The Silver Axolotl. Short Story Collection

About the reverse side of reality and the real world, which is far more terrifying than the beyond. “Xolotl is a dog-headed demon in Aztec mythology, the patron of ugly things and monsters, a guide to the world of the dead. According to one of the ancient legends, at the beginning of time Xolotl mated with the Ice Salamander—able to remain in fire without burning—and also with the Fiery Fish—able to set the sea on fire. And the three of them produced a child who became immortal, because when it dies it does not die, but is reborn into something else. One day Xolotl’s child will get hungry and turn into the one who will devour the whole world—and after a series of epidemics and wars, the end times will come.” According to the ancient Aztec calendar, the end times will happen this year. Anna Starobinets is called the queen of horror for her dark anti-utopias for adult readers. Everyone familiar with magical realism knows her work, and some critics believe it’s she who begins the tradition of a new Russian horror. The author herself says she uses fantasy only to tell more precisely about the terrible things hidden inside us.