"Deleted Scenes from the Bestselling Utopian Novel" is a surreal mosaic that transports readers into the heart of a dystopian world that is terrifyingly close to our own.
In Novo Tsarstvo, a remote northern island buried under snow, the senile Tsar rules with lies, an evil professor turns people into pig-faced demons, snow angels become acts of rebellion, black cats are outlawed, television knocks on your door in the morning, and nightmares claw their way into reality. We follow fractured lives of ordinary people: the disillusioned, the resistance, and those caught in between as they navigate the twisted totalitarian landscape and try to stay human in a dehumanising environment. Through their struggles, we confront the nature of truth, violence, and freedom, whilst witnessing the enduring capacity of the human spirit and childlike imagination in the face of oppression.
Experimental in form yet rooted in dystopian tradition, "Deleted Scenes" explores the psychological toll of tyranny through a kaleidoscope of perspectives. The author's prose blends gut-wrenching psychological horror with dark absurdist humour, creating an unsettling yet unforgettable experience.
Vanya Bagaev crafts a narrative that is as politically charged as it is psychologically complex. Poignant, visceral, and uncompromising, "Deleted Scenes" is an act of reflection, an adaptation of lurid dreams that poses the question: amidst the darkest nightmare, is there still hope?
Explore more of the author's work at [...], including literary, experimental, and speculative fiction.