Deathless

By: Catherynne M. Valente

Narrated by: Kim de Blecourt

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to Western European culture: a menacing, evil figure, the villain of countless stories that have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the 20th century.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way, there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

©2011 Catherynne M. Valente (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Mixed Feelings

Deathless is beautifully written, but it came off as too distant and unfeeling for me to connect to, despite my best efforts. So many of the characters' motivations and choices depend on their love for one another... but I didn't ever see evidence of that love. Perhaps this is due to personal bias, as I recognize that I am a big fan of the "show, don't tell" style of storytelling and Deathless feels far more narratively distant from its characters. While that tone evokes the style of old folklore tales, it didn't make it enjoyable for me. I nearly gave up on it a few times (which I almost never do with audiobooks) but kept pushing through, hoping that something would make me feel connected to these characters.

great book, poor choice of narrator

This is a well-written, beautifully evocative story. The narrator is a poor fit. She mispronounces the name of one of the birds (this is important to the story) and her midwest twang-y accent is jarring given the setting in Russia.

Wow! What a read!

This was such a different read! so unlike anything I've ever read before and it left me breathless. This is the first book by Catherynne that I've had the pleasure of reading but I hope to read her other ones.

I think you'll greatly enjoy this one if you like folktales, mystical & gothic writing.

I also completely recommend the audiobook because the novel has so many words that I would have mispronounced otherwise.

Beautiful and sad

What did you love best about Deathless?

This is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful and sad pieces of writing that I have ever read, and I hope everyone else loves it as much as I did.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The character of Baba Yaga was with out a doubt my favorite character in this book. She is crass and powerful and wise and sarcastic. Everything that you would expect from an immortal sorceress that has lept from the pages of Russian myth.

I really wanted to like it...

I know this novel was intended to play on traditional folk tales, but it really did not translate to a full length book. Folk tales rely on repetition (series of 3s) and one-dimensional characters (defined by one exaggerated characteristic). That works in short tales. But in a long tale, centered on a theme of suffering and toying with conflicting relationships, it drags the story down. I found myself irritated with the main character's melancholia because I simply did not care about her. I really wanted to like this book, and stuck with it to the end mainly due to the beautiful prose, but it never delivered.

The World Is A Slow Learner

I loved Deathless. I don't give it the highest rating because it was perfect. There were parts that seemed vague and difficult to follow. Thank God for the rewind function. I give it the highest rating because it sparked my imagination, captivated my mind, and engaged my curiosity way more than most fantasy novels have done this year. I will be studying Russian folklore because of this story. While this is fantasy, much of it strikes me as very "true". Deathless is also very funny. In a dark sort of way. I laughed out loud often. I suspect that Deathless is a story that I will revisit multiple times and gift often.

VERY Russian

The tone and style perfectly captures Russian fairy tales with modern pacing. It felt reminiscent of Gaiman's mythological writing, but with a powerful female voice and a deep, loving understanding of Russian culture and history.

Beautifully written and read, Russian fairy tale

I have been wanting to read this novel by Valente for sometime. She is one of my favorite authors; her writing style is so beautiful that it is like a work of high art. This book was as fantastic as her other books and I really enjoyed it.

I listened to this book on audiobook and it was beautifully done. The narrator did all the different accents and characters incredibly well. It was really a magical listen.

Marya Morevna is a young girl struggling through the troubles that visited Leningrad in the early to mid 1900’s. She watches sister after sister marry young men who were birds in trees before they dropped to the ground. Marya mourns that fact that she has no magic in her life and wonders whens a bird will turn into a young man for her. Then she gets her wish when Koschei the Deathless visits her front door and commands her obedience, kidnapping her as his wife. What follows is a tale of folklore and war; of Russia versus Germany and of Life versus Death.

This book is absolutely beautiful. Valente always writes scenes and descriptions that feel like they could jump off of the pages and come to life. The descriptions are lush and beautiful and dark and delicious.

I don’t know a lot about Russian mythology, but I know a lot more about reading this book. I also know a lot more about the horror of what the denizens of Leningrad went through especially during the Leningrad Blockade of the early 1940’s.

Marya is one of the most tragic and heroic heroines I have ever read about. She goes through so many transformations in this story. She is the young girl trying to see magic in a bleak world, a young maiden waiting for her groom, a seasoned wife supporting her husband’s war, an adultress, an old woman. She is the Queen of Life and the victim of death. Really she is amazing.

Koshay is also fascinating. In the beginning he is such an overwhelming character to Marya, until she gets to understand him better. He is cruel and he is the Tsar of Life, yet he is restricted by his own mythology and his own Deathless status.

As with many of Valente’s book some of the ideas are ambiguous and time is fluid. The book is quite the journey and I can say by the end I felt I had traveled years with Marya and suffered with her.

The biggest downside of this book is all of the Russian terms and names. They are beautiful but very hard to follow for a non-Russian speaker. Part of this might have been the fact that I listened to this book instead of read it, but I had a lot of trouble keeping some of the names straight in the beginning of the book. This might have been easier if I had seen the words instead of heard them.

Overall an absolutely stunning read and highly recommended. There is so much in here about life and death and about war and love. Just so much food for thought. Not to mention it is an absolutely beautifully written story. I also enjoyed learning about all of the history behind the Leningrad Blockade, it was so sad and I glad that it’s story is told here. Highly recommended to everyone and especially to Valente fans.

What a masterpiece!

This is one of those rare moments where I am finding it really hard to express how much I loved this book because there are too many reasons. I will attempt to cover a phew in this review, but I hope that by the time you finish this sentence you are already listening to the Deathless, and the rest won't matter.

The author paints 3 worlds with surrealistic mastery. The characters a delightfully dark, funny, touching, and memorable. The narrator is the best I have heard; I forgot at some point that she was only one person telling the story. The embroidery of Russian fairy tales and Russia's history provides depth to the narrative. This is the story of a character coming into their own agency. The saddest sweetest thing you will read.

Really, why are you still reading my review. Put on your war paint and click on the purchase button, Baba Yaga is waiting for you.

The author's prose

Epic storytelling using myth, folklore and non-linear plotlines to tell a story about Russia from the late 19th through Stalinist era. Valentine's heroines are always complex, community emerges as the strongest life force, and philosophical insights emerge from unexpected places.