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. It wants to drown him again and put his soul in a teacup. And that’s not all. There’s also the fire víla, the water ghost, pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are after him.

If Tomas wants to survive, he’ll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb, So smrťou ešte nik zmluvu neurobil. With Death, nobody makes a pact.

Reviews:

• “Vodnik is compelling, interesting and darkly humorous. I think you’ll love it.” Brandon Sanderson, NY Times bestselling author of the Mistborn trilogy
• “A first encounter with racism blends well with a compelling fantasy adventure […] a shy boy blossoms in this surprisingly witty debut.” Kirkus
• “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.” School Library Journal