A modern take on classic Polish folktales, When Among Crows tells the story of a man that others have too high expectations for and his struggle to carve his own path. Dymitr has a duty to his family, but he doesn’t want to be like them. He’s done some horrible things and the pain he feels is immense. All he wants now is to atone for those sins and make amends to those he’s wronged. It’s easier said than done however.

This world is filled with various creatures from Polish folktales such as zmory, rusalka and strzyga, making travel without protection severely dangerous. There’s also a group called the Holy Order charged with protecting humans at all costs. These knights hunt the creatures, despite many of them just trying to live a normal life, not harming anyone. Knights have a righteous insanity about them that makes them more intimidating than many of the creatures. It really hit me when you find out their weapons are extensions of their souls and are made of bone. The first time one unsheathes their sword I was cringing in disgust. They had to pull it out of their own body in an agonizing way that gave me chills. It’s a dark setting that really makes you feel the desperation of its inhabitants and learning about the dynamics of it was captivating.

We follow Dymitr on a journey that doesn’t have a clear end goal, initially. The story slowly unveils his motives and his plan so we come to understand him as his companions do. The first of these is a zmora named Ala. Zmora feed off of fear and are capable of creating illusions. Ala is substantially better than her peers at this and it comes in handy for our party. She has her own past, which is substantially different from Dymitr’s but they relate on many fronts. Dymitr wants to help her, because she suffers from a curse to her lineage and the only one who can break it is Baba Yaga. He’s already in pursuit of her for his own reasons, so bringing Ala along is no skin off his back. The third member I won’t name, but their integration to the group felt natural, despite unclear motivations. I’m still not sure why they joined the crusade, but they add a nice dynamic. There’s also a little romance that seems to come from nowhere, however given the intense situations they go through, it’s not too unrealistic. It would have felt more natural if it was a little further on in the story, but it doesn’t detract from the narrative and adds to the relationship dynamic of the group in a way that helps reduce the tension.

Their quest to meet for Baba Yaga includes a lot of run-ins with local creature families, holy knights and some more “animalistic” beasts. Their struggles and how they work together to forge their own path is a fulfilling journey to witness. “When among crows” is actually part of a Polish saying that basically means you need to conform to what’s expected of you to fit in or it can be interpreted as doing what needs to be done to survive despite being untrue to yourself. Each character has their own qualms with this saying and forging their own paths together is the crux of this narrative. I love this messaging and though the story around it is very lore-heavy, it’s still a relatable message for anyone that wants to follow their dreams. It’s a short story as well, so if you want to learn more about Polish folktales or want to see a dark fantasy story about carving your own path, this is a great tale.