The Secret of Thunder Mountain

How do two ordinary children from the present day find themselves in the middle of a conflict between Slavic gods and a demon? Slavic mythology is still somewhat shrouded in mystery and often overlooked by writers. Veronika Pokorná sets out to change that with her novel. Christmas is approaching, but twelve-year-old twins Max and Lucy have entirely different worries. They are being chased by school bullies and, while fleeing, they hide in a cave on Thunder Mountain above their village. There, they discover a radiant stone and take it home. They have no idea that it is the mighty Alatyr, a fragment of the foundation stone of the divine realm, and that by taking it they have freed the serpent demon, Zmey. Long ago, the Slavic gods Perun and Veles imprisoned him there as punishment, and now Zmey craves revenge and dominion over the world. With his mesmerising gaze, he builds an army of obedient, heartless slaves from the villagers. Only Lucy and Max have so far escaped his power. But the demon is running out of time; the winter solstice is approaching, the one day when Perun's strength wanes. Will the gods and the children manage to thwart his plans? This thrilling contemporary fantasy story, cleverly interwoven with Slavic mythology, offers an original and refreshing alternative to the flood of novels drawing on Anglo-Saxon or Norse myths.