Let’s meet these three
There is a Kingdom without a name, in which there is Grodzisko on Lake Straszyn. And there are: Zamir, a limping old man with a wooden limb who is an executioner, Strzebor, a skinny boy who is afraid of his own shadow, especially adventures, and Mora, who does not mince words, and many want to drown her, mistaking her for Marzanna. And it may seem that they will never meet for a long time, they have nothing in common with each other, no interests. Until they have to join forces in a common cause, the sense of which they do not fully know, as well as the goal and the path that is best to follow. All the time they will be guided by the prophecy of the call and the help of a mute boy, who are to be the key to recovering Jarowit’s shield, saving the house and ending winter.
Was there something new?
It can be said that the main plot takes place over a period of about two days, which gives quite a short time, but the author made an attempt to supplement the mainstream of the novel with Stories and Anecdotes. It gave the reader the right to choose whether he wants to get to know them while learning the content (there are appropriate links) or after getting to know the whole thing. I decided on the first version because they enrich the content in an interesting way, and additionally provide variety when too much is going on. I must also mention that they do not cause confusion, they only complement the content. In my opinion, the treatment proposed by the author is innovative and really worthy of attention.
Whole cream
The trinity created by Puzyńska is quite a peculiar and unusual combination, and as they eventually undertake joint action, it shocked me quite a bit. In addition, they are doing quite well! Strzebor quietly dreams of interesting adventures, military journeys, but his posture leaves much to be desired, and fear of everything does not make it any easier. Over the course of the plot, it turns out that he has more importance for the trip than you might think, and his straightforwardness touches the heart and you just can’t dislike him. It is a bit different with Zamir, who scares him off with his appearance and lust for money, but it turns out that it is a facade hiding his true self. Distance and sarcasm are his weapons. The author developed his character in a very interesting way. Mora is the last of the three, she is a woman who hides from drowning, who, for reasons known to her alone, decides to help the masters, risking exposure and death. Like Zamir, she has a sharp tongue and her approach to life is specific. However, it cannot be denied a specific charm, and I fell in love with her from the very beginning.
It’s a bit too much of everything in here
Puzyńska is doing really well as a crime novelist. Her next books have crowds of fans, and she herself pops up with a new title. In the case of fantasy, it is just crawling, and the beginning would be quite successful, if not for a few glitches. She focused so much on introducing Slavic mythology that it overwhelms her. References, phrases that are often confusing, new beings appearing more and more or a multitude of events take the pleasure of exploring. As if the author had too many ideas that she had to present to us at once.
It is no different with the combination of the old language and the modern one. One time yes, then another. As if Puzyńska could not decide which direction is better for Chąśba . There were also references to The Witcher Sapkowski, especially in the form of appearing monsters or Pratchett. I have a problem with the reception of Chąśba , because for the old experts on Slavic mythology and the literature based on it, the position seems not very complicated, even pale among the currently available proposals, but for those who are just entering the subject, it may be a bit too heavy and complicated.
And at the end…
After all, it is a book that I remember for a long time and I liked it. Interesting references to well-known works, interesting heroes or an unusual proposal to make decisions by the reader are certainly strong advantages of Purloin. There were also some disadvantages, and the entry of the author into the new genre did not turn out to be a full success, but it does not close the road, and even opens it up to new possibilities, because the beginning is not so bad.
