The Wicked Force

22 hrs. 15 min.

Language Russian

Author Elizaveta Dvoretskaya

Narrator Natalya Belyaeva

Description

At the beginning of the 13th century on Novgorod land, a former sorcerer Kupriyan—now a respectable master—found on his field a stone idol that seemed to be striving to emerge from oblivion. Soon Lake Igor washed ashore a coffin containing a young maiden of extraordinary beauty, though dead—she looked as if she were alive. This mysterious maiden, still lying in the coffin, became the cause of many frightening events in the surrounding area. Kupriyan had to return to his craft as a sorcerer; his niece Ustinya set a complicated condition for suitors, not believing it would be fulfilled, and the blacksmith Demka went into the forest on the most dangerous night. In this story, an ancient legend intertwines with new Russian realities, a seductive demoness that chooses her victim, and a love triangle in which one side is not alive—but pulls the others along with her. An unusual love between “beauty and the monster” surprises everyone, even the couple themselves. Popular Orthodox beliefs connect Christian and pagan elements, and local legends of Lake Igor, searches for treasures, ancient secrets, spirits, and werewolves are reflected in the narrative. This is a continuation of the novel “The Omen of the Serpent,” but with a separate plot—and it can be read independently.