The Fate of Cranes: A Soviet Folk Horror Novella

by Jonathan Merican

December 1961. The Soviet Urals. Four men head into the mountains to hunt hare and stretch the rations the Union provides: a hunter raised in the snow, a factory worker whose grievances against the Union are growing dangerous to voice, a one-eyed veteran of Stalingrad, and a young Komsomol member whose faith has never been tested. In the silence under the pines, they become caught in a tightening web of mistrust — of one another, of the State that has shaped each of their lives, and of something older still, gathering at the edges of the trees. A standalone novella of Soviet folk horror, for readers of Michelle Paver and Adam Nevill.

153 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2026

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in two minds with The Fate of Cranes. On one hand, Jonathan wrote some really compelling characters with realistic, deep emotions. On the other hand, the story itself dragged in several places.

Let's start with the characters. Johnathan mastered the paranoid, distristful atmosphere that I would expect from a Soviet era setting. Vanya and Dima's slowly deepening paranoia towards each other was so well-written and believable, especially once the thread finally snapped and paranoia turned into outright accusations.

However, the story itself seemed to drag. There were some super tense moments that would then get lost in a lot of exposition and it muddled the emotion for me. A couple of the flashback scenes, while certainly cool, didn't necessarily add a whole lot and took me out of what was happening in the present. It made it hard for me to keep invested when the writing was already pretty exposition heavy in the first place without adding flashback time jumps.

The ending was really confusing to me also. I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from it or what the meaning of everything was. I feel like I had more questions without any way to get answers and it left me more frustrated than satisfied in the end.

Overall, it was an interesting read. I'm not real familiar with Soviet folklore and maybe that's where my disconnect is, but I had a bit of a hard time with it.

[RavenReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good novella, especially when it combines historical folk horror with a country, culture, and time period I know relatively little about. One of my favorite things about reading is discovering the folklore and folk tales of other cultures, and the Soviet era is a particularly fascinating setting for me. Give me an unfamiliar place, some deeply unsettling folklore, and a creeping sense of dread, and I am absolutely here for it.

The Fate of Crows is beautifully written and manages to pack a surprising amount into such a short page count. Merican creates an atmosphere that is genuinely creepy, drawing out the tension and letting the horror build rather than rushing toward the payoff. This is definitely a slow burn, but the novella format works in its favor. The pacing never became an annoyance for me; instead, the gradual buildup made the whole experience increasingly unsettling. There’s something especially effective about folk horror rooted in a specific historical and cultural context, where even the folklore itself feels like a doorway into a world you’re still learning to understand.

Trigger warning: animal death.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Jonathan Merican for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Teri Moore Stover · Rating 5 out of 5]

The harsh winter setting and the remote Soviet wilderness created such an immersive atmosphere that I felt completely transported into the story. 
What impressed me most was how much depth was packed into such a short book. The tension between the characters was just as compelling as the supernatural elements, and I found myself increasingly invested in their fears, suspicions, and choices. The horror unfolds gradually, but when it takes hold, it lingers. 
I also loved how the historical setting felt integral to the story rather than simply serving as a backdrop. The combination of folk horror, psychological tension, and the weight of life in the Soviet Union made this feel fresh and memorable. Atmospheric, unsettling, and beautifully crafted.

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with the second half being unputdownable! Enjoyed it a lot

[Laurie Blacklock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book. It's a gripping read from start to finish