Annotation:
What lies beneath the plaster, sidewalks and roads, or even beneath entire cities? Well-known Czech writers across genre and non-genre literature have been inspired by the mystery of cities, their nooks, chimneys and sewers, legends and powerful magic. Care to stop in Rome? Get lost in the streets of contemporary Krakow or post-apocalyptic London, walk through Barcelona in a dream, or visit the cosmic Lamaris? And what about home soil? How many traps are hidden in Pardubice, Prague, Frýdek-Místek, or how little does it take for Brno to devour you – and quite literally? One step and walks through the city will never be the same again!
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A beautiful collection of urban fantasy that I have loved for years now.
I liked some stories more, others didn't appeal to me as much, but that's how it goes with anthologies.
Each story has a foreword, which were great.
The city as the main attribute is conceived here in all sorts of forms.
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The stories I liked most:
The horror Česká mlátička (Czech Brawl), which takes us to an extraordinary match in an unusual place with a perfectly dosed oppressive atmosphere, was one of my top picks.
After Dutý Septagon (The Hollow Septagon), I now look at chimneys and chimney sweeps differently.
The preserving jars that gradually piece the whole story together for us.
Pan Twardowski, bursting at the seams with urban legends, was amazing.
I enjoyed Zakantum incredibly. A tale of an ancient island city prospering thanks to the black oil that wells up from the mountain. The origin of the oil is known only to a chosen few, who ignore the warnings and remain reckless. The recurring earthquakes may not be caused only by the volcano. Perhaps something entirely different is awakening, something far darker.
Tyhle věci neexistujou (These Things Don't Exist) - a great urban fantasy in which the main heroine searches for her lost brother and may find something completely different.
My favorite was the story Slečna Místek a pan Frýdek (Miss Místek and Mr. Frýdek) about a rivalry where so little is enough to end the feud.
Rating: 5*/5
34📚/2023
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