A breath of freshness
Łukasz Kucharczyk is a name rather little known on the Polish publishing market (yet!). The more he is pleased with his decision to debut in fantasy in a slightly changed convention. For I am sure that if the author had written a novel like many, it would have been lost in an ocean of similar stories. Grants and Dragons , however, bring a breath of fresh air. It is a skilful satire, the grotesqueness of which in places reminds me of the works of Andrzej Pilipiuk. Kucharczyk is great at such prose and I wish him further development in this direction. But what is the novel itself about?
Reality of University
We are moving into a world of which – at least at first glance – many. Monsters, dragons, heroes … Here, however, the legendary heroes are educated at the University of the Great Heroes. They attend battle cry seminars, learn about the habits of goblins, and spend their evenings in dormitories. The main character is the ambitious PhD student Cilgeran and his perpetually dissatisfied student, Mr. Rorty Pragmaticbuck. As you can guess from the name, the latter is a halfling. Our merry companions go through a series of adventures, each of which is related to a research grant, a task commissioned by the rector, a trip to a conference, and so on. What is also interesting is the fact that the greatest reward for the brave Cilgeran are … scholarship certificates. Despite this, the heroes encounter difficulties on their way,
Little, but concise
Minus? The book is short. Plus? Full content from the first to the last page. You can draw full references to popular culture from here! Every pop culture lover will not be able to peel the smile off his face, noticing the author’s successive winks at the recipient. A short trip to Narnia? Here you are! Or maybe the application of the witcher’s surprise law in practice? Sure why not! In addition to these literary references, an accurate reflection of reality will be noticed by everyone related in some way to the academic community. The senselessness of submitting grant applications or the eternal pursuit of certificates perfectly reflect the functioning of Polish universities – both from the perspective of a student and a researcher. Łukasz Kucharczyk skillfully and in a fun way showed what he does every day,
Narrative freedom
The plot is written with great zest. The freedom of narration is very impressive, especially considering that this is the author’s debut. Each chapter begins with a set of quotes that can give you an indication of what the coming story will be about. Example? An excerpt from a Lovecraft song announces that we are in for a stage about the coloring of horror. The Japanese poem allows you to guess that the monster from the country’s mythology will be waiting for the heroes. A delicate game with the recipient, and at the same time proof of the writer’s skill. Moreover, such a procedure may encourage readers to explore the works of literature cited by the author.
Artistic setting
I really liked the cover, prepared by Joanna Glenszczyk (illustrations). First of all, it shows that the artist has read the source material, which, unfortunately, is not always so obvious. Here, however, we get a very nice setting and closely related to the content of the book. Unfortunately, inside I came across a few printing imps and single typos. Of course, they do not spoil the reception of the novel in any way, but it is worth taking care of removing these slight shortcomings in the future.
A bow to pop culture
Grants and Dragons is parody of all the fantasy novels that have appeared in the minds of the audience so far. As if that were not enough, the book is also a satire on academic life and its everyday absurdities. Great respect for the author for the idea, creativity and impeccable execution. I am waiting for more, because here it is a bit too short – I feel unsatisfied!
