Broken Statues book cover

A dark fantasy story collection

Broken Statues

by Alexander Kondov

Eleven tales of gods, monsters, and the choices that haunt us, woven from the history and mythology of Eastern Europe.

A Godless Land

The nameless czardom has been a battleground of the gods for generations.

Now, the people have finally denounced them.

They killed them, they chased them away, and they forgot their names.

And now, they're left to live in a world where no prayer gets heard, miracles only happen in fairy tales, and even noble houses crumble.

"I remember the day I learned that the gods hated us..."

- Opening lines from The Blue Flower

The Book

Broken Statues is a collection of eleven standalone dark fantasy stories. These are stories about legacy, love, loss, meaning, and power, told through the eyes of warriors, gods, peasants, and rulers.

The stories will be forever free to read here.

The Stories

Each story is complete on its own, each is a window into a shared world. Start with whichever title catches your eye.

01

The Blue Flower

While armies march and seasons turn, a woman clings to a promise marked by a single blue flower. A heartbreaking love story about war's aftershocks and the vows we keep, even when we can't come home.

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02

Monsters Have Good Days

Bleeding out in the mud, a warrior meets a pale lady in white and is forced to confess what violence made of him, and what love couldn't. A haunting meditation on rage, guilt, and redemption.

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03

The Golden Apple

A young heir inherits a legacy rooted in a mysterious orchard and learns that symbols of rule demand real sacrifice. Courtly, tense, and intimate, it's a coming-of-age story where mercy and survival collide.

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04

One Last March

An aging general is asked to lead one final campaign for a young ruler who's never seen war. Old gods, old wounds, and one disastrous march test loyalty and reveal how easily order turns into chaos.

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05

The Only Question

An old forest god, bored and bitter, stands at the edge of a chasm and wonders if anything is worth living for anymore. Darkly funny and strangely tender, a story about meaning found in rebellion.

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06

Scent of Rage

An inquisitor in black arrives in an idyllic village because something monstrous hides behind its normal smiles. A grim, fast-moving hunt for a killer where faith and fear both sharpen the blade.

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07

Dreams and Seeds

In a village where legends still breathe, a formidable grandmother refuses to let sickness take what she loves. A tender, fierce story about care, stubborn hope, and small miracles.

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08

The Wings of Terror

A band of fighters seeks a blacksmith who can forge the one blade meant to kill a beast that burned a city to ash. Myth, steel, and ambition intertwine on a dragon hunt where creation may be deadlier than destruction.

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09

Broken Statues

A conqueror who traded love for empire discovers too late that ambition doesn't quiet the heart. When Death comes to collect, a czar must face what his victories were really worth.

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10

A Quill's Confession

Dragged into the heart of the keep, a hard-drinking bard is ordered to shape a dead czar's legacy into a single, perfect story while power watches from the shadows. A tale about art as both salvation and weapon.

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Inspiration

Books & Authors

Joe Abercrombie — The First Law Trilogy, Sharp Ends

J.R.R. Tolkien — Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, Unfinished Tales

Albert Camus — The Myth of Sisyphus

Mark Lawrence — The Prince of Thorns Trilogy

Fyodor Dostoevsky — Crime and Punishment

Kentaro Miura — Berserk

Haruki Murakami — his beautiful way of describing the mundane

Historical & Mythological

Eastern European history, folklore and mythology, dvoeverie (the dual-faith practice blending Christianity with pagan beliefs)

About Me

I'm Alexander Kondov, a software engineer by day and writer by night.

I always found the real world to be too constrictive, and my daydreaming gave birth to countless characters and places that don't belong to it. Broken Statues is my first published work of fiction, containing stories I've been working on from 2020 to 2024.

I wrote them with love for the craft, care for every word, and a lot of coffee.

Drop me a line, I love talking about writing, fantasy, and good books.

Begin the Journey

Ten tales await.

Frequently Asked

What order should I read the stories in?

The stories are completely standalone. Start with whichever title catches your eye.

Are the stories connected?

They share the same world, and careful readers will notice subtle connections - recurring places, echoes of events, threads that weave between tales.

How long are the stories?

They vary from short stories to novella-length pieces. Most can be read in a single sitting of 20-45 minutes.

Any content warnings?

These are dark fantasy stories dealing with war, loss, violence, mortality, and moral ambiguity. The tone is literary and reflective rather than graphic, but the themes are heavy.