A stupid coyote and a tormented vulture, or about how unfair deities can be – review of the book Szaman’s twist by Aneta Jadowska

When the long-awaited third volume of the shamanic series finally appeared on the market, on the one hand I was happy, and on the other hand, I broke down that this was the end. Did poor Witkac get his private happy ending?

After the initiation, Witkac’s life did not suddenly become easier. In fact, one might be tempted to say that it got worse, because the improved relationship with Vulture was forgotten, and the guardian deity began to disappear as a standard and ignore his duties. To make matters worse, there is Coyote and two monsters that have been created in the past. As life’s difficulties tend to multiply quickly, Witkacy (and his superior Aneta) lose their jobs, and the man’s teenage daughter begins to have her (at times dangerous) secrets again. The shaman does his best to make ends meet, but being a responsible parent is definitely at odds with being unemployed. Fortunately, a light of hope appears on the horizon – the man gets a private assignment. She is to find her long-lost sister,

American note

Just as the first volume was in my opinion a detective novel in the spirit of noir, and the second part was a metaphysical journey into oneself and into one’s relationships, the three turned out to be simply a roller coaster ride. This time the plot is set much more firmly on the ground, but in a topic that is closer to the USA than to Poland. Jadowska outlined the case in which the main fiddle is played by a sect led by a charismatic guru, gathering around him mainly women fascinated by him. Reading about this character and knowing the writer’s hobbies, I couldn’t help but feel that the figure of this man is to some extent based on the famous Charles Manson. As if that was not enough, the author of course wove magical elements into the events, which gave them an even more terrible tone, so the Shamanic twistin my opinion, this thread was close to a horror film. There were also fights, chases and situations on the verge of life and death, but it is not surprising when you know the earlier volumes of the shamanic series.

Even deity status can be mobile

The plot of the third volume is, in my opinion, more a book about the members of the entire Witkac team than about himself. Both fans of Vulture and Chicken should be pleased, as they also receive the status of narrators of individual parts of the story. Thanks to a few storytellers, the novel is even more complete. Showing perspectives gives us even more insight into the motivations and feelings of the heroes. We get to know a few new people in this book, and learn even more about the Coyote we’ve mentioned before. Witkac is still fantastically loyal and brave, Kurczaczek is ambitious and inventive, and Vulture is surprising. Even Anita – Witkac’s former superior – gets her role in the events, which should come as no surprise as the writer has already accustomed us to the fact that she always has a plan for each of her characters.

Office for unusual matters

A shamanic twist is a great novel that plays on our emotions. In three volumes, Jadowska told us so much about her characters and allowed us to accompany so many different scenes of their sadness or joy that it is simply impossible not to get attached to them. The ending definitely evokes a genre sadness – why is it already over? At the same time, after so many events, one secretly hopes that Witkac and the team will take a break from the next adventures at least for a while and simply enjoy their presence.

PS As a bonus, the book includes the story Hellish Spelling !