Publisher: Alkira
Publication Date: May, 2026
In a mythical, late-nineteenth-century city in Bohemia, Waltraud hears a voice no one else can hear.
It belongs to Rübezahl — a winged old man imprisoned for decades, a penitent monster who once abducted her as a child and now calls to her for release. When Waltraud refuses to help him escape, her defiance unleashes tragedy, and the creature is freed by other means.
Rübezahl’s revenge is subtle and devastating. A ghost rain begins to fall, flooding the city with hallucinations, stupefaction, and false hopes. As the population drifts into confusion and chaos, class war erupts and the authorities prove helpless.
Immune to the rain’s spell, Waltraud becomes the city’s last clear mind. Armed with a dangerous prototype weapon and hunted as much by public opinion as by monsters, she must confront Rübezahl — not only in the streets of the drowning city, but in the mountains where myth, media, and violence collide.
A dark, philosophical fantasy about power, belief, and the
cost of independent thought.
As far back as she could remember, a period of some fifteen years, Waltraud had always disbelieved in organised religion. One week ago, on her seventeenth birthday, she had resolved to think of herself as a spiritualist. In truth, there could have been no avoiding the decision: for the past five years, as she maintained correspondence with a much older, worldly pen-friend in Vienna, he had helped to nurture her intellectualism such that the prodigy had grown resentful of the fanciful rites that went with this or that faith. Her free-spirited Viennese pen-friend had also dissuaded her from developing any real interest in the political; as a consequence, she did not hunger for power. How perilous her growing humanism, though, for her philosophical nature had come to oblige her to tolerate almost anyone—even those wholly undeserving of sympathy.
19 October, 1877: early that morning, a strident, blaring, inhuman wail roused Waltraud from her slumber. She had never heard such a din. When she climbed out of bed, she continued outside onto her balcony and listened closely. Where’s that racket coming from? She studied the skyline and considered some of the structures where the shrill lamentations reverberated all about three fine Gothic-revival towers with Venetian-style arches and scrolled gable walls. How dreamlike, the City of Iluze.
M. Laszlo’s political parable, Rübezahl, has been described as Animal Farm meets Alice in Wonderland and is set to be published by Alkira in May 2026.
A fantasy tale that horrifies, recreates, and satirizes modern realities.
Rübezahl by M. Laszlo is a vividly portrayed fantasy that not only recreates but satirizes modern realities as it entertains and prompts further consideration. Whether a reader chooses this story for fantasy, philosophical elements, or the political comparisons, there is much for everyone to enjoy.
Waltraud, an incomparably beautiful girl on the cusp of womanhood, seems to be the only one who can hear the tormented cries of the winged man Rübezahl. However, they have a shocking history together, and although he begs for release from his prison, she knows that to do so would mean the destruction of her city and all she knows. So, in revenge, Rübezahl curses the city with rain that causes the residents to suffer hallucinations and a lax depression, opening the door to unscrupulous and opportunistic politicians to come in and take over.
The author’s storytelling is mesmerizing with vivid details and an absolutely unique plot. There were surprising twists throughout that kept me completely off balance and unable to set the book down or look away from what was happening. I particularly liked his choice of time period for the story’s setting, the late 1800s, when society was much more strait-laced, closeted, and inhibited, offering a greater contrast to the lifestyle and tragic past of Waltraud, the main character. She suffered at the hands of Rübezahl as a child, yet still has sympathy for her former captor. I was shocked by his ability to slip in and out of her mind and body at will, and how he experienced her most intimate and private moments. What a horrifying concept! This tale is a keeper I’ll read again later and discover new elements.
I recommend RÜBEZAHL to readers of fantasy.
M.Laszlo will
be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Virtual book tour services
provided by
Thank you so much for hosting and reviewing today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the positive review!
ReplyDelete