guilhermedamiati

The Secret History of Moscow reads like a fusion of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and American Gods, only set in Moscow and populated by Slavic deities. On the one hand I can't say that I'm much enamoured by any of our protagonists, which is not to say that they are not good characters. They are, in fact, rather well-written individuals with layers of personality and lots of spirit--I just happen not to like any of them. As always, I've fallen for the minor league players. It's doubly more fascinating when Sedia writes for them their own mini-biographies. What is more interesting than hearing about other peoples' lives--provided that they lived something worth listening to? Moscow itself is that rather well-used picture of a grey and used city. Its citizens seem to live on the edge or barely live at all; remembering either the glorious past or the bleakness of the present. It's something that's rather typical in Russian literature: from Tolstoy and Chekhov to Lukyanenko and his compatriots. It would be interesting, for once, and very out of the norm to read something about Russia that lacked the shadow of sadness evident in so much of its literature. I hover between a 3 and a 4 for this and finally decided to round up due to my sunny disposition. They should really through out some half stars.

2022-12-19 22:49