In a Certain Land: 3 Complete Slavic Fairy Tale Collections
Do you love mythic creatures? Think fairy tales from other cultures are awesome? Want to immerse yourself in a wild and whimsical world?
You’ll love this three-volume collection of Slavic fairy tales, newly translated by award-winning epic fantasy author Nicholas Kotar!
Many of us know and adore the Grimm tales, the standards of the Western canon. But have you read the weird and wonderful fairy tales of the Slavs?
These tales are often dark, sometimes morbid, and not always happily-ever-after. But they have some of the most colorful characters you’ll ever meet:
These are the fairy tales I grew up on. Baba Yaga, Ivan the idiot, and the grey wolf are as familiar to Russian children as the evil queen, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast are to American families. But these Russian tales have yet to find their way into the popular imagination of American culture.
While the nearly thirty tales presented in these volumes are available in various anthologies and hidden corners of the internet, the translations are often stuffy and academic rather than alive and captivating.
As a descendant of Russian immigrants who spoke Russian before English, I combine my native love for these stories in their original, unaltered form with my deep love for storytelling.
I’m bringing you Russia’s favorite tales as you would have heard them from a grandparent sitting near the hearth on a cozy winter evening, the wind howling outside and the courage of these heroic stories lighting a flame in your heart.
But don't be fooled – these stories are far more than children's tales. For me, they are the backbone of my imagination, the “cauldron of story” from which I borrow and to which I return again and again to be filled with wonder and delight. Readers of my epic fantasy Raven Son series will recognize allusions to the tales in my work, from mythic monsters to long-toothed hags.
I know these stories will delight and enchant you as much as they have me. I am thrilled to share these little-known gems with you!
Step into a world of magic and mystery with In a Certain Kingdom, the first volume of classic Russian fairy tales and myths translated by award-winning fantasy novelist Nicholas Kotar.
From deathless villains that can't help dying to idiots wiser than kings to a pestle-riding hag, this collection of nine stories will transport you to a fantastical land of danger, wonder, and ultimately, consolation. Rich with prophecy and adventure, these tales will help you see your own life in vivid colors.
Discover delightfully entertaining stories filled with princes, warrior-queens, talking wolves, and the bizarre Baba Yaga!
If you enjoy the classic Brothers Grimm fairytales, you'll love exploring the strange and thrilling world of Russian folklore with In a Certain Kingdom.
Tales in Volume 1
Immerse yourself in a world of giants larger than mountains, shapeshifting warrior mages, and outlaws with the power to whistle you to death! Welcome to the wild world of Russian fairy tales!
Filled with whimsy, humor, and adventure, these stories will excite and move you. Travel to a world where love triumphs over impossible odds and where ancient demons and dragons find their match in simple men and women of unexpected strength.
Epic Heroes of the Rus is the second volume of classic Russian fairy tales and myths translated by award-winning fantasy novelist Nicholas Kotar, author of the Raven Son epic fantasy series. These tales are sure to delight lovers of classic fairy tales and readers of fantasy the world over.
Tales in Volume 2
Attention all fairy tale lovers! Get ready to be transported to a world of mythic creatures and enchanting stories. Imagine sitting by the hearth on a cold winter night, listening to your grandparent's tales of brave heroes and cunning dragons. That's exactly how Nicholas Kotar brings you Russia's favorite tales in his third fairy tale volume: In a Certain Land: Wise Fools, Cunning Dragons, and Baba Yaga.
Enter the world of Baba Yaga, the mysterious hag who can be both friend and foe, and follow Ivan the Idiot as he faces off against a cunning dragon with six heads.
But don't be fooled by the title - these classic Russian fairy tales are not just stories for children. With Kotar's masterful translation, you'll discover the depth and complexity of these little-known gems that are sure to ignite wonder and delight in readers of all ages.
Tales in Volume 3
Add a Beautiful Journal
Create a space for your own stories...
From UK-based artist Ewan Craig comes an exquisitely designed hardcover journal will 100 pages waiting to play host to your creative muse.
Originally designed as a reward for Nicholas Kotar's In a Certain Land Kickstarter campaign, this journal is now available for purchase.
This journal creates a beautiful space for your own creative endeavors.
In Ewan's own words: "The process of making is just one aspect of creating. I see art as a way of making beauty out of the values we wish to protect and visualize.”
Sample My Work
You’re invited to read my translation of one of the most iconic Russian fairy tales of all time – Ivan the Prince and the Grey Wolf! You can also listen to a dramatized version of me reading the fairy tale accompanied by exquisite illustrations and the original music of composer Natalie Wilson!
This illustration by the incomparable Gennady Spirin is one of my favorites
"What I find in this volume is encouragement, depth, and a seriousness about the human condition that is generally lacking in the stories we see on Netflix or at a theater. People fail, people die, but in this world happily ever after isn't an aphorism to be mocked, it's once again a genuine possibility." - G. Widner
"These are brilliant retellings of some traditional Russian fairy stories ... they certainly are not just for kids. There are few things you could do that would better form your imagination and bring a little enchantment into this sterile world." - Jack K.
"Amazing stories, captivating and stir the imagination. Love reading these as a family!" - Christopher L. Sweet
I come from a family of Russian immigrants who moved from Russia after the Revolution, and I grew up in what was essentially a Russian ghetto in San Francisco. I spoke Russian before I spoke English.
At the core of all of my work is a fervent belief that telling, writing, watching, listening to, and reading good stories may be the most important thing you do with your life.
To that end, I have authored 7 fantasy books, 3 non-fiction books, an award-winning TV script that was looked at by Netflix, and a full-length classical music libretto.
All of my work is inspired by the fairy tales I have retold in these three volumes. They are stories of deathless villains, pestle-riding hags, idiots wiser than kings, and warriors of extraordinary courage! But there is also a deeper mystery hidden in each tale, a mystery that speaks to the heart of what it means to be human.
I believe that fairy tales, particularly Russian fairy tales, have profound, even spiritual meaning that make them worth reading again and again. As Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin suggests, they are indispensable for those of us who have lost our ability to see and appreciate the beautiful and transcendent in life.
I write for readers who love classic fantasy like The Lord of the Rings but who aren’t afraid of a little darkness and honesty about the human condition. I also write for seekers after truth and beauty (like myself), and for those who feel trapped by modernity, with a fresh take on traditional values and storytelling.
I’m writing to you from cow-country New York, where I conduct a seminary choir and pretend to homestead with my wife and four children.
