Vita Nostra

A Novel

By: Sergey Dyachenko, Marina Dyachenko, Julia Meitov Hersey - translator

Narrated by: Jessica Ball

The definitive English-language translation of the internationally best-selling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman), combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.

Our life is brief....

While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.

As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it’s the only place she should be. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.

As she quickly discovers, the institute’s "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences that are nothing she has ever dreamed of...and suddenly all she could ever want.

A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction - brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey - is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.

©2013 Sergey Dyachenko and Marina Shyrshova-Dyachenko; translation © 2013 Julia Meitov Hersey (P)2018 HarperAudio

A great book.

Great character development with an amazing story. I hope there is another book they shows the progression of the main character.

Enjoy the ride

Just enjoy the ride of this story and don’t get too bogged down in what the heck happened at the end.

In the begining was the word

This is a brilliant fever dream of a novel. We meet Sasha as a 16 year old who lives with her Mum, loves swimming and wants to be a philologist when she grows up. Which is appropriate because fate, in the form of a man who wears dark glasses, seems impervious to time and will never ask her to do anything “impossible” takes her by the throat and shoves her toward her destiny, which is all about the words.

This intricate mind bending book is very well written and well read. Fair warning. There is a magical school, but it’s not Hogwarts by a long shot and a “grown up Harry Potter” this is not.

Somewhat enchanting, tedious at times

Overall, this book is okay. I do like the everyday life feel of it, even though Sasha’s life is anything but ordinary. At first, the plot of Sasha entering a mysterious school was intriguing. However the endless parts with Sasha doing impossible mental exercises got realllllly boring. I’m just meh about this book. The narrator was really nice; she has a beautiful voice and managed to make each male character’s voice distinct.

This book is astonishing!

I rarely write reviews but this book was very well narrated and it was deep and powerful. I enjoyed it immensely. The story is fascinating and will stay with you for a good long time. The lead character literally transforms herself in the story. My deepest thanks to the author and the narrator for a book well done!

Non-human intelligence

Stunning. Possibly the most convincing depiction of non-human intelligence I've ever seen, and one of the most original and thought-provoking novels I've read in a long time. A girl is sent to a school where she is trained to transcend the limits of her mind and lose her humanity.

Translation was very smooth and gorgeously written, and did not feel like a translation at all. Narration was great too, though it was a bit odd that the narrator had a British accent when the book has been translated into US English.

(Side note: One of the reviews claims that the philosophy of this book is based on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. I have to say that I disagree with that reviewer: I don't see that this book has anything at all to do with this [outdated] linguistics theory. While language does play a big part in the book, it's not any kind of human language.)

Fascinating Science Fiction

I'm not usually one for academy books, School subjects often feel the same. however, the world of Vita nostra is a dark but endlessly inquisitive and fascinating story that is told from a perspective of someone who has no idea what's going on until she does. these authors are brilliant in their delivery, this story is asking us, the readers, to think in the abstract and recontextualize our perceptions of reality. personally, I am someone who does better with visuals so my imagination is often left in a vague sense of what is being talked of rather than having a clear understanding of the picture that is being painted. that being said, I love these characters, there is such a real understanding of authority and what it feels like to be in a box with authority constantly making choices around you. I want to read the next book, I am attached to the story that Sasha is enduring, and I hope she comes out triumphantly.

Refreshingly Mysterious

The author keeps you in the dark and makes you earn everything on your own. Every character is a fully fleshed out human… until they aren’t. At last a book written for non-idiots to experience.

What in the world did I just read?

Weird. I actually liked it for the most part and the never-ending confusion had a nice steady build up in my brain, but the confusion was literally never-ending. I was left with more questions than answers and the ending wasn't enough for me. I can't say I didn't like it, but it was *weird* beginning to end.

Low stakes, slice of life, neo-Platonist fantasy

This book was exactly what I was looking for when I went searching for a slice of life fantasy novel. It's a beautiful and intense story of personal stakes and individual revelation which weaves elegantly together themes of a worldly importance and the narrative of a very small and individual experience.

The presence of neo platonic structures in the magic system was an unexpected and welcome surprise. I've not before seen a magic system grounded in real world philosophy so well handled.