School of Shards: A Novel

(Paperback)

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The haunting final chapter of the modern classic Vita Nostra trilogy. The Dyachenkos magical dark academia novel brings the story of Sasha to a revelatory climax as she learns to take control of her powers and reshape the world...or destroy it forever. Beautifully translated from Russian by Julia Meitov Hersey.

The Institute of Special Technologies teaches students just one thing: the magic that allows them to become parts of speech, and in doing so, transforming into a specific piece of grammar (a verb, or an adjective, or an article) so they will be able to shape the world around them. As the new provost, though, Sasha is facing an enormous problem: the students in the world she just created, her world without fear, are unable to master the curriculum. Whether its the magic or the natural order of things, what they need to learn and becomeSpeechis the basis of the material world.

And if she cant teach it, Sasha knows that matter will soon cease to exist.

To protect the world, Sasha must collect fragments of her former reality. Only three people carry these fragments within themselves: her younger brother, Valya, and the Grigoriev twins, Arthur and Pashka, the sons of her former lover, Yaroslav Grigoriev. Sasha must lure these three to the Institute and make them learnand understandat any cost.

But she knows how difficult the path is, even more so from the other side of the teachers desk. Forced to act ever more ruthlessly, Sasha also notices the faster the world around the Institute changes. It is a vicious circle.

And one she must break.

To do so, she will have to shape reality again, one in which communication doesnt break down and Speech once again needs to evolve and grow and flourish.

Sasha has already given up so much in pursuit of this dreamoften her nightmareand she might be asked to make one more sacrifice so that the world and Speech might live on.

Reviews

VitaNostrais singular and brilliantunlike anything Ive ever read. R. F. Kuang, #1New York Timesbestselling author ofBabel Vita Nostra a cross between Lev Grossmans The Magicians and Elizabeth Kostovas The Historian [...] is the anti-Harry Potter you didnt know you wanted. Washington Post I was stunned by[Vita Nostra]not just by the story, which was a revelation to me in itself, but also by the vividness and fluency and power of Herseys translation.Vita Nostrahas become a powerful influence on my own writing. Its a book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre, and I couldnt be more excited to see it get the global audience in English it so richly deserves. Lev Grossman,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Magicians Amazing book. Dark Harry Potter on steroids with a hefty dose of metaphysics. Aliette de Bodard, award-winning author ofThe Tea Master and the Detective As with the previous book, inventive storytelling delves into philosophical concepts such as time, meaning, and language. This is a novel that transcends genre and will astound readers looking for serious, contemporary fiction. Library Journal (starred review) on Assassin of Reality

Author Bio

Marina and Sergey Dyachenko are Ukranian co-authors of over seventy fantasy novels, short fiction, plays and scripts. The recipient of eight literary prizes and much critical acclaim in Russia, Vita Nostra has been translated into several languages. The Dyachenkos hail from Kiev and currently reside in California. Vita Nostra is their first novel published by HarperVoyager. Marina and Sergey Dyachenko are Ukranian co-authors of over seventy fantasy novels, short fiction, plays and scripts. The recipient of eight literary prizes and much critical acclaim in Russia, Vita Nostra has been translated into several languages. The Dyachenkos hail from Kiev and currently reside in California. Vita Nostra is their first novel published by HarperVoyager. Julia Meitov Hersey was born in Moscow before moving to the United States in 1990 at the age of 19. Currently, she is at work on translation of other Russian to English projects. Julia originally began her translation of Vita Nostra because she wanted her non-Russian-speaking family to share her love for this striking novel.