Vodnik

When Tomas was six, someone something tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States.

Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. Ready to drown him again and imprison his soul in a teacup. Then there s the fire víla, the water ghost, the pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are all after him. All this sounds a bit comical, unless the one haunted by water ghosts and fire vílas or doing time in a cramped, internet-deprived teacup is you.

If Tomas wants to survive, he’ll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb: With Death, nobody makes a pact.

Blog Posts

I write a daily blog that touches on pretty much everything imaginable, and that includes my books! Check out all the posts I’ve written on Vodnik over the years.

Reviews

Brandon Sanderson, NYT Bestselling Author of the Mistborn series: “VODNIK is compelling, interesting and darkly humorous. I think you’ll love it.”
Kirkus: “A first encounter with racism blends well with a compelling fantasy adventure […] a shy boy blossoms in this suprisingly witty debut.”
School Library Journal: “Bryce Moore has done something most authors can’t do; he has created a story with a completely different type of mythology […] The author has created a great new type of mystery and legend, and I’m one reader who can’t wait to see if this story continues to develop.”
Signal Journal: “VODNIK is quite a page-turner with interesting twists full of humor and suspense till the end. Moore includes all the aspects of a brilliant fantasy novel that adolescents will love: a twisted family history, castles, cute girls, ancient crypts, buried treasure, and wicked but comical mythical creatures.”
Best Fantasy Books: “What’s really cool about VODNIK is the fact that it’s a cross between urban fantasy and Slovakian folk- and fairy tales and it works really really well […] This is a great YA book and a good one for adults as well.”

Awards

2012 AML Award: Best Young Adult Novel

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