nostra-9780063054158","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}