Imagine a world where magic is no longer something incomprehensible and mysterious. Witches, goblins, fairies, mermaids, vampires, or gnomes have their own chaotic magic. But people have also learned to use it, creating controlled magic. In the novel by the young Ukrainian writer Anna Kovaleva «SMARTchary», this same magic has long since become a big industry — with corporations and small firms, offices, sales and HR departments, and clearly defined regulations. If you want a spell, you sign a contract and order it from the company, and it will entrust it to its wizards and potions. All of this is very similar to the modern IT world, and it also resonates with any office job. And there are also vibes of the famous English fantasy humorist.
Author
Anna Kovaleva
Publisher «Publisher 21»
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 432
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2024
Size 150×217 mm
Website books-xxi.com.ua
In the country of Uplandia, in the town of Lybediv, there is a small company «Green Solutions» that creates magic for the agricultural sector. Until recently, the employees of this company lived their lives as usual and did not think that they would soon find themselves on the front pages of newspapers and under the scrutiny of the entire magical world. But it happened that one day all the magic suddenly stopped working. The wizarding mirrors were silent and glinting with black screens, the wake-up spells for work and the hangover spells when they were so needed didn’t work, and nothing worked anywhere in the world.
However, in «Green Solutions», they continued to create magic, but no one knew why they could and others could not. That’s why not only the whole world, but also Klaus Schultz — director of the regional office of the powerful corporation «Magic Minds», took notice of this small regional company. He will probably do anything to find out the secret of his competitors and restore the magic.
Anna Kovaleva creates a recognizable world where magic functions according to the logic of IT services and software. Spells can glitch, conflict with each other, and have outdated versions. All of this is very relevant to our time, so it’s very easy to immerse yourself in the universe of the novel «SMART spells», of course, if you are somehow involved in all this. But at the same time, this world is described in too schematic and rough strokes. There are no more or less detailed descriptions or deeper immersion. There’s no need to plunge the reader in, as beginners often do, dumping tons of exposition, but this superficial familiarization is not enough either. At least for me.
There is no main character in the novel «SMARTchary». There are several of them, and in general, there are a lot of characters, especially at the beginning, so the first pages of the book not only immerse you in the local universe, but also confuse you with their characters.
And the heroes themselves are often just extras for the masses, they are not three-dimensional and memorable. Somewhere towards the middle of the book, the main backbone of the local history team begins to form, and these are indeed the brightest, most adequate characters that are here.
I have to admit that the absence of a classic protagonist did not spoil my reading at all, because there are books where the story itself, the situation, the world, etc. are important. And «SMARTcharacters» is exactly like that. The author, in my opinion, did not do a very good job with the characters, and you should know about it, but this did not greatly affect my pleasant impressions of the book.
«SMART magic» not a fantasy action story, but a measured, unhurried story about magic. The plot develops especially slowly in the first hundred pages, where the reader is gradually introduced to the story, the characters, etc. If you’re a fan of magical stories with action, battles, and epic battles, this book is not for you. I would probably classify it as a relatively new genre «cozy fantasy».
The novel is full of irony and humor. It is not ostentatious, not grotesque, but lively, light, and working at the level of subtext, making you not laugh out loud but smile and giggle all the time. Anna Kovaleva doesn’t turn the story into a mockery of the modern world, but her critical view — soft, precise, ironic — is very expressive. In some moments, there is a real satire that resonates with the work of Terry Pratchett. Therefore, if you like the works of this recognized master, you should theoretically like «SMARTchars».
«SMARTcharms» — a novel that combines wit and depth. There are funny scenes, emotional moments, and a kind of philosophical subtext. But all this is presented without moralizing, without excessive pretentiousness. It’s simple and fun, through absurd but logical situations, through a world that is very similar to ours, only with chardzers instead of smartphones and magical servers.
The language of the novel is lively and modern. Anna Kovaleva writes easily and simply, the text is read lively and without any shreds that can catch the eye or brain of a literary aesthete.
The novel does not shout about its relevance, does not arrange loud debunkings, but it feels the time very well and sometimes mocks us in a good way. Anyone who has worked in large companies or just had an office job, and especially those who are directly related to IT — will definitely smile while reading allusions, references, jokes, and all the diversity of the so-called corporate culture.
«SMARTchars» was published by «Vydavnytstvo 21». I liked the design of the book, it is thematic and of high quality. On both sides of the cover, there are convex embossings and cool thematic drawings that resemble program code and at the same time tell about the fantasy nature of the book. I liked the pleasant to the touch, rather thick and yellowish binding, the thematic flyleaf, and the design of the pages. And there is also a gusset, for which I am especially grateful.
