The town of Rijeka makes an appearance in many works of literature: some are set in it, some inspired by it, but rarely does it happen that the port city plays a major part in a fantasy novel.
Late last year, Croatian writer and translator Igor Rendić published a novel entitled ‘A Town Called River’, written in English to introduce international readers to the captivating local folklore. Described as an urban fantasy novel with a Slavic twist, the story follows the protagonist Paul as he returns to Rijeka after his grandmother’s passing and soon finds himself in the world of mythical beings, friendly and malevolent spirits.
To quote the synopsis:
‘Paul finds out he got more than he expected in terms of inheritance—way more than just a stuffy old apartment downtown.
The legacy of his grandmother’s work as a krsnik—a traditional magic user tasked with keeping the thin line between the humans and the things that prey on them—falls on his shoulders, threatening to change everything he thought he knew about life, the city he left behind so long ago, and himself.
As the line keeps getting thinner, it’ll soon be up to Paul, with help from some unexpected (and witchy) places, to prove worthy of his legacy while fighting for the city’s humanity, and trying not to lose his own along the way.’
The novel is the first part of a trilogy of the same name, with the author currently writing the second part set to be released in late 2022.
Interested? Head over to Shtriga publishing house to read the first chapter for free, available in epub, mobi and pdf formats.
The novel can be purchased as an e-book or paperback, the latter available on Amazon and Book Depository.
