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One of our favourite questions here on the Fantasy Hive: which fantastical creature would you ride into battle and why? Kate’s Rating 6: I liked Yaga as a protagonist and I liked the way Gilmore subverted Russian myth and folklore, but it felt ambling at times, and I think I would have gotten more if I were more familiar with the mythology. Gilmore’s immersive prose steeps readers in this wonderfully epic folktale full of magic and myth.” – Library Journal (starred review) And always, the males of whatever species ended up being the baddies. The problem? Not all women are good, not all men are evil and making it so is not only feminist revenge porn, it also makes the characters flat. Not to mention that Baba Yaga was unapologetic. She punished and she teased. She wasn't evil, not exactly, but she also didn't give out freebies. Why should she have?! Wishes or magical remedies ... they cost. As they should. And just because there IS a witch living in "your" woods doesn't mean she HAS to help you. Gilmore does for the infamous Baba Yaga what Madeline Miller did for Circe…allow a traditionally ‘villainous’ woman to take control of the narrative and tell her own story.” - BookWyrm
When I started the book in the fall of 2018, I wasn’t specifically writing to current events. Rather, I was focused on the time period and my portrayal of Ivan and his rule as I saw them. After all, Russian history is peppered with autocratic rulers who frequently oppressed their people–with a realpolitik way of ruling that some historians believe was a result of centuries of Mongol occupation. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Ivan’s character and rule has taken on a deeper meaning, and a new kind of relevancy. It is more important than ever to tell these stories from the past and to reveal parts of Russian history the Western world may not know to illuminate the present, to help understand and give context to the tragedy unfolding in the region today, even in some small way. The Witch and the Tsar delivers high stakes, memorable characters, and a sixteenth-century Russia you can almost reach out and touch. Yaga’s tale is a story I never knew I needed.” This is a time of transition in Russia, when the old gods were being replaced by the Christian invader. But local loyalties were sometimes with the old and sometimes with the new. Yet, the old gods were still actively interfering in human activities. Getting a look at such a tumultuous period in Russian history is one of the bonuses of this book. In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men. Combining myth and history, this book is for anyone who enjoys retellings, especially one that gives voice to maligned characters.” - The Young FolksAs she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine. A necessary component of this evolution is for readers to move on from their entrenched notions of what these female characters should be and envision what they could be . There are some readers who have questioned why I chose to portray Baba Yaga the way I have, lamenting the fact that all they wanted was the hag they know from folklore. But isn’t this a reflection of the same notions and beliefs that we have been taught to embrace since we were children? As the tagline for my book says, “Sometimes the true story is cloaked in lies to hide its power.” An utterly enchanting, wholly immersive debut that deftly reimagines the legend of Baba Yaga. This one is unmissable” - Alexis Henderson, author of THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING After I read Andreas Johns’s Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale, I learned that the Baba Yaga we know is an invention of the fairy tales written and disseminated in the nineteenth century—mostly by men. Some believe that before Christianity arrived in Russia, Baba Yaga had been a fertility and earth goddess worshipped by Slavic pagans. She may even have been a version of or a descendant of the deity Mokosh herself. Ivan Bilibin, Baba Yaga, illustration in 1911 from “The tale of the three tsar’s wonders and of Ivashka, the priest’s son” (A. S. Roslavlev)
However, Yaga soons find out that the tsarina's enemy is a formidable one, has deep knowledge of the supernatural and it's about more than Yaga's childhood friend.
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As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth-century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine. Begrudgingly, Yaga goes with her to the palace, meets the tsar, the courtiers - and the tsar's adviser who is none other than Koshei the Deathless.
Serena’s Rating 6: If you haven’t read much Russian fantasy folklore, this might appeal to you. But there are better examples out there that left this one feeling uncomfortably derivative at times. Expertly drawing from Russian history and mythology, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore transforms Baba Yaga into a complex heroine, whose quest to save her country sparkles with folk magic and supernatural intrigue. A powerful, original story.” Berkley Publishing Group – Ace and Olesya Salnikova Gilmore provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for September 20, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine. And yet, The Witch and the Tsar, written by a Russian and thus presumably above accusations of cultural appropriation and racist stereotypes and Russophobia, is really no different in this sense. A) fierce, historically rich reimagining…full of complicated, three-dimensional women well beyond its titular heroine.” - Paste MagazineExpertly drawing from Russian history and mythology, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore transforms Baba Yaga into a complex heroine, whose quest to save her country sparkles with folk magic and supernatural intrigue. Apowerful, original story.”—Mary McMyne, Author of The Book of Gothel
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