An epic series of six sci-fi novels offering exciting action while also raising questions about the nature of manipulation, dominance and freedom.

Literary fiction

The plot takes place on our planet a few centuries from now, where humans have survived only due to the technological achievements of the Össeans, an ancient theocratic alien civilisation. The two groups co-exist on Earth, however, the Össeans have brought more than just new technologies – a fundamental part of their culture is an ideology based on fanatical devotion, mysticism and sacred drugs, which is slowly spreading throughout the human population. This sets the stage for a deeply allegorical story about the current state of the western world, clashes of cultures, xenophobia and power. Because of Mycelium’s profound and often unsettling insights, and the psychological complexity of the narrative, critics have compared it to Orson Scott Card’s classic Ender’s Game. While never short on action, like all great science fiction the saga’s most significant conflicts are battles of ideas.

 

 

Vilma Kadlečková (1971) is a science fiction and fantasy writer known as the first lady of Czech fantasy. She studied at Charles University in Prague and her stories first appeared in competitions and fanzines in the late 1980s. Since then, Kadlečková has published more than ten books, many of which take place in the same fictional universe. Her short story “Longing for Blood” was published in English in the US Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and praised in a review by Jeff VanderMeer. She is perhaps best known for the six-part Mycelium series, which has so far earned her three awards from the Czech Academy of Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror.