Deathless

I usually only write reviews for books that have a strong impact on me, be it positive or negative. Although I love Catherynne Valente's writing, this particular book had me going both ways.Part One, I loved. It drew me in with its prose and magic that all good fairy tales should embody. Part two, on the other hand, had me wanting to throw the book as far as I could. Being that it was on my Kindle, I thought that a bad idea.Time had passed with no background of what had happened during that time. Characters were introduced as if the reader knew who and what they were. Despite that, I felt drawn to them, but still thoroughly confused.The third part introduces Ivan, a prominent name in Russian lore, whether he be a fool or a prince. In this case I think that although he was apparently handsome and charming as a prince should always be, he was also quite the fool.At this point, I went in search of my book of Russian fairy tales to acquaint myself with the tales that this book was based on. I found both tales of Koschei as well as different variations of Ivan. This was very helpful, and I dove back into the book with better understanding. A few things stood out for me. It seem s that in many fairy tales, things happen in three's. There were several instances of this in "Deathless". Three sisters, three birds, three tasks, three wars (not sure about that one) and three lives.There was war in Leningrad. There was war in Koschei's world. A war in which Viy was winning. There is no war in Viy's world. There, those who have surrendered to death can 'live' anew in peace and suffer no more. Marya finds love with both Ivan and Koschei, but there is not happiness. In both worlds there is destruction and a different type of suffering. There is famine in Leningrad and feasts in Koschei's world. In both there are chains, both real and figurative.Finishing "Deathless", Catherynne writes of her husband telling her the story of Marya Morevna. I went back to my book of Russian fairy tales and sure enough, there was one about her. Reading that, I could see the mirroring of lore and novel.I am always in awe of Valente's writing. Her words are lyrical and knowledge immense. I might have only given it three stars if it were not for this, as it was confusing. If it had not been for that, I would have given it five. A book is good if it leaves the reader thinking about it for some time. A book is great if the reader is not only thinking about, but striving to know more.

Oh my God. If I could give this six stars, I would. I have craved a retelling of Koschei the Deathless' story, and this hits every note and then some - with all the notes of folklore and myth and all the brutal pathos of historical fiction. In brilliant and gorgeous prose and with note-perfect cultural references, this is unmissable. The shadow and bone series is skim milk next to the rich cream of this tale. I might read it again soon. Cat Valente just became one of my new fave authors.

If you are partial to fairy tales that are dark and slightly twisted then Deathless may be up your alley. I have a fondness for the Slavic deities Marzanna and Chernobog due to nerdy reasons I won't get into on here. A friend knows of this and when she discovered this book, told me about it. It looked interesting so I downloaded it on my Kindle and added it to my "soon to read" list.When I did begin to read the book I was immediately mesmerized by it from the very first paragraph. The description was so strong that I could smell the woodsmoke, see the bare apple trees, and feel the autumn breeze. But it got better after that, I was plunged into this entire world of creatures I had never heard much of and a few only occasionally on TV shows. Baba Yaga I've heard a ton about but the other creatures, spirits and demons... not so much.But that didn't matter. I was head over heels into this story and sinking fast. But I didn't fight off the clutches of this book, I wanted more. And yet... yet it was something special and while I typically will read a book just about anywhere that was not the case with Deathless. I had to read it somewhere special and that's just what I did. I took it to a garden, rich with color and life that seemed not quite as gloomy as where the characters lived in the book. I took it to a sculpture garden and read it there, then inside a museum, then (and my most favorite location) my bed next to the open window.This is a book like the gritty fairy tales that I remember as a kid. The ones that aren't all that nice when you come to think of it but as a child you may be frightened or just oblivious to how cruel the creatures in the story can be. As an adult, and this is an adult book mind you, you see all the cruelties these creatures can create. They don't live by our morals or rules and it makes for a damn good story.Marya Morevna, the girl in the window who watches the bird, is innocent, smart, and generally sweet when Koschei the Deathless comes to take her for his bride. She, who has always seen the "naked world" and wondered of it's splendor and magic, is eager and excited. Here is her chance to escape her home and be taken away! Still, things are never so simple or easy.Koschei is cruel and demanding but despite all of this he slowly falls into the grasp and power of Marya. This is truly felt when Marya returns home, taking his destruction with it. Every moment in this book you are being twisted and turned and spun around. If you don't pay enough attention, it's very easy to get lost.It's written in the style of most fairy tales as I said but it should be noted about the repetition of different scenes which are commonly used. Never assume something will happen because the other options are unbelievable; everything is possible in this world. Now, I know next to nothing about Slavic deities and demons and Russian folktales so this book could be very far off from what it's meant to be interpreted from. But after browsing around for reviews it seems that the few people who do seem knowledgeable of these stories are quite impressed with this book.When I buy a book for my Kindle I will typically read it and even if I love it, stash it away in my "read" file and move on. With Deathless I actually went to Amazon and bought myself a printed copy. I wanted it for myself, to cherish and hold and read. This way I can lay in bed with the book and enjoy it at home but I can always go to the Kindle version and mark up the multiple quotes I find so beautiful. I'm not huge on the highlighting tool on my Kindle but I just couldn't stop with this book."A skeleton, always, embraced her first, and then remembered to be a man."How beautiful is that? Aside from completely falling in love with this book and wanting to read it again and again, the author has impressed me and I fully intend on trying her other books. I just feel that in the case of Deathless it may very well become one of my favorite books and only another powerful read will be able to remove it from that place.

I loved the first half of this book. I love the Winternight Trilogy, and this book reminded me of it. It held so much promise, retelling the story of Koschei and Deathless and Marya Morevna in a new way. But as the story went on (once Ivan arrived) it felt like more and more of a slog to get through it. As other reviewers have said, the plot got lost under the prose. It became grim and dark and pessimistic, and I understand that much of that has to do with its setting. But it felt like there was no redemption. No light at the end to make it feel like the slog was worth it. I'm still not quite sure what this book was supposed to be about.

I don't really think I'll do this book justice with a review, but I'll do my best. I feel that words of any type are not enough to express what I have felt, feel and will forever feel for Deathless and its characters.First of all, this is a dark fairy-tale. Russian folklore combined with history. Strictly villains who do not care to be redeemed and, to be honest, it's perfect this way. Yes, I'm all for the villain that can be redeemed by the end of the story, but in this case, all the immoral, depraved and WTF things are just... a part of the story, a part of the characters and their journey.Marya Morevna is a mortal who falls in love with an immortal, Koschei and, as he takes her as his wife and to his kingdom - here's the fairy-tale and folklore part - all the above mentioned immoral, depraved and WTF moments happen, the story starts unfolding.For three days I have lived in this world created by Ms. Valente. For three days, I have breathed her words. Nothing else mattered. It consumed me and I missed being consumed by a book this way. I absolutely loved everything about it and am very thankful for a fellow book friend for recommending it. 5+++ stars.

Its a beautifully written book but frankly I didn't have a clue what on earth it was really about and what the hell was going on half the time. I'm sure its very clever but it went right over my head. I can't say I didn't enjoy it as it was one of those books that's just nice to read ( some aren't) but I was glad to finish it. Oh well....worth a go I guess but not a keeper.

What a dark and beautiful story! Absolutely swept away by such wild imagination about life and death, love and despair, how we view life as children and how we eventually see our world as it really is as adults. This fantasy world is something we can all relate to, whether some of us are waiting for a bird to fall from a tree and turn into a handsome man to marry you, or the tsar of life to kidnap you and whisk you to a far away land where everything is alive and vibrant, or where you are constantly trying to find meaning or purpose in your life, a realisation of what you actually want. Then there is also the idea of death, to fear it and want to fight to be alive...or accept it as part of life and see the beauty in death as well. Poignant and haunting. Come bahbuska, let us drink vodka and hunt the fire bird, let us reminisce the loves, the deaths and the magic that surrounded us!

The story uses Russian fairy tales as a launch point, but in saying that there is nothing cosy here. The telling is confident enough to draw you along some quite bizarre routes without over explaining or over describing, which in the main keeps the plot moving at a pace, and I felt a kind of recognition of characters which must be due to the use of some universal archetypes. Towards the end I felt the story loses a little of the direction, but nonetheless it held up a a very thought provoking book. There are some beautiful pieces of writing in this book, for these alone it is well worth the money.

Marya Morevna is one tough heroine. She's a dreamer, a surviver, a lover, a fighter. She's the perfect match for Koschei the Tzar of Life. Let's talk about Koschei... wow, I was completely in awe of him and his kingdom. He's not like any man you'll ever find in a book. His emotions were so extreme that sometimes he was scary... but he could be sweet too. There's a scene where he takes care of Marya when she's sick that made me smile, he was so tender, so careful, so different from the scene where he bites her lip and makes her bleed... Wonderful book, a mix of Russian folklore and modern times (early 20th century).