It is wonderful to find this well written fantasy based on characters out of Eastern European myths. Following the format of many a legend, the heroine, a modern Moscovite named Galina, searches for her lost sister, Masha, who has been transformed into a bird. She is joined by a number of other characters, all people who, like her, never quite fit in. They discover a doorway into a world of magic, and enter....

Golly, when I write all of that, it sounds like it has been done before. Perhaps so, but the author, Ekaterina Sedia, makes it all feel new and wonderful. Like those marvelous words "Once upon a time" prepare us to go into a space/time of suspended disbelief and wonder.

I highly recommend this book to folks who love a good fantasy. I look forward to more of her books!

Some compare this to Gaiman's Neverwhere, but this is quite different, I think, even if this too is kind of an urban fantasy where people go to an ... underground world. What I loved best in this book was all the Russian mythology, of which I know shamefully little - though it was fun to spot some familiar things. (Actually, the only reason I recognized some characters etc, like e.g Koshchey the Deathless, was because I've got one single fairytale by Eduard Uspensky. Pathetic.)

Anyway, this is a pretty good book - not excellent or anything, but worth reading if you happen to get this into your hands. Some people seem to be annoyed at the way the author keeps on interrupting the story: every time a new character is introduced, the story of his or her life is also told. But. At one point I started to get the feeling that _this_ in fact is the "secret history of Moscow", these stories of small people who otherwise wouldn't get their voice heard, who, behind the brilliant Russian/Soviet coulisse are not living so wonderful lives. This isn't just fantasy, but also offers an interesting look into the everyday life in Russia/Soviet Union.

To me good writing lets the reader fall into the story and never disturbs that dream-like state by calling attention to itself; there are a few writers whose writing style is worth reading for its own sake and the reader is content knowing he or she is engaged in appreciating the talent of a gifted writer, that's fine if that's what you want.
Ekaterina Sedia's writing lets you forget you're reading a book, pulls you in to another world, giving enough texture and detail to make it feel real.
It was with great reluctance that I thought about writing a review for The Secret History of Moscow, for fear of inadequately conveying the reasons why I liked it so much, and look forward to the release of Sedia's next book (The Alchemy of Stone?)--all I can say is it's like walking through a doorway into another land, just as rich and full of sensory depth and dimension as the one you left behind. And that's the best kind of story-telling there is.

Reading blogs' reviews on this book, I was under the impression it was a good fantasy.
It is not.
I would say it is a fiction with a bit of introduction of Russian fairy tales protagonists such as Koschey the Deathless, some bits and pieces of history of Moscow, points of view of people who lived in the former USSR and witnessed the cataclysm of Perestroyka but otherwise it is a very odd book.
I didn't like it. I found it extremely boring. All the time I hoped some action is going to take place maybe just maybe in the next chapter but it never happened. The characters and their life stories were quite real, nothing to do with fantasy genre. The ending was just meh.

I think people who liked American Gods by Neil Gaiman, might like this book.

I just finished read it today. I liked it for the most part but it does have some large flaws. Some parts are well written with fantastic imagery but shortly afterwards you hit a spot where the action breaks the 'rules' established elsewhere or is too brief or disjointed. The characters mope a bit much more me (hand it to your favorite angry teen, they may like it more because of that). The end is a little loose and ragged, but overall the book is worth reading.

When Galina's sister turns into a bird and flies off leaving their mother to care for her newborn child, Galina is confused and perplexed but also determined to find her sister. Yakov is the downtrodden cop assigned to investigate the disappearance of Galina's sister and the others around Moscow who have met a similar fate. Together he and Galina, with the help of a street artist named Fyodor, must find their way into an underground version of Moscow. It is in this secret world that characters from myths, fairy tales and long forgotten religions abide and some of them are willing to help the travelers on their quest.

The Secret History of Moscow was a creative and intriguing urban fantasy novel. Ekaterina Sedia developed a unique world and wonderful multi-layered characters to inhabit it. I was captured by the story she wove and the way the Russian traditions and mythologies came alive in her writing. Fans of Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint will not want to miss this work.

I could barely finish this book, but hoped for a climactic ending that would save this bore. The main characters have no development, new one are introduced constantly with little addition save their backstory which make this story even more boring. I hoped to read something likened to neverwhere, but this fell far short. stay away!

In The Secret History of Moscow, Ekaterina Sedia captures the grey physical and emotional landscape of Moscow in the 90's and infuses it with haunting Russian mythos. The author's exploration of the supernatural clashing with reality creates a backdrop for social and economic commentary on Post-Soviet life.

But The Secret History of Moscow has neither bland prose nor flat characters (which is impressive considering the sheer breadth of characters we encounter in the book). These characters are given life by the author's lush, descriptive language. The details bring this world into sharp focus, and some of the imagery is utterly unforgettable. The bear is fantastic, as are the ways of entering the Underworld.

The population of Sedia's novel live in the distorted shadows of life--the people are hopeless and weary, and the gods and heroes have been relegated to the Underworld, no longer called upon by the modern folk. Yet it is in the hands of these fading myths and disillusioned antiheroes that the city and her people must ultimately find redemption.

Some have commented that they were unable to suspend disbelief as the "real life" characters met the folkloric ones and were not phased by the meeting. Western readers may fail to understand just what kind of presence these archetypes have in Russian (and Eastern European) ethos. They have not all been banished to the realm of children's fairy tales.

