Since his birth in New York, those first several years growing up on the Russian Steppe passed rather quickly for young Misha Nikitin. Winters holed up in the city of Barnaul, or summers relaxing by the family dacha at the forest’s edge, created a bond between him and the land that was more traditionally Russian than he was yet to appreciate. But would it remain that way? Sandy Krolick is a natural-born storyteller. With Misha, he takes us on a ride that combines love, loss, mystery, and magic. We watch young Misha grow from childhood to maturity in a story that compels and captivates. Characters come to life, the pages turn rapidly, and the reader is thoroughly beguiled. This is Krolick’s most masterful novel to date. Lucy Bara Lettis The trials of Misha are those of modern society writ large . . . an ongoing struggle to preserve our basic humanity against forces that would otherwise abandon us. Misha was raised in and around the mountains and rivers of the Siberian Steppe, close to the foundation layer of our natural human condition. Will that early experience help him sustain an authentic life, one lived in equilibrium? That is the question each of us must answer for ourselves. Marvin Bram, Ph.D.