The Rusalka

by DeAnna Knippling

Vlad keeps so many secrets that they surround him like a cloak of mist: one secret hides another, protects another. He’s a gay man in Volgograd, Russia…and a drug dealer…and a vedmak, a witch, who can release the souls of the dying, if they wish it.


His secrets keep him safe…until he meets a rusalka, an undead water spirit who drowns the men who get too close to her, and has to face the terrible truth she brings...

ebook

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

DeAnna Knippling is a professional freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor. She has a browser history full of murder, gore, and Victorian street maps. She writes across many genres, but has a soft spot for all things crime, horror, and gothic. Her latest book is the Gothic horror novel The House Without a Summer. You can find her in Colorado with her husband and daughter, on her website at www.WonderlandPress.com, or on Facebook.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gritty side of Volgograd fits this dark fantasy about a man with a talent for death. For Vlad (it's just a name, not a vampire reference), his talent isn't one that leads to much in the way of rubles, so he has both a legit job and a side gig selling drugs. His dream is that he can rake together enough cash for he and his lover to escape their grim reality and start over in another place. Knippling bases her story on Slavic folklore (a nice change of pace from the Celtic stuff), but Vlad's mundane world turns out to have monsters as nasty as any in his darkest dreams. This fantasy/horror blends both genres and genders, and is a nice one-sitting read with real chills.

[Shannon Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern take on a tale most (including me) won't have heard of before. Characters are interesting, details well placed, and the pacing is good. New supernaturals, rather than the same tired ones rewritten over and over. Felt authentic.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curious Tale of Mother Russia

This is a different story from Knippling's usual, but I found it fascinating in that difference. Strange characters out of folklore that I've never come across before. Great read!