The mythical characters have a definite presence--an undertow in the murky waters of Russian cosmology. It's really not that hard to believe that they co-exist just out of reach, visible in the ripples of a puddle or in the reflection of a subway window. They should not be forgotten, and thanks to Ekaterina Sedia, I don't think they shall!

I've always been a fan of both novels about hidden or underground cities as well as novels containing those "secret histories" of what really happened in the past to make things how they are today, so it comes as no surprised that I was hooked by Ekaterina Sedia's Secret History of Moscow.

Instead of London or New York City, places that have been explored countless times before, the setting of Moscow was a refreshing change of pace. I was fascinated by the fairy tale beings I'd never heard of before, almost as much as I was entranced by the stories of regular Muscovites in the past and present -- people struggling to get by, people without strong voices, people you'd pass on the street or in the subway without giving a second glance. These are the people that, in Sedia's remarkable prose, literally take flight in this novel.

If you enjoy fantasy tinged with stark realism and clear-eyed storytelling, you'll love this book.

I had heard good things about "Secret History of Moscow" before I picked it up, which often makes me nervous that the hype will destroy the book for me. Ekaterina Sedia's novel lives up to all the promises of wonder. From the opening paragraph, she had me hooked with her powerful prose which makes prosaic things like a baby bird seem charged and full of mystery. I loved the Moscow she showed me and highly recommend this book.

The book weaves real history and Russian folklore and myth into a dark and mesmerizing story. The bulk of the chapters are stories within stories, like matryoshka (god I hope I'm spelling that right) nesting dolls. The histories within the histories. The writing technique is complex and very well done. There is some truly stunning imagery here, including a Russian "bear" that I wouldn't dream of spoiling.

The three main characters are everyday folk (a factory worker, a cop, a street artist), and the other characters they meet along the away are, generally, the discarded, people who have been trampled under the feet of history for centuries, but what makes SECRET HISTORY go is that the characters aren't fatalistic or pushovers. They choose to act despite their incredible vulnerability.

I ordered this book hoping that it would any of the magic and appeal that Neil Gaimon's Neverwhere employed, and was sadly disappointed. Shallow characters muddle through this novel with little appeal. Upon finding this magic underground realm that is the main focus of the story the characters show so little shock or amazement I had to wonder if everyone in moscow is so "ho-hum" towards meeting the supernatural. And dont expect the deities to have any depth. The "Celestial Cow's" input into the story is about as deep as "I made the Milky Way", to which the character responds with a deep and thought provoking, "Oh."

Wow. I barely made it through this uneventful yawnfest. There is nothing to draw you into associating or even liking the characters, and in fact you grow to hate the constant references to how horrible all aspects of life are in the new Russia. Lovely. Save yourself some time and read Neverwhere instead.

When the citizens of Moscow start disappearing, only a few suspect the truth: that magic is involved. You'd have to be crazy to think that. Crazy or homeless or marginalized or desperate. Galina fits that category: a sensitive 28 year-old branded with a false diagnosis of schizophrenia, she knows that her beloved sister Masha has turned into a jackdaw and flown away. She meets an alcoholic street artist named Fyodor who claims knowledge of an underground realm accessible through reflections and mirrored surfaces on the surface. Perhaps the answers lie there. So hopes Yakov, a defeated cop who joins them on their quest.

When the three of them dive into the moving reflection on a subway train, they do indeed find themselves beneath Moscow in a rustic subterranean realm complete with a night sky devoid of stars. Yakov is stunned to find his long-lost foreign grandfather serving beer at the local pub - and the man doesn't look a day over 35!

Galina befriends a countess named Elena (whose tragic history centers on the Decembrist revolt against the Czar in 1825). Fyodor is charmed to meet a profanity-spewing Father Frost, and uneasy to run across Oksana, a gypsy girl from his past. The three surface-dwellers stay the night with Sovin, an agricultural engineer once exiled to Siberia who now lives in peace in this strange community with his swarms of devoted rats.

The next day, several more mythological and historical figures assemble at the pub, wanting to know what the heck is happening to shatter the peace of their underground realm. Whatever surface event happened to turn the citizens of Moscow into birds has been polluting their realm as well: the rusalki water spirits report increased sightings of abandoned weapons and dead bodies turning up in the waterways. Galina intuits that the organized crime that has infested Moscow is starting to corrupt the underworld as well. But how can that be?

The supernaturals decide to mount a quest deeper into their realm to consult with Berendey who seems to be a nature demi-god (I think?). Joining our three surface-dwellers are Elena the countess; Zemun, the Celestial Cow from whose udders the Milky Way galaxy once sprang; Koschey, a death-god; and Timur Bey, famed military advisor to the Mongol conquerors of Russia.

Midway through the narrative, it becomes apparent that Galina's insight is indeed correct: a gangster named Slava, turned student of the Kabala, has destroyed the metaphysical balance between surface and underground worlds with his experiments in magic. The quest splits in two with Fyodor and Oksana and the rats dispatched top-side to track down parallel clues in Moscow.

This is a vivid and strange fantasy, saturated with the rich and dark mythology of the Slavic lands. This folklore is all but unknown in the West. Those of you fantasy fans who (like me) have grown weary of the usual Celtic underpinnings will find yourself eagerly drinking in these Russian tales. At the same time, you get a gritty feel for modern Moscow: pink streetlights, gangsters in their track pants, and subway stations graced with fabulous chandeliers. It's an unsettling and heady mix, and it makes you want to come back for more!